There are two widely shared misconceptions about fund-raising: (1) corporations are the biggest givers, and (2) the essence of fund-raising is writing grant proposals. It is true that corporations give money away, and grant writing is important. But to get anywhere you need to modify both of these ideas.
Why? I once had the opportunity to work for George Archibald, a founder and director of a conservation organization called the International Crane Foundation. Archibald started this group from scratch 20 years ago; it now has a 160-acre campus and a full-time paid staff of 27, all supported exclusively by private donations. The MacArthur Foundation awarded him a “genius” grant; an aunt of mine who has served on foundation boards for 30 years uses the same word to describe his facility with fund-raising. I hope this background will encourage you to pay attention to what he describes as the first rule of fund-raising: “People give money to their friends.”
Think about it. If you had money to give away, to whom would you give it? Someone you’ve never met or heard of, who writes you a proposal? Or someone you know and trust, and who is doing work you believe in? Here’s another way to think about fund-raising: in essence, you are seeking venture capital for an extremely high-risk project. Venture capitalists consistently declare that they do not invest in a product as much as they invest in a person.
What does this mean to you?
Fund-raising is a four-step process: you identify prospects, cultivate them, make an “ask,” and follow up. Let’s look at each phase in turn.
Identifying Prospects
Donations in the private sector come from three distinct sources: individuals, charitable foundations, and corporations. Of the three, individuals are far and away the most important. Individuals often want to support a hobby or a personal passion. They want to be part of a community, and donating to a cause can offer them that opportunity. Because of this, individuals are responsible for more than 70 percent of private giving in the United States. Additionally, 80 percent of all individual donations come from families who have a household income of $70,000 or less. Contrary to what most people believe, you do not have to know a lot of “rich people” to do fund-raising.
In contrast, corporations and foundations combined routinely account for less than 20 percent of private giving. Foundations usually direct contributions to solve specific social or environmental problems identified in their mission statement. Corporations give away money to better the lives of their employees, build name recognition among customers, or add to their status as community leaders.
Another major source of funding is the public sector, or the government. This can include support at each level of government, including city, county, state, and federal. Government agencies try to fill gaps by funding community services that are not supported elsewhere.
It is critical to recognize, however, that every source expects some-thing in return. In other words, your project has to fill a need that an individual, foundation, corporation, or government agency has identified. When you start to think about potential prospects, ask yourself, “Will this project align with their interests?” To begin identifying prospects, then, list funders from each of these four sources whose concerns match up with your project. You should be able to write a sentence declaring why your project would be of special interest to them.
Cultivating Interest
Next, cultivate each of these sources. Remember that people give money to their friends; to be successful you have to make personal contact with potential funders. If you are a big-name photographer, your reputation may make this contact for you. But if you are just starting out, you need to sell yourself. Be creative.
- If you are targeting individuals, invite them to an exhibit of your work. Send them cards or letters when you are traveling; send copies of newspaper or magazine articles you’ve produced. Go to events that they have sponsored and thank them. Are they interested in photography as a personal hobby? Offer to help them with technique, or take them with you on location. Are they interested in a particular cause? Send them photographs you’ve taken on the subject. In short, show them how helping you can be a rewarding experience—something that they will feel good about and that will make their own lives better.
- If you are targeting foundations, read their mission statements and the grant application questions carefully. Think about whether your project aligns well with what they are looking for. Are you helping to solve the specific problems they’re concerned about? Study other projects or organizations they have funded in the past.
- If you are targeting corporations, find out who is responsible for making decisions about charitable contributions. Do they have a corporate giving officer? Would a friend of yours who works for the company be willing to pass your name along to them? Would the company be willing to hang your work in a lobby or work area? Could you give a workshop on photography to their employees, or to kids of employees? Perhaps your photographs could support a project that the company already has under way. You might call the company’s giving officer to inquire about deadlines and get a copy of their latest annual report.
- If you are targeting government agencies, study their proposal guidelines. Get on all of the mailing lists you can find for arts agencies at the local, county, state, and national level. They will let you know about funding opportunities and make you part of the community of artists being supported by these programs. Go to openings and other events where you can meet people and learn about projects that are being sponsored. Agency staff members may be willing to grant a brief informational interview or take phone calls.
Asking For Support
How you ask for funding will vary dramatically, depending on the source.
- In general, individuals do not want to read a lengthy report on your project. Don’t snow them with paper! It is always better to start off with a brief, concise presentation and provide them with more information when they request it. A classic approach is to make “the ask” over lunch (make sure that they aware this is a meeting where they will be asked for a donation; don’t surprise them). After the ask has taken place you can follow up with a brief written proposal. Be extremely specific about what they are funding and why; make it clear that this is interesting and important and that you can pull it off. Individual “asks” are also where you can be the most creative. You can put together a house party, a gallery showing, a movie screening, a car wash, or anything else you can think of. Just re-member that you need a platform where you can let people know about your project and an opportunity to make the ask, and then make sure they know how and where they can donate.
- Foundations almost always have a specific form that you will need to fill out. Read through the grant application carefully. Make sure you are aware of all the deadlines and understand all the supplemental materials they ask for. Additionally, make sure that your proposal is concise and clearly shows how your project aligns with their aims. Board members have dozens of proposals to review and will appreciate a clear and compact presentation. If you are not comfortable with writing, get a friend to help.
- Depending on how big they are, companies may ask you to draft a proposal based on a specific form or set of guidelines. Also, larger companies usually have set deadlines for proposals to be submitted.
- To the best of my knowledge, all government grants are form based with extremely specific guidelines about the materials required, length of presentation, and even format (font size, mar-gins, etc.). Sweat the details.
Keep in mind that it’s crucial to do a lot of asking. Every person or agency you contact funds just a tiny fraction of the proposals they receive. Furthermore, few people or agencies like to be the sole funder—most vastly prefer being part of a diverse base of support for a project.
Following Up
After submitting a proposal, make a follow-up call to confirm that the proposal was received and to clarify when a decision will be made. Whether or not you are funded, be sure to thank the person or agency for considering your proposal and for contributing to the community. Above all, do not take rejection personally. Expect to struggle a bit when you’re new at this, and learn from each experience.
If you are funded, begin planning how you can continue the cultivation process. This begins with the thank-you note. Any time you receive any type of donation from an individual (or even from a foundation, corporation, or government agency), always follow up with a thank-you note. After people donate to your project you have one chance to make them feel like their donation was welcomed and appreciated. This is the thank-you note.
After you have sent your thank-yous, acknowledge your funders in every way you can think of. If you promise a print for a specific contribution, make sure it gets delivered promptly. Many foundation boards and companies ask for a formal report, either partway through a project or upon completion; most government agencies require this. Even if this is not required, do it. Send copies of your photos, newspaper clippings, and/or notices about your progress. Build confidence that their money is being put to good use. And whenever possible, provide specific, quantifiable evidence that you are making an impact. Platitudes like “I feel I’ve increased public awareness about the plight of immigrants” doesn’t have the same impact as “The enclosed clippings, featuring my photographs, are the first time that a regional newspaper has featured a story on the Laotian community.”
Scott Freeman
This series features selected articles from Shooting From The Heart: Photography That Makes A Difference, our highly regarded handbook for photographers developing documentary projects. If you can’t wait for the full series to be published, feel free to download a free PDF version of Shooting From The Heart and have a copy to keep as your own!
