Weekly Funding Email

Spotlight

Father Joe's Villages is recognized nationwide as a leader in providing services to the homeless. Their Continuum of Care model combines a multitude of programs in one location for "one-stop shopping."

Tell us about your organization and your CCF involvement.
Father Joe's Villages is a San Diego-based multi-campus outreach program providing a range of services to needy populations locally and beyond. As a leader in homeless rehabilitation, Father Joe's Villages (FJV) is praised for being the first to develop the model that has become known among homeless service providers as the "Continuum of Care." The Continuum model is based on the idea that to adequately address homelessness, efforts must go beyond simple management of the problem. Instead, a comprehensive solution requires that all points along the journey into and out of the homeless condition must be addressed. As such, Father Joe's Continuum of Care includes such elements as outreach, intake and assessment, emergency shelter, transitional housing, counseling and addiction services, non-formal education, and permanent housing with supportive services.

The Village Training Institute (VTI) was established with CCF funds to build and expand the capacity of faith-based organizations (FBOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) based on the best practice techniques and lessons learned from the social service professionals and management of Father Joe's Villages. VTI provides ongoing workshops to improve knowledge and skills of organizations; conducts one-on-one coaching or mentoring in areas of program development and management; and grants subawards to build organizational capacity.

What geographic area do you serve?
VTI was funded in 2002 with the first group of intermediaries and serves organizations throughout California. In the first two years of the project, VTI served southern California and the central valley. VTI continues to serve those areas and has added workshops and services to the bay area.

What is your project's scope? What have you done with your CCF support?
With the CCF support, VTI successfully partners with faith and community leaders, government officials, universities, and politicians to champion the Faith-Based and Community Initiative throughout the state of California. VTI learning opportunities and resources have been utilized by over 900 individuals representing 600 organizations and growing! The FBOs and CBOs are exposed to Father Joe's Villages service delivery model that empowers clients and incorporates a holistic approach.

VTI workshops focus on nonprofit fundamentals such as grant writing, collaboration, fundraising, volunteer management, and grant research. VTI will launch its "Best Practice Series" this year with a focus on Father Joe's Continuum of Care, including modules on poverty, housing, and community meal programs. Workshops are held three to four times a month, and participants are offered a guided tour of our homeless rehabilitation facilities: St. Vincent de Paul Village (San Diego, CA), Martha's Village and Kitchen (Indio, CA), and Toussaint Teen Center (San Diego, CA). When possible, there are subject matter experts from Father Joe's Villages' staff, Board of Directors or professionals in the nonprofit community available to answer questions or lead discussion groups.

VTI offers additional technical assistance in the form of the Mentoring Program. Participants are invited to meet with VTI mentors, the experienced social service nonprofit professionals of FJV, to discuss areas of social services program development and management. Program staff have been trained as mentors and willingly share knowledge, lessons learned, resources, and tools with FBOs and CBOs that participate in the program.

VTI's subaward grants focus on capacity-building activities and program expansions to further an organization's sustainability. The grants average about $30,000 and are given out three times a year. Target populations for funding include the hungry, homeless, at-risk youth, welfare-to-work families, substance abusers, elders in need, those with HIV/AIDS, and ex-offender programs.

What impact have you made?
VTI envisions knowledgeable, efficient FBOs and CBOs that sustain operations and programs, leverage resources, nurture successful partnerships, and fulfill the needs of their community. To reach this vision, VTI focuses on expanding FBO and CBO's service delivery, increasing fund development capabilities, and strengthening organizational and operational structure.

VTI's workshops provide a forum for community leaders to meet and discuss challenges and brainstorm solutions. Workshop participants have reported a significant increase in knowledge and awareness of best practices in nonprofit management. They have reported that their organizations are stronger and more efficient as a result of these learning opportunities. Technical skills such as grant writing and grant research have helped participants write more competitive grants and target the right funding sources. Partnerships have been developed by networking at workshops and sharing ideas. In several cases, these partnerships have led to an expansion of organizational service and capacity.

VTI's mentors share experiences and insights gained from many years of experience. They offer new information and strategies for growing organizations. Participants have embraced this unique opportunity to work directly with a leader in the social services sector. They have been able to discover new techniques in how to recruit and retain volunteers, determine funding options, coordinate special events, start a planned giving program, obtain a 501(c)(3), and enhance a residential program. VTI staff and mentors are proud to see these organizations get to the next level!

Twenty-seven subaward grants totaling about $700,000 have been awarded to FBOs and CBOs. In 2005, VTI will award an additional $300,000 in subawards. As a result of the subawards, these organizations have reported an expansion of their service delivery, including increasing the number of services provided or adding a new service. Subawardees have reported an increase in funding, including funding from special events, public, and private funds. They have also reported increased partnerships and community collaborations that have led to strengthening their organizations and increasing their effectiveness.

Is there anything else that you would like to add?
With over 20 years experience providing homeless rehabilitation services, we have been blessed to have this opportunity to share best practices and lessons learned from our programs and services. With continued support from President Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative, we have broadened our reach to other communities throughout California and hope to continue inspiring innovation.
- Father Joe Carroll

For more information on the Village Training Institute of Father Joe's Villages, view our Web site at www.villagetraininginstitute.org or contact VTI Director, Sarah McIntosh, at 619-446-2148 or sarah.mcintosh@neighbor.org.

Dollars at Work

South Sudan Christian Youth & Community Organization (SSCY&CO) serves refugee families in East San Diego by assisting them in transitioning from newly arrived refugees to fully employed members of the community. Their mission is to provide guidance, resources, and educational opportunities for all family members. The CCF subaward from Father Joe's Villages expanded their services by funding an after-school tutoring and recreation program focused on nutrition and hygiene, maintaining culture, and academic skill-building.

Pat Kellenbarger, the After-School Program Lead Volunteer, is a valuable leader because she has the exceptional ability to target what this community needs most. "This group of underserved Sudanese children has special needs - they not only need help with their math and reading homework, but they need exposure to basic nutrition and the five food groups. This program reinforces good eating habits, and the tutors assist with their assignments so they can be successful students."

Sally Laviolette, Subaward Manager at Father Joe's Villages, visited the site and spoke with Pat about her vision to provide additional support for the parents of these Sudanese youth. Pat lamented, "If the parent struggles with literacy, how can we expect them to develop their child's reading readiness? I can remember growing up with bedtime stories and flashcards before dinner - but it doesn't come naturally to this group. These parents need to be taught how to help their children in school." Without hesitation, Sally connected Pat with recent FJV subawardee, Fresno Covenant Foundation (FCF), a neighborhood-based education program that has a unique mobile classroom project for adults.

Matilda Soria, Program Director at FCF, welcomed Pat to their facility, providing information on their parental educational program. FCF provides a mobile classroom that travels throughout the community, offering resources and information on how parents can help their children succeed in school, how they can help their children with homework assignments, and how to have a successful teacher/parent conference, among other relevant topics. Pat spent several hours with the staff at FCF to discuss strategies, operating expenses, and lessons learned. Pat was so inspired to see her vision realized in the FCF program that she plans on designing SSCY&CO's next project based on FCF's parent education component.

Good luck Pat & Matilda. Keep up the good work. You are an inspiration to all of us!

$1 Million Nonprofit Innovation Award

The Stanford Center for Social Innovation and Amazon.com are launching a Nonprofit Innovation Award. A $1 million award recognizes and rewards nonprofit organizations whose innovative approaches most effectively improve their communities or the world at large.

Ten organizations selected as finalists will have a unique opportunity to raise funds and awareness for their programs on Amazon.com. All 10 finalists will be profiled on Amazon.com, where customers will be invited to vote for their favorites by making monetary donations. The organization that receives the largest amount in customer contributions by the deadline will receive the award, along with a matching grant of up to $1 million from Amazon.com.

Three Stage Selection Process

The Center for Social Innovation at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, in conjunction with Amazon.com, will review applications against established criteria and select a set of semifinalist organizations. The deadline for applications is 4/28/05.
A distinguished panel of experts will narrow the list to the 10 most effective and compelling programs. Panelists scheduled to participate include:
- Muhammad Ali, sports legend and humanitarian;
- Dr. Henry Kissinger, former United States Secretary of State;
- Téa Leoni, actress and National Ambassador to U.S. Fund for UNICEF;
- Dr. Lawrance M. Bernabo, one of Amazon.com's leading customer reviewers;
- Jeff Bradach, managing partner and co-founder of leading U.S. nonprofit consulting firm, The Bridgespan Group;
- James A. Phills, Jr., co-director of the Stanford Center for Social Innovation and Interim Academic Editor of the Stanford Social Innovation Review; and
- Jeff Bezos, CEO and founder of Amazon.com.
Amazon.com customers will vote with their pocketbooks. The 10 nonprofit semifinalist organizations will be profiled on the Amazon.com site, where customers and visitors will be able to find, discover, and make direct online contributions to their favorites. The organization that receives the largest total contributions from Amazon customers will be granted the 2005 Amazon.com Nonprofit Innovation Award, along with a matching grant of up to $1 million from Amazon.com.

The 2005 honoree will be announced in October 2005.

How to Apply
It's simple. First, download the application form. If you have any questions, please refer to the Award FAQ, which contains additional information. Then send the completed form, along with the additional required documents by April 28, 2005. You will receive a confirmation email within three business days of our receiving your materials. Amazon.com will follow up with you if we need any additional information.

Eligibility Requirements:
To be eligible to enter, the organization must be recognized by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as exempt from federal income tax under IRC §501(c)(3)' qualify as a charitable organization under IRC §170(b)(1)(A)(vi) and have public charity status under IRC §509. The organization also must have been in existence for a minimum of two years and may not have Amazon.com employees, officers, or directors serving as employees, officers, or directors.

This award is specifically not targeting:

New or start-up business plans
Programs promoting religious doctrines or ideologies
Organizations that discriminate on a basis of race, creed, gender, or sexual orientation in policy or in practice

Award Criteria:
The selection of semifinalists and finalists from the pool of eligible entrants will be based on criteria that include:

Need
Gap analysis
Innovation
Results
Perpetuation

If your organization does not qualify for the program but is still interested in other opportunities available through Amazon.com, please see

Resources for Nonprofits.

ePhilanthropy: Using the Internet to Build Support

For nonprofit organizations, the Internet represents an unprecedented and highly cost-effective opportunity to build and enhance relationships with supporters, volunteers, clients and the community they serve. As ePhilanthropy has emerged, organizations have discovered that consistent and deliberate email communication that drives traffic to the organization's well organized and informative Web site has become the key to success.

Charities should approach the Internet as a communication and stewardship tool first and a fundraising tool second. Success will come not from an emphasis on the technology, but on cultivating and enhancing relationships.

A growing number of nonprofit organizations are turning to the Internet to improve supporter relationships, find new efficiencies in their operations, advocate issues, better inform their key publics, as well as to raise funds. As the use of the Internet grows, some are predicting that its use for philanthropic purposes (also known as ePhilanthropy) will replace traditional methods of fundraising such as direct mail, telephone, personal solicitation and even planned giving. This will not be the case. Instead, organizations that are succeeding are those that utilize the efficiency and effectiveness of Internet-based ePhilanthropy services integrated fully with traditional fundraising methods.

The growth of ePhilanthropy has required even the most seasoned nonprofit professionals to learn new skills and to re-evaluate how they approach nearly every aspect of fundraising. These tools add a new dimension of efficiency and require higher levels of integration for nearly every "offline" approach to attracting philanthropic support.

Success will come not from an emphasis on the technology, but on cultivating and enhancing relationships. The Internet provides countless highly efficient opportunities to enhance relationships, improve donor satisfaction and, therefore, to raise more money. Those who give online, however, are those who are invited to give online. Therefore, strategies must be devised and deployed to identify, cultivate, and solicit philanthropic support.

The true powers of Internet-based development methods lie in their ability to do more than simply function as a novel way to raise money. When an organization can successfully build and enhance a relationship with a prospective donor, it has a much higher chance of successfully soliciting a gift. Therefore, charities should approach the Internet as a communication and stewardship tool first, and a fundraising tool second.

As far back as 1999, in the Craver, Mathews, Smith and Company study, The Landmark Study of Socially Engaged Internet Users, it was found that 50 million Americans over the age of 18 were already online and volunteered time to a charity or cause-related group. Since it is already known that people who volunteer are more likely to donate to their favorite charity than those who do not, this report represents a significant basis for why charities must begin asking for support online. Since 1999, the population cited in this report has clearly grown.

From Tragedy Comes Support
Apart from a tragedy of truly monumental proportions that can inspire donors to give, nonprofit organizations must still ask for support if they expect to receive it. While there are many more online donors now than there were prior to the terrorist attacks of September, 11, 2001 these new online donors are not simply surfing the Web looking for a cause to support. These newly experienced ePhilanthropists are much more likely to be inspired to contribute based on the mission, the stated need and the opportunity to give presented by a charity that they have probably already supported offline.

In the days and weeks following the terrorist attacks in the USA on September 11, 2001, the world turned to the Internet and provided a charitable response never seen before. During this period, the ePhilanthropy Foundation verified that more than $138 million was donated online from some 1.4 million donors. The level of online philanthropic activity in the weeks following these events was so amazing that it has become a defining moment in American philanthropy.

For nonprofit organizations, the Internet represents an unprecedented and highly cost-effective opportunity to build and enhance relationships with supporters, volunteers, clients and the community they serve. Connecting with supporters online provides a new means for converting interest in the mission to direct involvement and support. Email is the most important tool in harnessing the power of the Internet. According to a 2001 Gallup Poll, email is the number one online activity for 52 percent of the people using the Internet. In that study, 97 percent of people said that email had improved their lives. Couple this with a U.S. Commerce Department report that shows that the number of Americans using email has grown from 45 percent to 54 percent in just the past two years, and there is a very powerful argument for nonprofits to integrate the use of email and the Internet into their fundraising strategies.

For the donor, the Internet gives easy access to numerous philanthropic choices. Increasingly, as the ePhilanthropy revolution continues to build up steam, more and more people have turned to the Web to fulfill their charitable intentions. As ePhilanthropy has emerged, organizations have discovered that consistent and deliberate email communication driving traffic to the organization's well-organized and informative Web site has become the key to success.

Email: The Communication Tool
Through the appropriate use of permission-based email, a nonprofit can provide its donors with increased access to information and more timely details regarding the stewardship and solicitation of their charitable support. This increased access and detailed information help strengthen the relationship and trust between the nonprofit and its supporters. To earn this trust, nonprofit organizations will have to become accustomed to increased levels of scrutiny and demands for evidence that the charity is well managed and provides service consistent with its mission.

Email has become a vital and inexpensive tool for promoting nonprofit organizations, cultivating, educating, activating supporters, soliciting and re-soliciting donors. To aid nonprofits in the use of email, the PhilanthropyFoundation.org (a nonprofit organization created to foster the ethical and efficient use of the Internet for philanthropic purposes) has created the following recommendations:

Ask permission to email everyone you communicate with.
Ask those visiting your Web site to enter their email address and give you permission to email them with updates as they become available. Requests for email addresses and permission to use them should be included in your direct response programs, at events, in the media, in person, anywhere you connect with supporters. Approach this exactly like an off-line prospect donor list - it is!
Do not send unsolicited email or "spam."
While it is acceptable to rent or exchange direct mail lists, it is not acceptable to buy email addresses from other organizations or companies unless the people on those lists have "opted in" to receive mail from third parties. By the same token, do not share your supporters' email addresses with anyone else unless you have received explicit permission from them to do so.
Do not over-message supporters.
Do not bother your supporters with too many messages or messages that are not relevant to them. The great advantage of email cultivation and solicitation is its ability to help you develop relationships via inexpensive communications; but do not abuse the trust you are trying to build.
Do not be afraid to ask for gifts.
While most of your email messages will cultivate, educate or move to action, it is also acceptable to ask donors or prospects to make a gift (and to remind them of how important their last gift was in achieving your organization's mission). You can also invite the donors' feedback with a short survey or request for comments.
Be ready to answer your email messages. Email and the Web make it easy for your donors and other supporters to contact you with questions, concerns or problems. To answer all those emails requires a well-organized system and staff assigned to the task. People expect a quick answer - 36-hour turnaround or faster - to their emails. Make sure you allocate resources within your organization to respond, and provide a telephone number on your Web site for people who want live assistance.

Do not miss the opportunity to invite those receiving your email messages to pass them along to others. This will enhance your communication efforts and allow those who support you to recommend your mission to others.

Although technology and the Internet offer tremendous opportunities for efficiency and success, it is the personal relationship each donor can build with the charity that will define the degree of success the nonprofit will have. The successful use of email has become a vital tool in a nonprofit's online cultivation, marketing and solicitation strategy. Following the five email recommendations above will help nonprofits focus on the relationship they are building, increase awareness among supporters and, over time, will lead to fundraising success.

Sending email messages and building a Web site are not enough. Success on the Internet requires an integrated strategy that embraces standards for protecting and preserving donor relationships. For-profit vendors have developed a wide array of services to help nonprofit Web sites. Many of these services are catalogued on the < href="http://www.nonprofitmatrix.com" target="_blank">Nonprofit Matrix.

The ePhilanthropy Foundation has developed the "ePhilanthropy Toolbox" as a way of drawing attention to the wide array of techniques and services available. The elements of the toolbox fall into six categories:

Communication, education and stewardship;
Online donations and membership;
Event registrations and management;
Prospect research;
Volunteer recruitment and management; and
Relationship building and advocacy.

Just as not all nonprofit organizations use the exact same mix of traditional fundraising methods, so too will organizations pick and choose, through trial and testing, those online methods that best suit their organization's constituency and operational requirements. As this mix of tools and services for each organization will vary widely, organizations should always evaluate options and test assumptions. Incremental improvements and additions of services will help supporters and staff become accustomed to using the new technology and communicating via the Internet. Only by testing can the organization learn which techniques perform the best.

Communication, Education and Stewardship
Use of the Internet as a stand-alone solution is not effective. While there are no short cuts to long-term success offline, there are similarly no short cuts online. ePhilanthropy methods permit an organization to communicate and engage supporters not only through a Web site, but directly through email, which can direct attention back to the organization.

As part of an integrated communication and fundraising strategy, ePhilanthropy offers effective and efficient opportunities for nonprofits to communicate with a much wider audience than they might otherwise have the resources to do. Direct mail, telephone, radio, television, personal visits and other traditional means of communication with supporters all have significant personnel, printing, postage or other costs associated with them.

Getting the Word Out
The online environment offers several opportunities to communicate with potential supporters. Essential aspects to getting the word out online are enumerated below.

Search Engines
Each search engine has its own criteria for cataloguing the resources of the Internet. Yet no single search engine provides reference to more than 16 percent of the Internet. Therefore it is important to register the organization's Web site with several of the leading search engines (i.e. Google, Lycos, Yahoo, Alta Vista, Hotbot, etc).

"Pass-along" Marketing
While it is highly unlikely that anyone receiving a direct mail appeal from a charity will make several copies, address envelopes to their friends and family, and mail copies of the letter urging they also support the organization, it is very likely this activity will take place online. Also known as viral marketing, it is a method of asking the recipient of an email to send the message along to other people they know who might be interested. Within a few seconds the message can be sent along to scores of people on their personal email list. Very important to the success of this method is the fact that the message is now being sent by a friend or family member, thereby increasing the chances of it being read.

Send to a Friend
Those who visit a nonprofit organization's Web site are often looking for expert information related to the mission of that organization. By offering the option to "send-to-a-friend" an article or link to a Web page on the site to a friend, the utility of the Web site's content is further enhanced. Once again, the power of this feature is that the recommendation is coming from a trusted friend or family member.

Online Donations and Membership
Most visitors to a Web site go there because they know or care something about the organization or its mission and they are seeking information. Effective sites offer multiple opportunities for visitors to support the organization through advocacy, volunteerism or donations, often on each page of the Web site.

William Park, the chief executive of marketing firm Digital Impact, says "It's the most measurable marketing vehicle of all time." Response rates are more quickly and accurately measured than in other media. This combination of price and response makes email, particularly email newsletters, very attractive to nonprofits. Several vendors have developed services that make it easy for organizations to use email and the Internet for soliciting donations, outreach, education and advocacy strategies. The integration of the organization's Web site (content and encrypted online donor forms) and email (pushing the message to supporters) along with direct mail, telephone and other campaigns, not only provide additional options for donors, but also give them the opportunity to become more informed and engaged donors.

Event Registration and Management
ePhilanthropy special event management makes event registration easier for nonprofits and event attendees. Online services are available to send event invitations, organize volunteer activities, maintain income and expense records, and provide high-quality registration and donor relations' services.

Golf tournaments, walks, silent and live auctions each have specialized registration and item organization needs. Several online services have been developed to address one or more of these specific requirements.

Prospect Research
While an incredible amount of information about fundraising prospects is available online, it is important to pay close attention to the management and use of information gathered.

Electronic Screening
The Internet makes it possible for charities of all sizes to obtain helpful information regarding the capacity of their key prospects to make a major gift. There are several free and paid access databases available to nonprofits seeking to identify prospects with wealth. Several companies have developed services that make it possible to match a charity's prospect database to specific information about known persons with private wealth, philanthropists, inside stock traders, private company owners and high net-worth professionals, as well as corporate and foundation executives and trustees.

Volunteer Recruitment and Management
Volunteers are important to any successful nonprofit program or fundraising endeavor. The Internet provides tools that can enhance relationships and improve communication. Recruiting volunteers online is an excellent way to reach non-traditional volunteers, including populations that might be underrepresented in an organization's volunteer ranks (seniors, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, etc).

There are several online resources available that can help with technical assistance, resource sharing, training and consultation. Organizations interested in posting volunteer opportunities online have several options to obtain help in locating volunteers, tracking them and managing their activities.

Privacy and Trust
Seventy percent of U.S. Internet users report being concerned about privacy online, yet 80 percent are willing to provide sensitive information online when asked, in exchange for small benefits. Years of experience in the offline world have taught fundraisers that attention to detail, privacy, security of information and honesty in reporting while building a case for support are key components to any successful solicitation of support, whether that support comes in the form of volunteerism, advocacy or contributions. Attention has to be paid to privacy issues in any organization's ePhilanthropy strategy. To increase the likelihood that the trust supporters have for the charity will be transferred to the online environment, the < href="http://www.ephilanthropy.org/site/PageServer" target_blank="">ePhilanthropy Foundation recommends that charities:

Publish their privacy policy on the Web site and at other places where such data are requested or required.
Review and strengthen internal security and use of confidential data.
Ensure that supporters can control the information collected about them, including removing their name from lists for future online communication and/or solicitation.
Respond promptly to complaints and all forms of electronic communication.
Consider seeking certification from one of the well-known privacy trust marks such as BBB Online.

Relationship Building and Advocacy
For some organizations the promotion of their mission through emailing an elected official, signing an electronic petition, receiving electronic "action alerts," or forwarding email messages to friends, coworkers and family serves an important role in building and enhancing online relationships.

An online advocacy campaign can serve as a successful way to rally support and an excellent way to build an email database. Making effective use of the organization's Web site and email database requires careful planning. The messages in the "action alerts" should match those of print media and the Web site. It is important to identify specific goals for online advocacy. Follow-up to these prospects or donors through traditional direct mail or other methods should refer to the initial email contact. An example might be: "Last month you joined with 75,000 other dedicated Americans who are joining the fight for tougher drunk driving laws. Today, we are writing to ask for your help."

Since their initial contact was on the occasion of an advocacy campaign, it is important to provide appropriate follow-up. Charities might consider proposing additional advocacy activities, an invitation to volunteer, or suggestion to make a charitable gift to support ongoing efforts related to the initial advocacy request. The purpose is to turn potential donors acquired during an online activism campaign into donors.

Conclusion
ePhilanthropy techniques have brought to the nonprofit world an unprecedented opportunity to leverage technology for the benefit of the charity and convenience of the donor. In every organization, time and resources are spent on recruiting and retaining charitable support. This support is based on relationships built and missions fulfilled. Hundreds of options exist to develop solutions for each of the six categories of ePhilanthropy outlined in this paper. Use of the Internet enhances these efforts by providing efficient and effective communication tools tied to robust secure online services. These services empower donors to utilize information and support charitable causes any time and any way.

Source: This article was based on the following: ePhilanthropy: Using the Internet to Build Support, by Theodore R Hart. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing. London: Nov 2002. Vol. 7, Issue 4.

Weekly Funding Email

The RFP (Request for Proposals) Bulletin is published every Friday afternoon by the Foundation Center. Each RFP listing provides a brief overview of a current funding opportunity offered by a foundation or other grantmaking organization.

Interested applicants should read the full RFP at the grantmaker's Web site or contact the grantmaker directly for complete program guidelines and eligibility requirements before submitting a proposal to that grantmaker.

http://fdncenter.org/pnd/info/subscribe.jhtml

Seven Signs It's Time to Toss Your Résumé

Is your résumé working for you or against you? Here are seven signs it might be time to tweak (or toss) your résumé:

No Career Summary/Introductory Statement
Most hiring companies don't have time to match unspecified résumés to open positions, so lead off with a career summary or introductory statement that makes it clear what type of position you are seeking and why you are qualified for the job.
Lack of Keywords and Phrases
To pass through a company's applicant tracking software, your résumé must contain the keywords and phrases it is screening for. These words are not the verbs stressed in paper résumés, but nouns such as job titles and technical skills.
To find out what keywords you should be using, read the job posting or obtain the actual job description. You also may want to check out the book 2,500 Keywords to Get You Hired by Jay Block and Michael Betrus, which lists critical keywords for each career and shows examples of how to use them in your résumé.

No Evidence of Your Experience
Your résumé should not merely list the jobs you've held; it should provide specific examples of how you achieved success. Résumé-writing professionals recommend using the PARS formula: Describe a Problem, the Action you took, the Results you achieved and Skills you applied.

Use of Personal Pronouns and Articles
With just two pages to sell yourself, make each word count. Write in a telegraphic style, eliminating all personal pronouns and articles like "the," "a" and "an." Removing the "I," "me" and "my" from your résumé not only frees up space, but creates a subliminal perception of objectivity.

Irrelevant Information
Irrelevant information keeps the reader from seeing your selling points. Weigh each portion of your experience from the hiring company's perspective to decide what to include and what to emphasize. If you're applying for an engineering position, for example, don't devote a whole paragraph to your job as a camp counselor unless the position has elements that are transferable to the engineering job. And never include information about your marital status, personal situation, hobbies or interests unless they are relevant to the job for which you're applying.

Poor Formatting
Unless you have no work experience or have held a number of different jobs in a short amount of time, a chronological résumé is the most effective. That means using the following order:

Header (your name, address, e-mail address and phone number)
Career summary, profiling the scope of your experience and skills
Reverse chronological employment history emphasizing achievements
Education

Since poor alignment, spacing and use of bolding and caps make a résumé hard to read, you may want to use a résumé template.

Typos and Misspelled Words

From the would-be administrative assistant who claimed to be a "rabid typist" to the executive who boasted that he was "instrumental in ruining the entire operation," misspellings communicate that you have poor writing skills or a lackadaisical attitude. Proofread your résumé carefully and have several friends and family members read it as well.

Last, remember that the purpose of your résumé is to communicate your experiences and accomplishments as they relate to an open position and to obtain a job interview. Because each situation is different, you should tailor your résumé to each opportunity.

Source: The article was written by Kate Lorenz, advice editor for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Other writers contributed to this article.

The Buck Starts Here

An experienced grant-proposal writer offers ten tips on how to improve your odds.

Check out your target funder's recent awards.

Speak with a program officer.

When preparing your proposal, follow the grantmaker's guidelines.

Be particular about the little things.

Have a colleague read the proposal before you send it off.

Don't wait until the last minute to prepare and submit your application.

Don't assume that reviewers will be experts in your specialty or issue.

Don't give short shift to the budget and its justification.

Don't give up if you're rejected.

Don't forget to obtain copies of your grant reviewer's comments.

Source: "The Buck Starts Here" by Karen M. Markin. The Chronicle of Higher Education. February 25, 2005. Section C.

Finally - Electronic Index Cards!

We have just discovered an incredible tool for proposal development, note taking, capturing thoughts on the run, and many more uses. The tool is ndxCardsT an electronic version of the old 3"x5" index cards that we have all used. And for an average price of $50 it is a steal.

Produced by TruTamil LLC an Arizona-based company, uses the metaphor of an electronic index card to provide the user freedom to organize notes by keywords, subjects, sources, and authors. The software includes features such as shortcut keys, quick-complete fields and automatic generation of keywords to make taking notes easy, and has powerful filtering capabilities to quickly find just the notes of interest.

The power of ndxCardsT lies with its ability to integrate with standard office software to enable the notes to be used directly and easily. Notes can be structured into an outline and exported as an MS Word document. The outline can also be exported as a bulleted PowerPoint presentation. Notes can be "dropped" as shapes in software such as Visio or PowerPoint for visual analysis.

Note cards can be "packed" and shared - for instance, sales teams can share notes on clients, prospects and customer issues to collaborate on marketing campaigns. ndxCardsT can help improve personal productivity for anyone: lawyers interested in writing briefing papers, a nonprofit executive putting together a proposal, a freelance journalist writing a story and just about anyone interested in organizing information - e.g. recipe cards, genealogical research.

In response to user feedback, the new version includes resizable cards, improved printing on 3x5 or 4x6 Avery card stock, and the ability to format shape, color, font of card images in software such as PowerPoint or Visio.

ndxCardsT comes in multiple versions - The Professional version includes action cards to jot down tasks and due dates, and reminder cards that act as alarms. The Academic version includes note types to capture quotations, or summaries, and has supporting cards for reference sources and authors. The software is also offered in a Superset version which includes features of both the Academic and the Professional version, and has additional features such as the "Picture card" and the "Flash card."

ndxCardsT runs on Windows 95/98/Me/NT4/2000/XP with Internet Explorer 5.1 or higher installed. While the software does not use Internet Explorer, it takes advantage of Windows components that are installed as part of IE.

The Academic and the Professional versions of ndxCards are priced at $49 and the Superset version at $69 for a single named user license. Volume discounts are available. A fully functional 15-day trial of ndxCards and additional information about the software is available at www.ndxcards.com.

Special Discount Offer: For subscribers of the NRC E-newsletter, ndxCards are being offered at a discount. $5 for the Academic or the Professional version, and $10 for the Superset version. All you need to do is use the discount code DMT501C (the discount code will be valid through April 15, 2005).

This is an "information only" announcement. It does not constitute an endorsement by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration of Children and Families or the Compassion Capital Fund.

If you have trouble reading this e-newsletter due to formatting issues, or visible HTML code, or if you would like to discuss content-related issues, please contact Bill Freeman, NRC e-Newsletter Editor at wjf@daremightythings.com.

Hypertext links and other references to non-CCF products and services are provided for information only and do not constitute endorsement or warranty, express or implied, by the CCF, DHHS, or U.S. Government, as to their suitability, content, usefulness, functioning, completeness, or accuracy.

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