Building a Super-Powered Grant Program

1. Building a Super-Powered Grant Program

2. About Akron Children’s • 7th largest children’s hospital in country • Largest pediatric provider in northern Ohio • 2 hospital campuses • 20+ primary care locations • 60+ specialty location • Over 5,200 employees

3. Akron Children’s Hospital Foundation Executive Director/Vice-President • Major Giving • Annual Giving • Grants Administration • Corporate Partnerships • Foundation Administration • MV Foundation office

4. Background • 12.5 years of experience • Over 525 grants • $26 million • Nearly 100 grants per year

5. It’s a roller coaster ride

6. Attitude is everything • Your organization is not the greatest thing since sliced bread • What worked even 5 years ago may not be applicable • Just because they funded you once, does not mean they will fund you again • Try to erase the “I can write a grant and get funded every time” mentality

7. Challenges for grant seekers • Unrestricted grants are nearly non- existent • The competition is greater: basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter are often priorities • Funding areas of interest are constantly shifting • Funders want to make an impact on the community

8. An even bigger challenge – how we sabotage ourselves • Not having a true process in place to identify projects and potential funders • Being reactionary vs. proactive • Not being good matchmakers • Being unrealistic in our expectations • Not telling our story as well as we should • Not having a good stewardship process

9. Start at the beginning - are you at the table?

10. Start at the beginning • Does your organization have a strategic plan – where do they want to go, what are the project/funding priorities? • Link your grant seeking strategy to your organization’s strategic plan

11. Are you an expert on your organization? • Know and articulate your organization’s strategic plan, vision, values, challenges • Be knowledgeable about your organization’s business diligence—what makes you a strong organization worth investing in • Have 5 priorities for your fundraising efforts

12. The process Donor Donor Solicitation Grant Revisions Monkey in the Middle Syndrome

13. Identification of prospects • Foundation Search • Foundation Center • Past donors • Governmental sources-get on a list serve • Where do other non-profit organizations get their funding?

14. Creation of Strategic Plan – Part A • Largest gift to a similar organization in the last 5 years • Largest most recent gift (2-3 year look-back) • Most recent gift • Stated primary interest area • Due date • Estimated ask range

15. Creation of Strategic Plan – Part B • Become a matchmaker • Don’t chase funding – bending your projects to fit a funder’s desire is not usually successful

16. Grants Administration Strategic Plan • Calendar for applications, stewardship reports • Potential project/program match • Estimated ask • Who will be submitting • Metrics • Flexibility is the key

17. Cultivating a private or corporate funder • Who is the gatekeeper? • Who is on their board of directors or grants committee—is there a connection? • What do they fund – look at their annual report and their guidelines • Visit websites – not everything in on-line databases is accurate • Pay close attention to the dollar range of their gifts within the last 3 years • Review their grant proposal questions, if possible

18. Improving the cultivation process • What is the funder’s preference for communication with potential grantees • How well does the funder really know you? • Don’t wait until it is time to send an application to contact the funder • Identify alternate methods of communicating with the funder • Invite potential funders to visit your facility

19. Solicitation – are you really ready? • Is your grant seeking strategy linked to your organization’s strategic plan? • Is this project well-defined, and does it have administration support? • Do you have your basic building blocks?

20. Solicitation – the value of case statements • Forces you to begin to think in details • If the details are not there, you are not ready to seek philanthropic support (the empty box concept) • Can be used by multiple fundraising staff and can be adapted to multiple funding sources

22. Case statements • Who/what is your organization, what does it do, who do you serve • Why does it exist/why is your organization relevant • What are the community’s needs – using local, not national data • How are you going to have an impact on those needs • How can you connect your program/project to the needs of the funder – how will you facilitate their ability to have community impact

23. How we tell our story • Proposal must be pragmatic, visionary, and still tug at the heart strings • Capture the passion of your where the rubber meets the road staff • Minimal focus on stats – it is the story of “one” not many • Why is your organization the solution? • What does your organization have that others don’t – how can you truly reach the population in question

24. What is the community need? Current estimates are that the prevalence rate of Autism Spectrum Disorder is 1 out of 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls

25. What is the community need? Based on national estimates, nearly 1,700 children in Summit County are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

26. Taking it even further – the power of one “Every parent does want to be able to communicate and understand what their child needs and wants. The Connections program is helping me do what it says: connect with my child . . . I was feeling lost. No one I said ‘here is how you can help your child, here are things you can do that will impact his life today’. I have learned more from the staff then from any doctor’s appointment or book I have read. I don't feel like I am buried anymore.

27. How does your organization contribute to the solution • Use of evidence-based strategies –how have other communities facing similar problems been successful • How you will collaborate as part of a broader community vision • How you will leveraging your and others resources

28. Nuts and bolts – the specifics of what you propose • Target population – demographics, why is the population at risk • Specific, evidence-based strategies • Timeline • Who is responsible

29. Nuts and bolts – the specifics of what you propose Goals & Objectives • By November 2017, ACH Community Health Workers will receive evidence-based Pathways training. • By December 2018, we will have implemented the Behavioral Health, Developmental Referral/Screening, Education, Employment, Health Insurance, Housing, Medical Home, Medical Referral, Medication Assessment, and Social Service Referral pathways with a minimum of 100 families.

30. Evidence of community impact We have demonstrated significant program impact in the following areas: • Parent-child interactions, the foundation for development, were impacted particularly in the area of responsiveness and affect/animation, and were able to maintain these changes. • The toddlers showed a significant increase in the area of initiation, which also includes joint attention and positive affect. • Parent well-being, self-confidence, and sense of control increased significantly • Improvements in the families’ reported quality of life • Improved parent ratings of confidence in their ability to implement intervention strategies

31. Evaluating your success/impact • Identify specific metrics – process vs. impact evaluation • Have a plan to get the data • How/when will you report the success/impact • How will you identify/remedy barriers

32. How will you recognize the funder • Do they even want recognition? • Do they want naming rights? • What is important to the funder?

33. Budget Proposal • Facility Purchase: $699,000 • Facility Renovation: $1,600,000 • Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment: $200,000 • Total Project Capital Cost: $2,500,000

34. Budget Proposal

36. Saying thank you • Letter from the President/CEO • Handwritten letter from Grants Administration • Phone call from Board member • Meeting with Hospital staff—here are the promises that were made • Declination=Thank you

37. Improving the Stewardship Process • Grants are not “slush funds” to be stockpiled • Staff must understand and agree to donor intent • Make funder aware of any delays in implementation • Stewardship Calendar integrated into Grants Administration Strategic Plan • Stewardship reports even when not required

39. Questions? Mary Douglas Director, Grants Administration Akron Children’s Hospital 330-543-3724 mdouglas2@akronchildrens.org