To understand the donor’s perspective
on giving and to more effectively address a donor’s
priorities and meet funding requirements.
To explore how to approach and address
different types of donors and to examine the essential components
of an initial introduction or letter of inquiry.
What goes into creating and establishing
a good donor /donee relationship.
How to maintain, leverage and/or
transition the donor/donee relationship.
Theme
Reading
Discussion
Questions
Week
One
Overview
and the Supply Side or the Donor’s Perspective
The Donors’ Bill
of Rights
Is
it necessary to establish a relationship with
a funder or potential donor? Why?
What are funders looking for?
What do they expect from a potential grantee?
Week
Two
Types
of funders and cultivating various types of relationships
On
Creating a Healthy Grantee/Grantor Relationship
How
do you go about building the grantee/grantor relationship?
What are the boundaries? How do you read the signs?
Week
Three
The
Introduction and Letters of Inquiry
Review
of a Sample Letter of Inquiry and Needs &
Problem Statements
How
do you make an initial introduction and the best
first impression (in person, via the telephone,
mail or email)?
What is an elevator speech?
(Role-play?)
Week
Four
Always
is not Forever: Maintaining and nurturing the
funding Relationship
All
in the Mind: Is relationship fundraising common
sense, a soft option or a panacea?
How
do you maintain, leverage and/or transition the
funding relationship?
What can you take away and how do I boost the
benefits?
About Deborah...
DeBorah Sunni Smith is the principal
of Cassava Enterprises, a management, consulting firm that
works with private and public sector entities to provide organizational
development, management and technical assistance along with
an array of training resources. She was the acting Executive
Director of the regional office of a national nonprofit in
Santa Monica, California. She is a lawyer and was a Coro Foundation
fellow.
Ms. Smith possesses a solid background
in law, business and public policy. She was a staff attorney
with the Institute for Public Representation (IPR) in Washington,
DC and in that capacity she represented various nonprofits
in broadcast and communications proceedings before the Federal
Communications Commission and in litigation before the U.S.
Court of Appeals. Her background also includes political exposure
a Media Director for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
and legislative work in government affairs at Solomon Brothers,
Inc.
Additionally, Ms. Smith produced a major,
legal/public policy conference on race and gender issues in
1991. She has taught and facilitated seminars on race bias
and gender bias at the Georgetown University Law Center and
for the Solano County Women’s Bar Association. In1996,
she was a facilitator for IBM’s Diversity Awareness
and Imperative programs and at the request of one IBM’s
project contractors, she acted as project manager for a cultural
competency training that included curriculum development and
“train-the-trainer” for the LA’s Housing
Authority. Sunni also is an adjunct professor of psychology
at Santa Monica College, an active member of the L A Media
Image Coalition, and for the past three years was contracted
to provide multi-level diversity training for Campbell Soup
Company’s sales team.
During her nonprofit tenure, Sunni created
and facilitated several fundraising projects, including a
documentary on culture and leadership and “Conversations
Celebration,” a Skirball Cultural Center theatrical
event that uplifted the need for dialogue in a diverse society.
She has extensive community and fund development experience
and has written successful, six-figure grant proposals to
foundations as well as government agencies.
Since 1980, Ms. Smith has provided management and consulting
services to educational institutions, nonprofits, and business
and has traveled internationally in that capacity. She participated
in trade missions and business delegations to South Africa
and Columbia, South America. Her consulting client list includes:
The National League of Cities; National Public Television's
American Masters Series; The Smithsonian Institution; Sony
Pictures Entertainment; The California Endowment through The
Center For Nonprofit Management; California State University
at Northridge; American Advertising Federation, the Local
Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the International
Communications Institute (ICI) and WomenAndCommunities.
Ms. Smith holds a Bachelor’s degree
in Psychology and Communications, a Master of Science in Counseling
and Rehabilitation, and a Juris Doctor with ABA certification
in Communications Law. After receiving a legal fellowship
award, she earned a Master of Laws in Public Policy from the
Georgetown University Law Center and has been certified as
a mediator by the Asian Pacific Legal Center.
