Ways in Which Social-Change Groups Can Raise Money

By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions

April 20, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute

NEW BOOKS

Promising Practices in Revenue Generation for Community Organizing, by Sandy O’Donnell, Jane Beckett, and Jean Rudd, analyzes how big a role grant makers and other sources of money play in supporting advocacy and social-change organizations. It reports on a survey’s findings that 62.7 percent of all income for such groups came from foundations, with 10 percent from membership dues and the rest from federal grants and gifts from individuals. The report also looks at ways community-organizing groups raise money. It notes that most groups tend to rely on grant money rather than soliciting individuals through direct mail and other appeals because they think that is most efficient. The book ends by suggesting ways grant seekers can enhance foundation support for their organizations, and provides lists of the grant makers that supplied the most money to community-organizing programs through 2002.

Publisher: Center for Community Change, 1536 U Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009; (202) 339-9356 or (877) 777-1536; fax (202) 387-4891; http://www.communitychange.org; 214 pages; available free for download on the organization’s Web site.

About the Author

M.J. Prest

Senior Editor, Solutions

M.J. Prest is senior editor for solutions at the Chronicle of Philanthropy, where she highlights how nonprofit leaders navigate and overcome major challenges. She has covered stories on big gifts, grant making, and executive moves for the Chronicle since 2004. Her work has also appeared in the Washington Post, Slate.com, and the Huffington Post, and she wrote the young-adult novel Immersion. M.J. graduated from Williams College and after living in many different places, she settled in New England with her husband, two kids, and two rescue dogs.