Episode 99: The Proof is in the Pudding
Nonprofits compete for a small pot of money. Funders aren't handing out money to any nonprofit just because they have a tax exempt status! They select the most qualified nonprofits to fund. "Qualified" comes down to Proof. In this episode, learn how to define, capture, quantify, and demonstrate Proof to Funders to increase your chances of being selected for funding.
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🔦 NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT 🙌🏿
Project Joy Part 3
👉🏿https://www.projectjoyusa.com/
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How to Demonstrate Measurable Impact
https://fusion.amberwynn.net/product/how-to-demonstrate-measurable-impact/
90 Days to a Profitable Nonprofit
https://www.amberwynn.net/profitable-nonprofit
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Podcast Transcript
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to On Air with Amber Wynn, where nonprofit leaders learn to fuse passion and commitment with proven business strategies to create long-term funding impact and sustainability. And now here's your host and resident, Philanthrepreneur, Amber Wynn.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hey fam, it's your girl, Amber Wynn, and today on Air with Amber Wynn, we are going to talk about the proof is in the pudding. You guys have heard that saying, right? Listen, when we talk about funding, it really comes down to you being able to demonstrate your impact. That is your proof. And so on today's episode, we're going to talk about impact. We're going to talk about how you're able to demonstrate that you are qualified. That qualification comes down to your proof. So, so excited about today's topic. When we come back, the proof is in the pudding. Most founders don't realize that there are more applicants than there is money. This fact impacts a nonprofit's fundability. Nonprofit founders should administer research on their competitors, determine if their community is oversaturated, and identify their competitive advantage before they start a nonprofit. Check out how to validate your nonprofit idea, A step-by-step guide on how to administer the research.
(01:26):
You need to validate your idea before spending hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars only to struggle to fund it. Get your copy today. Welcome back to On Air with Amber Wynn. Today we're talking about something that's really important in terms of long-term sustainability and it's being able to demonstrate your impact, and today's title is called The Proof is in the Pudding. For those of you who've never heard that saying, when they say the proof is in the pudding, it's when you taste it, when you can demonstrate that it is a value, you can feel it. You can see it. Back in the day when you would cook something, you'd be like, oh, the proof is in the pudding. Somebody would be like, oh yeah, my cake is the best, my gumbo is the best. Then they would respond. The proof is in the pudding. So today we're talking about the proof being in the pudding in the nonprofit sector, meaning are you qualified?
(02:24):
Will you provide a funder with the return on their investment? The proof is in the pudding. In the pudding is you being able to demonstrate impact. Listen, if I said it once, I'm going to say it a million times. There are always more applicants than there is money. At some point, a funder has to cut off the number of organizations that they're going to fund. How do you ensure that your organization is on that yes pile? How do you ensure that you make that cutoff? It's by demonstrating that you are a qualified nonprofit organization. There is a difference between being eligible and being qualified. Eligible means that you have the basics. You have a 501(c)(3) and you operate in the funder's geographical area. You serve the target audience that the funder's looking for. Those are the very basics. That means that you can apply.
(03:16):
But when we come to actually being funded, you need to qualify. You need to be a bonafide nonprofit. What makes you a bonafide nonprofit? It's the work that you do. Your proof is your impact. And people say to me, well, we do make an impact. I had this one girl, she did this, she did that, and I'm like, okay, that's an amazing story. Where is that story? The story was in her head. She needed to take that story, that success story and put it on her website, put it in a newsletter. Let people see the impact that you're making. Quantify that impact. If you've been inception since 2009 and you serve 1500 people already, that is impact. Put that on your website. Put that in your newsletter. We're so excited to hit our 2,500 client. Mark. Let people know you are in the community. What is proof?
(04:19):
Proof is the justification that you've done something that when you first came into that community, here's what the situation was and now that you've performed your programs, you've administered some type of intervention or prevention. This is what the community looks like. Now that is proof. That is your documentation, and that also shows a funder that you're qualified to take on money. That's not to say that you cannot get money based off of a concept. If you're a good grant writer, hello. Did you guys check out last month's interview with Tanika, my nonprofit, I wrote a grant for her and based off of the concept, she got funded. That doesn't happen very often, and if it does, yay, but the money that you get for concepts typically aren't enough to sustain your organization. I want you to make an impact in your community, and that means not these small grants, not these seed grants, not five, 10, $15,000.
(05:27):
I'm just going to keep it real. Five, 10, $15,000 is like $20 in your pocket. You can get a soda, you can get maybe three gallons of gas if you live in LA and it's not going to get you far, that is not going to sustain your nonprofit. You need to get big dollars and big dollars happen when a funder believes that you are going to give them a return on their investment. Having been a funder, I can say the first thing that I'm going to do is Google you, right? If I go to your website and I see the impact that you're making in the community, I'm going to be like, okay, I feel more comfortable. I see your clients there. I see pictures of you engaging with your clients, not these staged pictures, not these stock photos, but you actually doing the work.
(06:19):
That is proof that if I give you money, you're going to do something with it. If you've got these stock photos, I don't know what you're doing. If you've got these photos of people holding up certificates, that doesn't show me that you're doing the work. It shows me that somebody completed a program, but what was the work? So you want to take pictures of you in action. If you're teaching somebody how to change the oil, get pictures of the instructor and the client up under the car. If you're gardening, get pictures of the youth pulling up a carrot. If you are teaching soft skills, get pictures of the facilitator in front of the room, animated speaking to the audience. If someone is to visit your website, you want them to get the idea of what type of work that you're doing in your community and staged pictures with people holding up certificates doesn't demonstrate that the proof is in the pudding.
(07:18):
You've got to show the action that you're doing. The other thing you can do is toot your own horn. When you have a success, when you've secured a grant, you say, I'm so excited. I was just funded by the California Community Foundation for this program because it says to other funders, other people, trust me, other organizations are willing to invest in me. And so now you're on their radar. If you graduate a class of 20 people and now they're going on to be technicians for cable companies, put that out there. Guess what? We just graduated class number six, 15. New people are going to start their jobs as technicians for charter and Spectrum. Put it out there because that is proof that your organization is making a difference. It is proof that you're qualified because you have successes. Success stories are huge. If you go to my website, you're going to see testimonials all over it.
(08:21):
Why? Because it is proof that the work that I do with my clients has a positive outcome. You work with me. Nine times out of 10, you're going to triple your amount of revenue because I give you the roadmap for how to run a nonprofit business. I can say that all day long, but when my clients are so excited about the results that they gave, that they are willing to do a testimonial that is proof, and you need to have proof. If you can get your clients to say, this was amazing. This transformed my life. And when your funders read that, they're going to be like, oh, okay. This is the organization I want to partner with because I see that there's a transformation in the community. So today we're talking about the proof is in the pudding and impact is your proof, and the way that you demonstrate impact is by documenting your successes, the number of clients you've served, what happened in your community after your program started running, where are your clients now, their successes?
(09:31):
That is your proof and all of this stuff. If you are not sure, if you had no idea because a nonprofit is a business, your success is not going to come just by writing grants. You may think so, but there's more to running a nonprofit than funding it. Funders are looking for certain things when they ask you for financial statements, when they ask you for your board roster, they're using different methods to make sure that your organization is bonafide. And if you don't know what those methods are, you're going to constantly get looked over and rejected. So learn what it takes to run a profitable nonprofit. You got to learn the nuances of what it takes to run a nonprofit. And if you don't know all of the ways to demonstrate your impact, I've got the roadmap for you and here it is. So let's take a look.
(10:29):
Are you struggling to fund your programs? Can't get a grant to save your life. Most consultants will share the what of how to start a nonprofit or how to fundraise. They may even share the why, but they don't share the how because that's where they make their money. Now, I'm not hating. I'm a businesswoman too, but I've been where you are trying to make the world a better place, struggling to keep the doors open up to the wee hours of the night writing grants and doing whatever needed to be done. And because I've walked in your shoes, I'm not here to make you spend your wheels, waste your time or your hard earned money. We ain't got time for that. The world needs you. I'm here to show you how to transform that pit. You keep dumping your hard earned money into a profitable nonprofit.
(11:19):
I take my 30 years of nonprofit experience as a founder, executive director, program developer, grant writer in funder, giving out over $7 million annually in grants, and I save you literally thousands of dollars in hundreds of hours. I walk you through setting up your nonprofit organization so that you can be generating enough revenue to cover your monthly expenses in just 90 days. How would that feel? Not paying bills from your personal bank account. I share my insider secret tips, tricks of the trade and provide you with a step-by-step roadmap on how to turn your bootstrap organization into a profitable nonprofit. Within six months. You could be generating enough revenue to pay your salary or fully fund your program. The choice is yours, but you have to get the blueprint, and it took me three years to develop it, but it's here and it's going to change your life.
(12:16):
Join my other successful clients who are just like you, full of passion and determination, but they had no idea all that it takes to run and fund a successful nonprofit. Now they're winning grants and drawing a salary, and they know what it is that they're supposed to be doing to run a successful nonprofit. They're no longer making it up as they go. They have the roadmap and they're clear about next steps, and I want that for you too. So what do you get in this course? You'll walk away with knowledge, products, processes, and systems, not just a bunch of promises, but exactly what you need to turn your organization into a profitable nonprofit. I promise you don't need grants. What you need is a solid infrastructure, and this course is going to give you all of that and more. And what's more it comes with the money back guarantee. So go ahead, click the link below to register for this course. Welcome back. You're on air with Amber Wynn, and today we're talking about the proof is in the pudding. And basically what that is, is impact is your proof and how to demonstrate to funders that you're qualified. Now's the time of the episode where you get to ask me your promising questions in Ask Amber. Today's question comes from John. He's in Texas and he's asking about a program design plan. Let's hear what John has to say.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
My name is John and I'm calling from Texas. A question on a grant is asking me what my program design plan is. I was hoping you'd be able to explain to me what that is.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Thanks, John. So for those of you who've never written a grant, funders look for ways to determine if your program is going to be successful. And one of those ways is for you to describe your program design. What is a program design? It's a high level overview of your program, and it usually has about six components. Number one, what is the problem? Two, it's called planning for the learning environment or experience like where will you deliver the program? Is it going to be in a classroom? Is it going to be virtual in the field? Number three is conceptualizing change. What does that mean? What is the change your program will create? A funder wants to know, okay, when you do this, what should they expect to happen? Number four, what are your program activities? What will help bring about the change? Is it trips? Is it counseling?
(14:49):
Is it on the job training? Is it education? Right? Number five, implementing the program. How are you going to implement the program? Where's it going to be and how are you going to deliver the program? Is it a workshop? Is it a podcast? How will you implement the program? And then six, your assessment. What are you going to do to make sure that the program is making an impact? If you deliver the program, will you go back at some point, maybe three months in, six months in to check in to see if it's working? And if it's not, you will have the opportunity to do some quality control CQI and make sure that you make the adjustment. For example, you may implement the program not knowing that your students aren't showing up. Well, when you check in, you realize that they're not showing up because they don't have enough money to get back and forth.
(15:53):
So then you may say, okay, we're going to have the kids meet at a certain block and we're going to take the van and pick them up, or you're going to give them uber vouchers. I don't know. But it's just to say to the funder, we're not just going to run the program and just hope that it turns out right. We're going to check in different points to make sure that the tools that we put in place are actually working. So today we're actually talking about the proof is in the pudding. So this is a very applicable question. How do you demonstrate that you are qualified? And the program design is one of those tools, one of those questions that a funder's going to ask so they can determine whether or not your organization is qualified. So John, thank you so much for that question.
(16:40):
And if you have a question for me, hit me up on any of my socials. I'd love to hear from you, get feedback. If there's a topic you want me to cover, I'm more than happy to do that. Now it's the time of the episode. My favorite time, I say this every week because it really is, I get to put the spotlight on the most amazing people on the planet because you really are. Most of you're out there doing the work, not even getting paid for it. I don't subscribe to that, but I honor and respect the work that you do. Even though you don't get paid, I need you to go check out a 90 days to a profitable nonprofit so you can learn how to get paid. But back to the topic, because I digress. Today we are on part three of our conversation with a phenomenal nonprofit leader. Her name is Kim Watson of Project Joy out of the Antelope Valley in California. So let's go ahead and finish up our third part of our conversation with Kim at Project Joy.
Speaker 4 (17:54):
In the earlier stages of Project Joy, always our logo is the butterfly. So always think back to when we were the little caterpillar. We were still kind of in the cocoon and maybe even trying to break out the shell. I don't even know if we were at that point, but it was just me for the first three years working a full-time job doing this on my lunch break and weekends, right? Did that for three years solopreneur, and then it became a team of three, and then it became a team of seven, and now we're a team of 14. Wow. So my long answer to your question is to build the capacity I had to bring along partners inside internal partners, which are team members, and then just getting creative with doing that. Because initially you don't have the money necessarily to pay staff. I hear that all the time.
(18:48):
How am I going to pay staff? I could barely pay myself. But there are programs out there that are looking for employer partners. There are young people looking for work experience, and there's programs that will pay them. You don't have to pay them. There's programs that will pay them. You just need to host them. So we became a host fight for I Foster. I Foster launched in 2019, what was called the, AmeriCorps, very first time that AmeriCorps had a TAY division, transitional age youth division, right? 16 to 24, 25 year olds who need work experience. So that was one of our first partners. We're like, yes, we will hoop. We can take two, give us two young adults. So I mean, it's always, there has to be a reciprocation, so you don't get someone who's necessarily fully trained. You have to be willing to invest your time to train them and really cultivate and pour into them, but it pays off in dividends.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Hey, we're back. It's Amber Wynn on air, and today we're talking about the proof is in the pudding. You were able to hear some of the things that Project Joy has been doing and their community making the difference, workforce development with youth, and it's important. It's important that you understand that. Number one, it's a process. Like Kim said, she's been doing this for 10 years. There's been some challenges, but she's come up with some amazing approaches for addressing those challenges, and that's what I'm asking you to do today. I'm asking you to just step outside of the way that you may have been doing things to recognize that a funder is looking for qualified nonprofits in order to partner with them to help them meet their goals. When I first met with Kim, she was doing all of this amazing work, but she was doing a lot of it right?
(21:02):
And so we had to condense some of her programs and help her to better tell her story. Now she has funders approaching her. They're coming to her saying, oh, I've heard about the work that you've done and we're interested in your delivery model. You've had some successes. The proof is in the pudding, and the pudding is you being able to demonstrate the success that you're making in the community. So thank you so much for joining me for this week's episode. I'm always excited that you guys come and check me out. If you found any value in today's content, be sure to share it with people in the space who you think it might benefit, like, subscribe, comment. Y'all know how those algorithms are. If y'all just watching and then moving on. Go ahead, put something in the comment. Say, Hey, Amber, love today's episode. I'd appreciate it. All right. That's all we have for today's episode. I will see you next week. Remember, I need you to take care of yourself, like you take care of your community. See you next week.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave a review on iTunes. Head over to www.amberwynn.net/podcast for the links and resources mentioned in today's podcast. See you next time.
