Friday, August 27, 2010

Nonprofit Startup Jumpstart Program

Every so often someone comes up with something that leaves you scratching your head and saying "Hmmm...why didn't I think of that?"  Sandy Rees has done just that.  She has put together the Nonprofit Startup Jumpstart Program and every part of it is fabulous!  I think the name is misleading because even if your nonprofit has been around a while, there's a lot you can take away from this program.  I looked over her curriculum and I just had to post it, there's so much good information there.  BTW, Sandy did not pay me anything to provide these compliments, I just know good material and expertise when I see it.  Bunnie

Dear Nonprofit Founder,


You’ve taken a brave step! You’ve identified a need and decided to do something about it. My hat’s off to you!  I know it’s likely been something very personal for you.

You’ve poured your heart and soul into starting a new nonprofit. You’re so excited about helping people in need, and now you realize there’s a business side of the organization to run and money to raise. Ugh. This is not what you had in mind when you launched your new organization! You’ve probably got more questions than answers. And not sure who to turn to for information and guidance.

Are any of these questions rolling around in your mind?

■Where do I start? There’s so much to do!

■How do I find good Board members. I just need people. Now!

■Do I need to find an attorney to be on our Board? And maybe an accountant?

■How do I spread the word about my good cause?

■How can I get something on TV or in the newspaper about my new nonprofit?

■How do I raise money without begging or annoying people?

■How can I possibly compete with the big nonprofits in town?

Let me help you with my Nonprofit Startup Jumpstart program

I will take you by the hand and personally walk you through the process of getting everything started and running so you can raise awareness of your organization and begin fundraising.

I’ll save you time. No reinventing the wheel. No wondering what will work. I’ll give you tips and shortcuts for proven techniques. No more losing sleep over which fundraiser will work best for you. No more stressful decisions about which Board members will be a good fit.

I’ll share resources with you. I’ll tell you which books to read, which websites to spend time on, and which newsletters you should be reading.

I’ll answer every question you can come up with. If there’s something I don’t know the answer to, I’ll ask one of my colleagues in my vast nonprofit network.

I know this is not just a job. This is your passion! This is your calling! And I want to help you get it off and running as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

Why me?

I’ve been helping small nonprofits get up and running in their fundraising, marketing, and Board Development for years. I’ve worked with so many small nonprofits that I know what works and what doesn’t. I can help you avoid the common pitfalls that slow down the growth of many worthwhile organizations. I get so excited helping groups like yours and I genuinely want to see you succeed. I know you have big work to do and if I can help you get off the ground faster, then you can be about changing peoples’ lives.

Here’s what you get in the Nonprofit Startup Jumpstart:

There are 4 main pieces to this unique program: education, coaching, accountability, support.

Education.

Each month for 5 months, you’ll have access to a recorded webinar that you can watch at your leisure. I’ve included my outline for the educational content here so you can see what you’ll learn.

1.Boards (September)

A.Roles & Responsibilities

B.Recruiting (Skills matrix)

C.Governance

D.Fundraising

2.Marketing & Communications/Getting the Word Out/Telling your story (October)

A.Key messages

B.Target audiences

C.Website

D.Newsletters

E.Speaking engagements

F.Working with the Media

3.Get ready to fundraise (November)

A.Mindset

B.Case for Support

C.Mission statement

D.Vision statement

E.Understanding Fundraising

i.Donor Pyramid

ii.Diversified revenue streams

F.Infrastructure

i.Donor tracking software

ii.Systems

G.Budget

H.Permits for fundraising, 501c3

I.Volunteers

4.Grantwriting (December)

A.Research

B.What to ask for

C.How much to ask for

D.Writing tips

E.Follow up

5.Individual donor development (January)

A.Where to find donors (target audience)

B.Build your list

C.How to ask

i.House parties

ii.Champion letters

iii.Ask/Friendraising events

iv.Online fundraising

As you can see, there’s a LOT of content!! I’m going to give you exactly what you need to move forward in each area.

I’ll also be providing you with handouts, including checklists, worksheets, templates, and sample documents.

The Nonprofit Startup Jumpstart program will start in September and continue on through January 2011.

Coaching. Each month, you’ll get to join me live on a Q&A call with your fellow program participants. We’ll talk about where you are and what you’re doing. You can ask any question you like and you’ll get to hear what others are doing. I find that there’s tremendous benefit in this group dynamic! You’ll likely learn more from each other than you will from me! If for some reason you can’t make the Q&A call, don’t worry. I’ll record them and share the recording with you so you can listen in.

Accountability. Each month, you can participate in an Accountability Day. This is a fantastic activity if you’re feeling a bit stuck on any topic. The Accountability Day works like this: I’ll tell you the date of the Accountability Days in advance. Early that day, you’ll check in with me via email or Facebook chat and tell me what you want to get accomplished that day. You’ll go do the work, then come back later and tell me what you got done. It sounds so simple, but it’s very powerful! If you’re having trouble getting something done, I can talk with you about what’s getting in the way and help you get moving again.

Support. You’ll have 24/7 access to me through email and a private Facebook group. I’ll be available to answer questions or give you a word of encouragement during the program. I’ll be your biggest cheerleader and supporter, urging you forward. If you get frustrated or need a listening ear, I’ll be here to listen to you and help you.

Obviously, I’m offering a LOT of time to you in this program! To make sure I can give you the attention you want and need, I’m limiting the number of nonprofit participants in this group to 20. If you are a co-founder, you may both participant and still count as only one nonprofit participant.

Learn more about Sandy and this seminar at http://getfullyfunded.com/nonprofit-startup-jumpstart

3 comments:

  1. I am so glad that I've stumbled upon this post. My best friend Shirley phoned me earlier to ask for my help. She's a member of a non-profit organization in our town and she wants me help in data management. I've joined several nonprofit organization before and I think that using a specialized nonprofit fundraising software is beneficial for organization and recording of data. Well, I'd like to commend you for providing a good outline of what these org must haves- like the mission and vision statement, board members and a lot more. Very informative source. I'll definitely share this with my friends. Thanks for posting!

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  2. Thanks for the great post, hope everything is going well. Just in case you need some help with our fundraisers next year check out Easy fundraising.

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  3. Sounds like a pretty solid nonprofit software to get things rolling in the right direction!
    -Jon

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