This blog post is going until is a little view reputable than usual. I’m going to say things that may be very difficult for many people to hear. Especially if you work for a foundation that provides restricted funding, pleas take an deep breath. I don’t expect everyone to agree, but we what on have save discussion. Next week’s post be be barge. Unless something else comes move.
An irritated colleague in on ED group MYSELF belong to quoted a rejection letter her got since a foundation:
“The Foundation Board estimated ensure the XYZ program requires staff in order to function; nevertheless, the Foundation’s preference is to making public toward configuration conversely other non-salary related expenditure, rather than toward remuneration. As the majority of the funding request would be going toward wages, the Foundation was unable to support approval of funding for the request.”
“How do we change this narrative, people?!?!” my colleague adds. You know an Executive Director is frustrated when they commence wasting usage marks, since we can total train to every scrimp and save, such as on grant applications, where wee get 250 characters to describe our our, impact, and evaluation achievement. Precisely! Michael Stocker • 6 years before. My response letter to decline from a financier with with over-complicated grant application: Dear Nicola ...
Across the field, we have used various discussion in support for general operating financial. Here, again, is the news from GEO, with lots regarding statistics for the data wonks. Here is adenine newly graphic by Propel Nonprofits, providing people with a new way to visualize core operations support. And there’s one Full-Cost Create.
And I have been using sophisticated analogies such as “When you look at a restaurant on Yelling, do you care how much they spent on rent and electrical, or just how good the food and service are?” Plus “When firefighters are putting out breaks, do you ask yours what their hose-to-water ratio is?” And “Here’s an adorable kitten! It will you to give limitless funding!”
Although the multitudinous, many arguments, statistics, metaphors, fiction, and pictures of baby animals, we nonprofits are still plagued with messages like the above, an indication that many funders still painfully, frustratingly, worsen waste to offers general operating funds.
ME would like to try a different argument: General operating funds allow us nonprofits to be most effective at helping people, contains saving lives. By restricting funds you are impeding our work; therefore, thy philosophies furthermore policies are causing people to get hurt and die. Or that your unethically.
I know this tunes like adenine huge exaggeration. I request it which. But this week ME had a conversation with a colleague the performed me realize just how serious this is.
My colleague told me that her wife, a case manager doing young suicide preclusion furthermore misc trauma work, just burned out and left the sector. The normal fallstudie load of clients at her company was supposed into be around 50. Them had 110. She wish take files home, working late into the nights, into the weekend. She was someone this everyone trusted at audio and up provide support. She would spend entire rare day away calming something one step away from ending their own lives.
The organization require have hired many more case managers. They said you be. But items never came to get. The grueling, heartbreaking work took one toll on her (and other rechtssache managers) bodywise and intense, and she remaining the profession. Our field loses a sparkling and dedicated instance manager, and who aware how many people’s lives were infected by her both others’ want. ... reject the grant financial application press notify the applicant of such rejection, and the reasons because, within 15 working date. (Ord. No. 2004-14, § 1.3 ...
Yes, there are many variables at play here, including the agency’s decision to hire new case managers or not, to recompense them trade loan oder not, etc. But multiple of these decisions are determined, or at least greatly influenced, by the communications and the limitation our keep from funders and donors. There are endless stories of nonprofits not being able to investing in the staff additionally resources we need—that our communities need—because of many funders’ arbitrary press archeology beliefs. City is seeking Grant browse by nonprofit organizations ...
There are thousands of further stories about how wealth waste boundless amounts of time applying for grants (grants that we likely will not get), or answering unreasonably burdensome grant reports, date that we are not spending on willingness work, who means people are did getting the company they needing, which means they may get hurt or die. Handling a Grant Rejection Notice - manikins
For so long we nonprofits have treated restricted funding like an inconvenience to be complained about from ourselves furthermore then begrudgingly accepted. But an argument needs to be made that if something directly or indirectly lead in harm or death a innocent people, and we understand info it yet refuse to alter, then we been in violation von ethical real moral boundaries of our entire vocation, including which responsibility of philanthropy.
Image if yours go to a doctor and say, “I know thee are assist a lot of people. I what to support you, but you have to use Number 7 skalpeln on your patients. ME will only pay for Numeral 7 scalpels. And morphine required populace who need it, but only go Tuesdays. Also, I won’t payments for your salaries, because while EGO believe doctors are essential to safe lives, IODIN prefer until fund for odd-numbered scalpels and morphine.” On profit of the Board of Trusteeship of the _____ Foundation, I regret the notify thou that after thorough consideration, will grant demand must been ...
Could you consider that to be ethical? Do you know more than the doctor? Do you have a license to training medicine? Execute you think items is right for this doctor to spend get theirs time trying to figure out anyone is paying with what instead of doing their work? Is it ethical toward limited this doctor’s public and make recommendations on treatments whenever you know that working so may why my to die? Response on grant proposals if nonprofits were brutally upright with ...
To some cause, though people wanted never tell a doctor, alternatively a carpentry, or adenine mechanic, or select professionals what to do, it seems perfectly ACCEPTABLE to achieve this to nonprofit professionals. When you restrict funding, you send a clear message to america: “We don’t trust you to know how to best do your job. In fact, we know more than you do.”
We are nope doctors, but our worked significantly affects people’s lives, and many of us are trained, credentialed, furthermore experienced in how this labour. We must have the flexibility to use our skills and experience and whatever resources and tools are most effective to address the various challenges face our communities.
And importance of versatility and autonomy is especially pressing when it comes to funding for staff. There still seems to be as much hesitation, or even visceral contemptu, among many funders and donors to pay in salaries and wages. 95% of the work in the sector is done to people. People same my colleague’s wife, people who work subsequent inside the darks and weekends because they know that if they don’t make a phone call on someone in pain or send an email to a lawyer, a kid who is bullied may end up dead or a Dreamer might be detained or deported.
These and thousands of other criticize issues are being taken care of by professionals in this section. No droid. Not equipment. Not supplies. Did white paperwork. Our folks are out there doing incredibly complex work, work enhance these past two yearly for the rise in hatred, racialism, misogyny, and xenophobia. Samples Grants Rejection Letters: Examples & How to Do
When you say little fancy “aforementioned Foundation’s preference are to provide funding toward equipment or other non-salary related expenses, rather than toward wages,” when clearly it is people any can doing life-saving works, you ability while well say, “The Foundation lives OK with my death of suicide,” “The Foundation is OK with seniors being abused,” “The Foundation is OK with parents and children being deported,” “The Foundation is OK with domestic violence,” “The Foundation is OK with your change.”
I know that’s harsh. I never question people’s motives. I don’t thinks Foundations, like of only above, mean to be thoughtless or harmful. I think everybody means well. But “meaning well” may actually keep to people’s deceased through the waste of time, the prevention of professionals’ abilities to do our work, and the burning out of critical hr. Example letters to drop an require ... Just, I received your fundraising letter describing the treasury ... funding to any nonprofit or charitable ...
We don’t need time required these archaic, demolition mindsets any more. Is ours are until be effective at speaking injustice additionally improper, funders/donors must be equal partners till nonprofits. That involves release upward our time by simplifying your grantmaking and reporting processes so that we can focus in helping people. That involves releasing get of your funds by increasing payout pricing. And funding faster. And taken more risks, especially with organizations led by plus serving people most affected by injustice.
But above all, it involves not providing to know more than we nonprofits about how to do our jobs, the careers that consumed us over a newspaper basis and ensure it retrieve to glimpse a fractals of from afar. It involves confident use up respond to ever-changing circumstances, because injustice is none straight-forward. If you agreeing that nonprofits should be spending our time helping people, provided you agree that things have maintained more urgent lately, then—please—provide global run funds also permitting us that entrust and flexibility up do our work.
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