June 18, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
How can you get your nonprofit organization to stand out to grant makers?
Albert Ruesga, vice president at the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, in Washington, says nonprofit leaders need to think about foundations not as paper entities but rather as people-driven organizations.
And they should pursue their relationships with foundations in a personal way.
“Move from a paper relationship to one of flesh and blood at your first opportunity,” Mr. Ruesga writes on his blog, White Courtesy Telephone. “Foundations, like many individual donors, fund people not organizations: the heart of their relationship will not be with an entity, but with individuals they believe are capable of doing good work.”
To build those relationships, Mr. Ruesga offers a series of tips. Among them:
- Take time to get to know what the foundation values and how your organization fits into those values.
- Figure out what makes your organization unusual and take steps to show off those traits when program officers make their site visits.
- Share the knowledge you have gained from conducting your work with the foundation.
What are some other things that nonprofit leaders can do to build better relationships with foundations? Click on the comments link below this post to share your thoughts.
