NCJ Number
83288
Date Published
Unknown
Length
0 pages
Annotation
A community organizer continues her lecture on fundraising techniques for community crime prevention programs, emphasizing strategies for matching program goals to grant requirements and for approaching foundations.
Abstract
Obtaining grant money may be easier by combining program goals, such as energy conservation with neighborhood crime prevention and the latter with arts and crafts activities. Reconciling a program's integrity with incompatible grant requirements is a problem that the program leadership must solve. In specifying program objectives, it is more advisable to underestimate eventual achievements than to overestimate and later be held accountable. However, most grant situations are flexible enough to allow negotiation of requirements that cannot be met due to circumstances beyond the program's control. Documenting the reasons for delay or inability to meet specifications is necessary. Prerequisites to approaching a foundation for funding are evidence of base support from the community in the form of professional volunteers, institutional recognition by churches and other local groups, and successful grass-roots fundraising efforts. An important strategy is the positive orientation of board members so that they understand their role and program goals and can function to support and help the common effort instead of impeding program activity. Board members and program staff, must believe in their own project. For further discussion of fundraising techniques, see NCJ 83286-87.