You say you need money to start doing your projects. Do you have a project plan or a business Plan? For more than 10 years now I have volunteered my time helping NFP organizations get their project moving and I still here the same thing over and over again: "We can't start the project without funds!"
Of course I always ask the same question to that question: "Are you ready for this free money that will come along?"
Guess what? I haven't encountered an organization yet who categorically answered yes to this question. Absolutely none! At least not the ones I am helping (It's probably the reason I'm helping them). Every one of them wants the money but none is actually prepared to receive it if it drops on their lap on the same instant.
The question now is: "How do you prepare for or get ready for funding?"
Beneficiaries
NFP organizations must be able to recognize who benefits from what they do. It can be bit strange to some NFPs but some of the most professionally managed NFP organizations actually refer to their beneficiaries as "Clients". You may be in an organization wherein there are no direct beneficiaries. Ecological and environmental oriented NFPs for example have programs with goals not immediately discernible and with impacts going beyond the immediate generation.
Do you have a clear profile and criteria of who is and who will be your beneficiary? If someone walks up to you and ask for assistance, will you be able to say to this person if you can or cannot help him? Will you be able to explain to him why you are or are not helping him? How are you going to do that?
Will the public know who you are by the kind of beneficiaries you have? Does the public even understand what is a beneficiary in as far as your programs or projects are concerned?
Define your beneficiary according to psycho-social profiles, socio-economic clusters, demographics, geography, age group, sex, civil status, education, profession, occupation, physical attributes (or absence of certain characteristics), religion, culture, medical condition, political subdivision, degree of certain conditions, and other combination of characteristics or attributes.
There will be a great temptation to help everyone and admittedly to the frustration of most volunteers, you can only do so much. Defining your beneficiary or client keeps time, resources, projects, programs and volunteers focus.
With a clear definition of who you serve, you deliver your services to those you can help the most. Your organization will be providing nothing fancy but also nothing less than the best you can offer.
Goals and Programs
Define your goals clearly and create the most appropriate program to accomplish one or two of those goals. Design as many programs as the goals you have set out to accomplish.
The ideal ratio is to have one program for each goal. Typically however most organizations will have two or as many as three organizational goals per program. This is the reason why goals must be defined clearly. The more refined the definition of the goals the more focus the programs will be.
The unexpected benefits of good programs are better selection of what projects to undertake.
Strategy and Structure
In my organizational development and business planning workshop, I have always emphasize the essence of formulating strategy before structure. I still have to witness an organization doing this right the first time.
Try to imagine this: You are a new leader talking for the first time to your people in front of the Red Sea about a great journey. You describe your vision of a land rich with grapes and honey. The picture of wonders you painted has amazed your people and they are all gearing up to pack and follow you anyway, anywhere.
After your inspirational speech everybody seem to be busy forming committees of every conceivable size and purpose. Suddenly, you get people weaving cloth for sails, some cutting trees for timber to build a boat, others are stocking water in large jars, and other carving oars.
As their leader, you now stop to ask: Why in the name of the Great God of my ancestors are they building a boat?
As a concerned leader, you step down from your esteemed throne to your people and ask: Why are we building a boat?
Your loyal follower answers:
"Your Greatness, you have talked about a land rich with grapes and honey in front of the Red Sea. We all thought that we are going to cross the sea to that land of wonders."
You answer your loyal follower:
"No idiot! We're going to Egypt in a caravan! The only reason we have the Red Sea is because we're in Sudan and there's no other sea around!"
