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Archive for the ‘Proposal Success’ Category

Preparing to Write a Grant: It all Comes Down to Research, Relationships, Diversified Funding and Experience

Posted in Fundraising Success, Getting Grant Ready, Grant Writers, Grants, Metrics for Measuring Success, New Grant Writers, Nonprofit, Proposal Success on December 9, 2010 | 2 Comments »

Those of us who have been developing grant proposals for awhile know that the skills it takes and the factors influencing success go far beyond the actual writing of the proposal … everything from team building to program planning and outcome measurement, advanced research and relationship building, communications and collaboration, and financial management and budgeting.

We know … despite pervasive myths to the contrary that:

    1. Not just anyone can write a winning grant proposal. For most people, getting completely secure in the field takes years of full-time practice and persistence. It takes much more than exceptional writing ability. Those of us who have reviewed grants have witnessed first-hand the vast quality differences in requests submitted, and most can easily detect the difference between a proposal prepared by an experienced professional and one that was written by someone with decent writing skills who simply volunteered.

    2. You need much more than your 501c3 letter from the IRS to develop a good funding stream from grants. Grant makers need more than a tax deduction before they will invest in your organization. Some key things have to be in place: a compelling vision and mission that’s consistent with funder priorities; strong, accountable leadership (trust is everything); diversified funding streams that demonstrate your organization isn’t solely reliant on grants, but instead well supported by board members and other local community members; and research- based programs that are both showing results and providing high-quality volunteer experiences. Even with all of these things in place, developing a grant program takes time.

    3. Grants are unlikely to be the first source of funding for any organization. “Seed funding” is relatively rare, especially in a down economy. Unrestricted funds, from individuals, are the best and easiest way to get started. Unlike most grants, which are program specific, you can use the money any way you need to. Over time, individual giving covers 75% or more of the typical nonprofit’s budget.

    4. It’ll take more than one big grant to get an organization going. To be competitive for larger grants, you need to demonstrate you can build relationships with smaller donors and handle their donations well before your organization has grounds to seek a bigger investment. Don’t expect to apply for one grant, get it, and then use it to apply for more. It just doesn’t work that way. On-going “cultivation” is the norm.

    5. No matter how good the grant writer, he/she cannot guarantee you’ll get the grant. Grant professionals vary in their focus – some spend much of their time on highly-competitive government grants, others focus on day-to-day operational spending, still others focus on getting grants to complement individual giving as part of a capital campaign. Each of these areas brings with it a different likelihood of success regardless of the proposal quality submitted. Instead of looking exclusively at “success ratios”, look for a grant developer that can present your best case, with attention to detail and storytelling style.

    6. Changing your mission and programs to fit a single funder’s guidelines is never a good idea. Successful grant seeking has a lot to do with exceptional research. Matching the vision of your organization with the vision of funders in your area is a big part of that research. It’s time consuming and takes intensive concentration to master details that could make or break a potential partnership, particularly if you are seeking government grants, but it’s worth it. Networking, follow-up and clarification of funder goals all is part of the process.
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    So if you’re just getting into grant seeking and you think … this should be easy … be prepared for a rude awakening. It rarely ever is.

    Learn More on Nonprofit Spark Radio …

    To hear a one-hour podcast on “Preparing to Write a Grant” led by Renee McGivern and featuring guests Sarah Sunderman from The Salvation Army and Melanie R. Negrin, Founder of For GrantWriters Only, check out: Nonprofit Spark Radio: “Preparing to Write a Grant”

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You Can Be Happy No Matter What: Keeping Life in Perspective & Defining What Success Looks and Feels Like

Posted in Fundraising Success, Metrics for Measuring Success, Organizational Success, Proposal Success, Recommended Reading on November 15, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Whether it’s the economy or the damp, dark day that is keeping you down this time of year, it is important to remember we have some control over how these things are perceived. A down economy, for example, can be an opportunity for us to focus on the activities most in line with our primary mission or it can be that which keep us from doing more. The classic glass is half full or half empty sort of thing. Similarly, a damp, dark day can be an opportunity to catch up on much-needed sleep we feel guilty in partaking of when the sun is shining and the air is warm or it can be exactly that thing which zaps all our energy and makes us become lethargic and fat. Which viewpoint we take is entirely up to us.

In his book, You Can Be Happy No Matter What: Five Principles for Keeping Life in Perspective, Richard Carlson (also author of the bestseller Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff) demonstrates how thoughts, moods, an acknowledgment of separate realities, feelings, and our ability to be in the present moment all influence our perspective. He helps us apply these principles in areas such as managing relationships, handling stress, solving problems, and changing habits.

Equally well regarded, Dr. Wayne Dyer says in his foreword to the book:

    “Many people mistakenly believe that circumstances make a person. They don’t. Instead, they reveal him or her. Our circumstances don’t define us; they represent our unique curriculum – our tests, challenges, and opportunities for personal growth, acceptance, and detachment. Our success as a human being does not lie in our collections of possessions or accomplishments (or) in the details of our predicament, but in how we deal with what we have, how we face our challenges (and) transform our unique curriculum into growth and into a life filled with love.”

I love the way that Dr. Dyer interprets our circumstances, our day-to-day challenges, as our unique curriculum. It’s quite consistent with my own personal philosophy that there is no such thing as failure, only challenges and lessons.

The combination of challenges we are each presented with, and the perspective with which we view and respond to them, are a reflection of who we are. If you choose to look at things positively, as a means to growth for example, then you may have greater chance of achieving your personal definition of happiness and success. And yes … I think we each have a personal definition of what it means to be happy and successful.

What does happiness look and feel like to you? What does success look and feel like to you? Can the members of your board and staff come to agreement on what happiness and success look and feel like for your organization? These are not intangible things, but they do often go unspoken …

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You can purchase You Can Be Happy No Matter What: Five Principles for Keeping Life in Perspective at Amazon.com.

You can also purchase Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff at Amazon.com.

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Best Practices in Grant Seeking: Beyond the Proposal

Posted in Board Development, Developing a Needs Statement, Family Foundations, Fundraising Success, Getting Grant Ready, Grant Writers, Grant Writing Connections, Grants, Metrics for Measuring Success, New Grant Writers, Nonprofit, Organizational Success, Program Design, Proposal Development, Proposal Success, Recommended Reading, Setting Reasonable Expectations, Setting Reasonable Goals, Strategic planning, Systems of Organization, Understanding Donors on June 21, 2010 | 1 Comment »

As grant writers, most of us know that the proposal is only one piece of the funding puzzle. In fact, it is often the piece that’s placed last, after much of the work is already done … vision and mission development, strategy setting, program planning, execution and measurement, the building of strong boards and volunteer programs, engagement with the public so that they know both who we are and how they can best help us achieve a shared vision, and, of course, collaboration with other community agencies and organizations that create change in the lives we most hope to touch.

But if you’ve read books on grant seeking, or you’ve looked for coursework focused on building skill in grant writing, these elements – the ones that often pave the way to a successful grant proposal – are typically missing. This is not true of Best Practices in Grant Seeking: Beyond the Proposal, a recent addition to the grant writer’s library.

Saadia Faruqi acknowledges in her introduction to the book, “It is rarely enough to write excellent proposals and sit back, waiting for them to get funded. No matter how brilliant the writer, it is not the proposal that gets accepted – or rejected – but the program and the people who run it.”

In 2004, Ms. Faruqi engaged in a research study that clearly demonstrated:

    “Organizations typically do not provide sufficient support and involvement to the grant seeking process at the leadership level, leaving grant professionals to be researchers, relationship-builders, community advocates, program designers, reporters, and grant managers. Few organizations, regardless of size, create grant seeking strategies that include not just the writer, but programs and public relations staff, board members, volunteers, and even clientele. This is done in many cases for other fundraising activities, such as major gifts or capital campaigns and even special events, but almost never for grants.”

So where does that leave us? Often frustrated, because we can’t get the information we need from the people who have it, and burnt out, because no one seems to acknowledge that funding success is less likely without the same support afforded to other aspects of an organization’s fundraising.

Redefining the Grants Function

Major factors impacting grant funding, according to Ms. Faruqi’s research:

    1. board relationships with funders,
    2. positive community image,
    3. successful site visits before the grant award,
    4. non-soliciting contact with funders,
    5. good reporting practices, and
    6. well-designed programs.

Through her chapters on fostering internal relationships, developing community image, designing stellar programs, and uniting to do good, Ms. Faruqi helps us put into place the critical elements that come before the grant proposal. Her next set of chapters focus on organizing (and measuring) the grants function, knowing our funders, and crafting winning proposals. Section three focuses on site visits, the critical time between grant submission and grant award. The last two chapters focus on stewardship and relationship building.

Ms. Faruqi allows us to see the grants function in perspective and prioritize our time and talent accordingly. If you’re a grant writer that doesn’t get involved with board development, publicity, program development, program evaluation, and stewardship, you may only be doing part of the job. That’s assuming you want to be as successful as you can possibly be, and that grant writing is about more than just writing to you. Do you want to fuel some kind of change in the world? Most of us have chosen grant writing as our contribution to an effort.

Now, More Than Ever

It has become clear in this downturned economy that the touch points we have with our funders, the relationships we have built, have more influence on whether we receive a grant than ever before. When given a choice between someone they know and they’re comfortable with (someone who has already proven to be a good investment), and someone they know only a little about through their grant proposal, it’s easier, less risky, to go with #1.

More than ever, we need to understand all elements that influence proposal success and to do all that we can to engage our full organization in the pursuit and development of the relationships that make our dreams more viable.

A Note for Consultants

If you’re a consultant interested in supporting the work of new and emerging nonprofits, this knowledge is even more essential. Why? Because before we jump into any grant seeking campaign for a new nonprofit, we need to help them put the right elements in place to support that effort. We need to help them set the right expectations, to understand what things need to be in place to maximize their grant writing success. They entrust us with that.

In Conclusion

Best Practices in Grant Seeking: Beyond the Proposal is an excellent investment. I give it my highest recommendation.

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When Is Your Organization Ready to Start Writing Grants?

Posted in Board Giving, Fundraising Success, Getting Grant Ready, Nonprofit Budgeting, Proposal Success on April 13, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

In my consulting practice, I have worked with many organizations at the grassroots and start-up level. And like many business owners, they have the idea that grants will give them the fuel they need to get started or to grow. But this is often false thinking. Why? Because so many other things need to be in place before you can be truly successful.

Before beginning any grant outreach effort, I recommend that most organizations have a minimum of $20,000 in cash set aside for the first year of any grant seeking effort. More would be better. Here’s why …

    1. On-going grant outreach has a higher success rate than one-time grant requests. Your first few grants are usually the hardest to get. New funders like to know that someone else has already supported you and found you reliable, trustworthy, a good investment.

    So how do you show that others have already supported you?

    Usually … individual donors, like members of your board, staff, volunteers, and other community members have already committed support to your mission, either directly or through their participation in events. Individuals provide the unrestricted dollars you need for grant seeking efforts, and their commitment demonstrates to larger funders that you have a solid foundation on which to grow.

    2. Most grants do not provide funding to support fundraising efforts. Your organization needs to have reliable funding available to pay for the services of a grant professional, just as it would for any other part-time or full-time staff position, before you hire someone.

Keep in mind … grants should not be your first or last source of funding. They are inherently short-term and must be renewed annually.

Relationship building is a key element of strategic grant seeking efforts, and you may need to apply multiple times before an organization knows you well enough to consider funding your efforts. In some cases, an organization will commit volunteer resources before they commit financial resources. It is important to remember this as you develop your programs.

Before investing in your organization, grant making institutions also want to see that you have an engaged, well-rounded working board, with capacity for developing key relationships with local community partners. A grant-ready board and staff demonstrates fiscal responsibility, a commitment to raising both dollars and awareness, and a personal financial commitment to your mission.

If these elements are not in place, your time and talent would be better spent on securing them before you begin large-scale grant seeking efforts. This way, when you do get started, you can maximize your chances for success.

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Applying to Family Foundations

Posted in Family Foundations, Nonprofit, Proposal Success, Understanding Donors on October 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Sometimes support from family foundations is the hardest the capture, but once captured, it can be a loyal source of funding for organizational sustainability and growth.

An article entitled, “Applying for Funding from Family Foundations: Results of a New Survey,” by Page Snow, chief philanthropic officer at Foundation Source and president of Foundation Source Advisors, appeared in the Guidestar newsletter (August 2009) and touched on how to establish on-going relationships with family foundations.

Her advice:

Think small.

“In this environment, nonprofits would be wise to look beyond the largest foundations to the largely untapped reservoir of philanthropic dollars in family foundations. Many operate almost invisibly, often providing needed funding in their own hometowns.”

Dealing with small family foundations requires a different approach than that involved with requesting support from multi-million dollar foundations.

Think relationships.

“Unlike dealing with large foundations, shipping off a well-crafted proposal to a family foundation is the last step in the cultivation process, not the first … three-quarters of family foundations say they do not consider unsolicited requests.”

In general, familyfoundations “already know who they want to give to.”

That doesn’t mean they never fund new organizations; they do appreciate new ideas. They just need to be approached differently. Developing personal relationships is paramount. So think about how your board and staff can do that. Network. Involve them as volunteers in your organization.

It may take longer to make connections with family foundations, but the effort is well worth it. Most often, family foundation provide “the holy grail of foundation funding – general operating support”.

Read more:
Applying for Funding from Family Foundations: Results of a New Survey

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The Grant Writer’s Role in Program Design

Posted in Fundraising Success, Grant Writers, Nonprofit, Organizational Success, Program Design, Proposal Success, Strategic planning on October 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

“Strategic grant seeking demands that instead of being passive bystanders recording events, grant professionals can and should play an active role in program design and development.” ~ Saadia Faruqi

I couldn’t agree more. There is a lot of insight that we, as grant writers, can add to the process of new program development. The role of grant writers in this process is not often well defined, so be sure you speak up and share your expertise when your organization is in a state of transition or growth.

CharityChannel: The Grant Professional’s Role in Program Design
(Note: you will need to join CharityChannel to view the full article)

Dedicated to helping improve the nonprofit community, Saadia Faruqi conducted a research study on the relationships between funders and grantee organizations, and how this impacts the grants awarded. Her study was published in the Journal of the AAGP, Fall/Winter 2004 Issue, Volume 3 Number 2, pp 37-46, entitled “Grantor-Grantee Relationships – A Research Study”.

Her latest work, entitled Best Practices in Grant Seeking: Beyond the Proposal is slated to be published by Jones & Bartlett Publishers in November 2009. This books highlights Faruqi’s research on factors affecting foundation grants, and explains the concept of holistic grant seeking to include not only the grants department but also marketing, programs and other fundraising areas.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll be keeping an eye open for it.

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Why Grants Don’t Get Funded

Posted in Proposal Success on September 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

This article highlights some of the reasons why a grant proposal doesn’t get funded. Take the author’s advice to heart as you develop a new or revised grant proposal for your organization.

Why Aren’t My Grants Getting Funded? Proposal Poisons, and the Key Ingredients in Good Grants by Becky Antworth.

Becky Antworth is a professional grant writer and the founder of Hired Gun Writing. Hired Gun Writing provides grant management services for nonprofits and other agencies, in addition to marketing, fundraising and PR services.

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“The Secret” to Grant Writing Success

Posted in Fundraising Success, Nonprofit, Organizational Success, Proposal Success, Recommended Reading on August 17, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Summer is a great time to catch up on those quick-reads you’ve had on your shelf for a month, two months, a year, maybe even more … yep, if you’re anything like me, you collect books and then read them as you have time and interest in a specific subject. I collect books from everywhere … library sales, library discards, garage sales, friends and family, and of course, bookstores. The subjects on my shelf are far ranging, as you may have guessed from my recent book reviews. Variety is the essence of creative thinking, right?

One book I’ve been curious about is The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne.

The word-of-mouth about The Secret is amazing to me, so when I came across the book as a library discard, I just had to pick it up, and I just finished reading it. The implications for the current economic cycle and its purported impact on the nonprofit industry are potentially dramatic. But one warning, when you read this book, read it with an open mind. Set aside any skepticism you have and, like kids believe in Santa without question, have faith. The Secret is worth experimenting with on both a small scale and a large scale.

So, what’s the basic premise of The Secret? Well, like the law of gravity is based in science and is indisputable, Rhonda Bryne and other practitioners of The Secret share scientific and anecdotal proof of the Law of Attraction (quantum physics and energy theory supported by stories from ancient civilizations and spiritual leaders around the world as well as more current stories of healing and change). “The law of attraction says like attracts like.”

The law of attraction is based on the “frequency” of thoughts. Like magnets, your thoughts attract things that are on the same frequency. So, send positive thoughts into the universe (i.e., I have all the money I need to fund my mission right now) to attract positive outcomes, and send negative thoughts into the universe (i.e., We are not going to raise enough money this year to do what we want to do because of the poor economy) to attract negative outcomes.

Emotions can give us insight into the frequency of our thoughts, both conscious and unconscious. Are you happy? Confident? Making joyful and fulfilling relationships with your donors and volunteers? Or nervous? Anxious? It’s no surprise that positive thoughts are associated with positive feelings and negative thoughts are associated with negative feelings. So if you’re not feeling very positive, it may be worthwhile to make a conscious effort to change both your thinking and your emotions.

How do we, as grant writers and individuals, do that? Well, start by recognizing the wonderful and abundant things in your life. Take time to be grateful for them every single day. It’s not possible to think negative thoughts and be grateful at the same time. Gratitude, by its very nature, is positive. So start a gratitude journal. Say a gratitude prayer as you prepare for bed at night or rise from bed in the morning. Embrace the positive and be grateful for it, and by the law of attraction, you will receive more good things. “What you think about the most or focus on the most will appear as your life.”

On an organizational level, we need to reverse the current thinking prevailing in the nonprofit industry. It is far too negative … the economy is terrible, there’s no money out there right now, our staff is squeezed, there’s no room for growth, there’s too much competition, and on and on. How are we supposed to complete such worthwhile work if we’re all so negative? Change the frequency of your thoughts. Be thankful for the talent and successes your organization possesses. Be grateful for every donor, for every opportunity. You may not be able to predict where your organization’s next windfall will come from.

Listen to the little voice in your head. Monitor it. Consciously change your thoughts. You may be surprised by what happens. In The Secret, Rhonda Byrne and other practitioners of The Secret share stories of people who have overcome cancer and become abundantly wealthy because of a change in thinking. Isn’t it worth it to try it out for your organization?

As you begin to embrace The Secret consider three steps:

    1) Ask: have the clearest picture possible in your mind of what you’d like to manifest for yourself or your organization and then ask for it.
    2) Believe: have faith the outcome (not the means) you seek is possible and currently exists in the universe, it just needs to find its way to you; do not contradict this faith with your thoughts or actions, be sure they all work together.
    3) Receive: be in the moment and remain open to receiving the outcome you asked for in whatever form it may come; listen to the little voice in your head that guides you to people and experiences that don’t seem related but are.

Not sure what that voice looks like? Watch Yes Man (Single-Disc Edition) featuring Jim Carrey. It’ll be clearer. Yes Man (Single-Disc Edition) is the story of how a man’s life dramatically changed when he began saying “yes” to life instead of “no”. I don’t usually recommend Jim Carrey movies, but the concept of this film is so strong, it’s worth a look. Coupled with the concept of The Secret, it can have a profound impact on your life.

I’ll leave you with one final thought…

    “You cannot help the world by focusing on the negative things. As you focus on the world’s negative events, you not only add to them, but you also bring more negative things into your own life. Instead of focusing on the world’s problems, give your attention and energy to trust, love, abundance, education, and peace.
    We will never run out of good things because there’s more than enough to go around for everyone. Life is meant to be abundant. You have the ability to tap into the unlimited supply through your thoughts and feelings and bring it into your experience.
    Praise and bless everything in the world, and you will dissolve negativity and discord and align yourself with the highest frequency – love.”
    ~ Rhonda Byrne

To experience more, buy The Secret or go to TheSecret.TV.

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Reinforcing Clear Mission, Accountability, and Transparency

Posted in Form 990, Proposal Success, Transparency & Accountability on July 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

An article recently published by Guidestar, an excellent resource for keeping track of trends in the nonprofit industry as well as for researching funding prospects via 990s, highlights some of the opportunities available to nonprofits with the release and use of the new Form 990.

The Door Has Opened: New Form 990 Creates Strategic Opportunities and Risks for Nonprofit Organizations

Six strategic implications, opportunities and risks are highlighted:

1. Mission – Because your organization’s mission statement is now featured prominently on page one of the new Form 990, it is more critical than ever to ensure that it represents your organization appropriately and persuasively. Mission statements are equally prominent in grant applications. Work with your organization’s board and staff to revise the organization’s mission statement if needed to reflect the group’s current activities and priorities.

2. Organization Changes/ 3. Governing Board / 4. Governance and Management Policies – Clearly, the structure, expertise, and accountability of your organization’s board and staff are a critical component funding organizations will be looking at to assess the quality and future success of your organization. If you see that changes are in order, be sure to share you concerns with the President of the Board or head of the organization, whichever is most appropriate in your instance.

Recommend that the board review the governance and management sections of the 990 and address any gaps. Be sure that needed controls are in place to protect your organization’s assets. To ensure that your organization has an “informed and active” board, you may need to encourage your team to establish a complete list of responsibilities and activities for which board members take ownership and develop a formal assessment to measure each board member’s understanding of the organization’s finances, operations, and related controls. Establish formal policies regarding executive compensation, conflicts of interest, investments, approaches to fundraising, documentation of governance decisions, document retention and destruction, whistleblower claims, and any other measures of accountability.

5. Financial Reporting – We all know poor accounting procedures, leading to inaccurate financial reporting, are the fastest way to lose a donor. Make sure your team has the right infrastructure in place to ensure accountability.

6. Transparency and Accountability – How many of your organizations publish annual reports, include a breakdown of dollars used (by programs, administrative, fundraising) to current and potential donors, or include a link to your financial statements on your organization’s web site? Transparency in all organizational operations and funding is strongly encouraged.

As a grant writer, you may not get involved in all of these activities, but your success is tied to each of them, so it’s worth knowing the basics.

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Due Diligence Tool for Pre-Grant Assessment

Posted in Insights from Funders, Proposal Development, Proposal Success on June 29, 2009 | 1 Comment »

As grant writers, we are always looking for insights into what makes a grant successful. We know that the success of any proposal is dependent on far more than how well we have developed the proposal.

For insight into how grant makers are evaluating your organization, I recommend a comprehensive review of the Due Diligence Tool provided by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations.

Due diligence refers to the process through which a funder researches an organization’s financial and organizational health to guide a grantmaking decision. The authors of the due diligence tool say, “The decision to fund or not to fund is based on a balance of objective data analysis, insight into the general state of organizational health and stability, and intuition.”

The Due Diligence Process

The due diligence process is laid out in six steps:

1. Review grant proposal, budget, and supplemental documents

    Does it fit with foundation’s guidelines and strategy? Viability? Strength of focus and design?

2. Conduct additional preliminary research.

    Ask colleagues/other funders for input. Review organization’s web site. Seek out other available data.

3. Conduct interviews with organization’s leadership (site visit or phone)

    Get to know the Executive Director, key program staff, and board. Explore the organization’s health and capacity, including track record, governance, executive leadership, vision and strategy, collaborations, communications, and finance. Delve more deeply into the project plan, outcomes, and evaluation measures.

4. Conduct additional follow-up research as needed.

    Probe areas of concern.

5. Analyze and apply your due diligence findings.

    Consider red flags and assess the risk they pose to project success. Weigh the factors important to your organization and determine if there are any deal breakers. Consider options for structuring the grant. Make final decision about the grant.

6. Synthesize information and present to others.

    Write up due diligence findings and decision. Craft funding recommendation for staff and board review.

As you can see, as grant writers, we are only involved in step 1 of this process. Our efforts need to be supported by an excellent organizational board and staff, strong financials, a record of program success, a web site and other communications that carry a consistent message, a strong strategic focus for the organization, and attention to program strategy, outcomes, and evaluation.

The Due Diligence Tool helps your organizational team prepare for each stage of the grant making process so that they can avoid the appearance of any “red flags” that cause concern on the part of the funder.

Preparing Materials for Review

Due Diligence Tool Worksheet #1 provides a list of materials for review. It is a good place to start if you are just beginning to develop grants for an organization, and you want to be prepared for any request that might arise. For example, the worksheet includes commonly requested attachments such as an organizational budget, project budget, list of committed and pending funding, financial statements, 990s, list of board members with community/professional affiliations, staff bios and/or resumes, strategic plan, org chart, job descriptions, marketing materials, newsletters, and annual reports.

I would also add: 501c3 IRS letter, testimonials/letters of support, memos of understanding that detail program collaborations, certificate of incorporation, articles of incorporation, bylaws, and a certificate of insurance coverage.

Grantmakers for Effective Organizations: Due Diligence Tool
(scroll to the bottom of the web page to download a copy of the PDF)

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