Our New Delicious Page!

The Grant Resource Center has a new Delicious page!

What the heck is Delicious?

From the About page, “Delicious is a social bookmarking service that allows users to tag, save, manage and share web pages from a centralized source. With emphasis on the power of the community, Delicious greatly improves how people discover, remember and share on the Internet.”

Head over and check it out.  I think it will be handy, but you’ll have to let me know.  Our five most recent bookmarks will show up here on the blog, in the sidebar on the right under “From Our Delicious Links.”  If you have a Delicious page too, please add us to your network.  As always, let me know if you have any questions!

Links to Visit

Two links worth sharing …

1. From Katya’s Nonprofit Marketing Blog :   “For decades, fundraising pros have relied on a ‘little blue book’ to inspire and inform their boards: The Raising of Money, 35 Essentials Every Trustee Should Know, by Jim Lord.”  Go to Katya’s blog and click the link to download the “little blue book” for free.
2. If you have not yet subscribed to The Grantsmanship Center’s e-mail newsletter, Centered, you should do it now.  Each month’s newsletter contains a few short, information packed articles.  Go to their home page and look for the “Join Our Mailing List” link on the left hand side.

Image is Everything

The May 2009 edition of Successful Fundraising has short little gem of an article called, “Build Image Worthy of Major Gift Support.”  The article says, “To attract sizable gifts, your nonprofit needs to be perceived as worthy of such gifts.”

Really think about that for a minute. “To attract sizable gifts, your nonprofit needs to be perceived as worthy of such gifts.”  Does your nonprofit project an image of worthiness?   Or does your nonprofit look like it is struggling? No one wants to invest in a sinking ship, especially in this economy.  

• Is your organization financially stable?
  
• Has your organization had a balanced budget for a few years in a row?
• Does your organization have a financially capable and supportive board?
• Are your facilities well maintained?
• Are your clients satisfied?
• Does your organization have an adequate operating reserve?

Grants.gov Registration Process

Last week we hosted our first Grants.gov webinar.  It was a learning experience, both in terms of the format and the content.  (Note to self:  figure out how to work around the conference call audio next time!).

It was somewhat overwhelming to listen to Michael Pellegrino discuss the steps in the Grants.gov registration process.  So as soon as I got back to my desk, I scoured the site to locate the registration checklist Michael mentioned.  Here it is!

Grants.gov Organization Registration Checklist (PDF)

Grants.gov Session

Yesterday I sent out this Press Release for our upcoming Grants.gov session.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Interactive Grants.gov Session at the Franklin Public Library

FRANKLIN, PA -  March 5, 2009 – The Grant Resource Center at the Franklin Public Library is hosting a unique, interactive Grants.gov session on March 13, 2009, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The session will be held at the Franklin Public Library.  Participants will learn how to search for grant opportunities using Grants.gov, which includes information from 26 federal grant-making agencies.  Participants will also learn about the key components of the application process, including registration. This session will be conducted by a Grants.gov representative, who will be available to answer any questions, and Kate Burgdorfer, the coordinator for the Grant Resource Center.
This free presentation is open to any nonprofit employee or volunteer who would like to pursue federal government grants.  This session is not for those seeking personal financial assistance, since these types of opportunities are not found on the Grants.gov site.  Pre-registration is required.  To register, call the Franklin Public Library at 432-5062, stop by in person, or e-mail your name and phone number to franklinpl@franklinlibrary.org
The complete class schedule for the Grant Resource Center is available online at http://northwestpagrants.wordpress.com/free-classes/

Contact:

Kate Burgdorfer, Grant Center Coordinator
Grant Resource Center at the Franklin Public Library
(814) 432-5062
KateBfpl@gmail.com

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Let me know if you’d like to sign up.  Right now the our resources are mostly focused on foundation funders, and so I’m excited to learn more about government funding and the Grants.gov database of funding opportunities.