o

 

Introduction


SAM Fundraising Solutions can make your job easier. We offer a variety of services that can solve a specific problem or guide your organization through the entire fundraising process. We can assist you by creating and implementing a fundraising plan, writing compelling documents, expanding your donor pool through careful prospect research and cultivation, training your staff or board in fundraising practice, and thinking strategically about future growth. We even administer gifts and grants after they are awarded.


Planning


Strategic Planning


Often clients know their preservation, conservation or institutional goals, but not how to reach them. The first step would be to develop a strategic plan. We work with your staff, board, and other involved parties to clarify the vision and tactical goals for the future. Through SAM Fundraising Solutions-led activities, such as retreats, an evaluation of organizational strengths and weaknesses, and goal-setting strategy sessions, we guide the planning process to create a working document.


Fundraising Planning


Similarly, we can focus our planning efforts solely on fundraising, as strategic fundraising will garner more success than responsive fundraising.


Board Development


A strong board is vital to the health of an organization. Susan can help to re-energize your current members so they focus on your preservation projects or find and cultivate new members.

Training


Board/Staff Training


Both board and staff can benefit from training on such topics as board responsibilities, fundraising 101, stewardship, and research. Susan has developed both in-person and on-line courses that can be adapted to meet your board/staff training needs.


Workshops


We offer professional development courses on many topics. Past workshops have included Fundraising for Conservation, Prospect Research, Grantwriting Basics, and Networking 101.

Fundraising


General Fundraising Advice and Counsel


Sometimes a little help or a fresh perspective is all that is needed. Susan can diagnose fundraising problems and work with you to develop solutions.


Development Audits


A development audit can help to improve the overall effectiveness of your fundraising effort. Susan can assess your past activities to determine how you can better use your present resources and build on them in order to produce more contributed income and cultivate stronger relationships with your donors.


Prospect Research


Donor research helps to increase the donor pool. Using the latest research tools, SAM Fundraising Solutions can identify new donors – corporation, foundation, or individual – that would be most interested in your project. We will then provide briefings, which outline background, giving capacity, and other relevant information about each donor. These briefings will help to determine the cultivation strategy.


Cultivation and Stewardship Strategies


Once you know which donors to target, you need to figure out how to approach them and involve them in your organization. SAM Fundraising Solutions can devise successful strategies for donor cultivation that can not only secure a gift now, but maintain the relationship for future donations. We can also help with "the ask" by helping to strategize on the approach prior to meetings with donors, train the staff or board on soliciting funds, arrange for meetings with foundation program officers, advise on closing gifts.


Proposal Writing


Successful grants start with a proposal that conveys the need and the benefits of the project. Working with your staff, we can help by:


  • – Proposal Critiques: We can provide analysis of your current proposal text and offer comments and suggestions that will strengthen your case for support.

  • – Proposal writing: Our proposals convey the need for funding, answer key questions (who, what, when, why), and, by using a ROI perspective, inspire a donor to support your project.

  • – Letters of Inquiry: Usually the first step in requesting funds from a foundation, we craft succinct letters that garner the donor's interest.

Appeals


Unrestricted support is vital to keep an organization going. Susan has supervised several successful appeal campaigns and can customize a campaign to meet your annual appeal goals by:


  • – Assessing previous appeals to individuals.

  • – Developing a plan for future annual appeals.

  • – Creating annual appeal materials, including targeted solicitations.

Grant Administration


You have the grant – great – but now what? Susan can show you how to administer a grant to keep the donor involved in your organization. We can draft both interim and final reports for your current grants.

Communications


Marketing


Raising awareness of your preservation project can help attract new visitors and members who can be cultivated and eventually solicited for gifts in the future. We can assist in the following ways:


  • – Develop collaborations with other organization whose mission is in-sync with yours. This will help to introduce the institution and its programs to prospective donors who have already shown an interest in similar programs.

  • – Create a social media plan.


Annual Reports


The Annual Report is not only an effective tool to show successes, but there is no better way to acknowledge donors. Susan can organize the information for your annual report, supervise design, and take it to press.


Case Statements


The case statement is the basis for proposals, press, and other materials related to a particular project. Susan can create a case for support for your project or organization that conveys the story and the need for the project. Develop a case statement: We will work with key staff. to draft a case statement for the projects needing funding. This statement will draw and build upon materials previously written and will serve as the basis for all future proposals and appeals. It will include a description of the organization and its distinctive qualities, its contributions to the field, its successes, its vision of the future, and current activities for which you are seeking funding. It will be designed to arouse the reader's interest, inform him/her of the worthiness of the project, and justify the need for support.