This session is designed to equip you to evaluate the viability of each strategy as if you were your own consultant: grants, major gifts, corporate sponsorships, events, and annual giving. You will consider each strategy through a matrix that ranks: sustainability, return on investment, return horizon, scalability, and needed infrastructure.
Topic: Raising Capital & Fundraising
Raising Capital & Fundraising Resources
This session builds on the Government Funding & ESEs 101 session by going deeper into the impacts (both positive and negative) government funding can have on an ESE’s business model and impact goals. This session was part of the Fall 2023 Raising Capital & Increasing Revenue CE Week.
In this workshop we’ll evaluate the effectiveness of current proposals and discuss the key features of effective proposals. We will also hear from ESEs who are working to strengthen their proposal writing. This session was part of the Fall 2023 Raising Capital & Increasing Revenue CE Week.
In this session we will discuss the different types of government funding available to ESEs from federal, state, and local government agencies, and options for pursuing these funding resources. We will also hear from a REDF Community ESE about their experience seeking and executing government contracts. This session was part of the Fall 2023 Raising Capital & Increasing Revenue CE Week.
It has become increasingly important that we be able to understand not simply that a program is a “good cause,” but rather that its social returns argue for increasing our investments in their work.
The strategic purpose of corporate sponsorship fundraising is to activate corporate responsibility through meaningful value propositions. Corporate Sponsorship is a common choice for ESEs as the business will already have corporate partners.
The strategic purpose of grant fundraising is to activate institutional generosity. Grants are a common choice for ESEs as workforce development is a priority of many grantmakers.
Development operations or development infrastructure are the systems and practices that function behind the scenes on a fundraising team. They are things like clarifying your team’s division of labor, prospect research, gift processing, gift acknowledgment, and data administration.
The strategic purpose of major gifts is to activate generosity through personal, high-touch donor relationships.
The strategic purpose of event fundraising is to activate generosity through curated experiences.