Tips for Writing a Letter of Inquiry

The ultimate goal of a Letter of Inquiry is to get an invitation to submit the full proposal. Along with basic advice such as follow guidelines and proofreading, Grant Gopher offers these tips:

• Be sure that your LOI clearly communicates what your program “does”. It may be clear to you, but put yourself in the reader’s position. Can they quickly and clearly see the benefit of your program? Additionally, does it match the funder’s area of interest? For best results with this tip, have a friend read the LOI and see if it makes sense to him/her.

• Use clear, concise writing paired with action-oriented verbs. For example, “Starving animals are rounded up and treated by the ABC Shelter.” can be reworded to “We rescue 100 starving dogs every month and provide food, shelter, and emergency veterinary care in our kennel facility.”

• Keep your letter concise and break up your program narrative into clear paragraphs. Nobody wants to read a never-ending block of text.

Please click here for source.

Paul Clarke Nonprofit Resource Center

Notes from the Foellinger Logic Model Workshop

The Paul Clarke Nonprofit Resource Center hosted two Foellinger Logic Model Workshops today with local nonprofit professionals in attendance. Dawn Martz of Foellinger and Mike Stone of Impact Strategies led participants through the creation and role of Logic Models in the Foellinger application process.

The workshop targeted audience included Family Development and Community Interests applicants.

If you are applying to Foellinger for funding in Early Childhood or Youth Development, a workshop is TBA in the Spring.

Here are the powerpoints and handouts, followed by brief notes from the session:

Family Development Applicants:

Click to view

Community Interests Applicants:

2010 for the Nonprofit Sector

The NonProfit Times Special Report, “Seven Nonprofit Seers Predict What’s Ahead” offers predictions on the nonprofit sector.

From the article’s introduction:

Seven movers and shakers in the sector look at the immediate past and run the gamut from it ain’t so bad to the Earth is going to spin off its axis. So, slip a quarter into The Great Nokanduski and see what comes out. We’ll know who is right in roughly 12 months.

Each seer’s prediction comes from their sector experience and knowledge.

We hope 2010 brings good things to your organizations and especially to the community you serve.

Notes from Our YouTube for Nonprofits Program

We’d like to thank Melissa Kiser for walking us through the steps to creating and uploading video podcasts to YouTube!  Our participants were engaged and actively learning. Many thanks for all of you who braved the cold to attend.

See what we made! As part of the learning process, our intern, Leslie, was filmed by Melissa. Participants watched and asked questions as video clips were edited in Windows Movie Maker and posted on the Allen County Public Library’s Channel.

Learn more about YouTube for Nonprofits with these online resources:

From Nonprofit World: “Can We Call a Truce?”

Tips for Negotiating Workplace Conflicts

The November/December issue of Nonprofit World offers practices and tips on resolving workplace conflict. The steps come from mediator Jeffrey Krivis, author of “Improvisational Negotiation,” based on his experiences resolving legal conflicts.

Tips include:

• Let people tell their stories
• Learn to “read minds”
• Avoid the “winner’s curse” by carefully pacing negotiations

Request the article in full, via email after registering for free at Nonprofit Quarterly

Links to more content below:

Technology for Nonprofits

It might be a confusing and daunting place out there in tech-land!

Thankfully, the folks from www.idealist.org have put together a list of useful resources.

Find the help you need to keep your organization up to date with the latest in cyberspace.

Click here for more information.

Paul Clarke Nonprofit Resource Center

New from BoardSource at ACPL

Check out these books at the Paul Clarke Nonprofit Resource Center!

Trouble at the Top: the nonprofit board’s guide to managing an imperfect chief executive
Kissman, Katha.

Meeting, and Exceeding Expectations: a guide to successful nonprofit board meetings
Flynn, Outi.

Who’s minding the money? : an investment guide for nonprofit board members
Fry, Robert P.

Bound PDFs

Recruiting a stronger board : a BoardSource toolkit

Surviving the Financial Crisis: a BoardSource toolkit

November 23@4’s Program Resources: Internships 101

The PCNRC had the pleasure of welcoming the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce to lead our monthly 23@4 program for November.  Kay Anthony, the Chamber’s program manager for the Graduate Retention Program, and Katelyn Jacquay-Daniel, GRP’s former intern, presented on how the program works and the benefits that could be reaped from an intern experience.

The mission of the Graduate Retention Program is to attract and retain graduates of Northeast Indiana high schools and colleges to develop a highly qualified pool of talent that will attract new employers and retain existing, growing companies.

You can find out more about the Graduate Retention Program here.

Kay and Katelyn also brought attention to Indiana INTERNnet, a free online state-wide system that connects employers with students for internship opportunities.  Register your organization, get help with writing a good job description and get connected with a great intern!

We discussed that interns can ultimately bring to your organization:

We’re Grateful for Your Service

We hope you have time to reflect and enjoy  the holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving to the Nonprofit Community!

Leslie at National Philanthropy Day

Meet our newest intern, Leslie!  She hails from Chicago and joined the PCNRC team in October.  New to the neighborhood, she looks forward to learning more about the great stuff  local non-profits are up to.  Stop by the PCNRC desk to say hello to her!

Here she is at the Landmark Center in Fort Wayne, IN for National Philanthropy Day.  You can view the handouts from the workshops plus learn more about what happened on NPD here.

Check out more video footage of Lettie with AFP’s local membership director, Jennifer talking about the exciting day!