A wide range of organizational support services are available to help you. Contact Brewer & Associates to create a personalized plan for your Non-Profit Organization.
Organizational Readiness
501(c)(3) Internal Revenue Designation
Non-profit status is a federal law concept. Non-profit status may make an organization eligible for certain benefits, such as federal and state sales, property, and income tax exemptions. Although most federal tax-exempt organizations are non-profit organizations, organizing as a non-profit organization at the state level does not automatically grant the organization exemption from federal income tax. To qualify as exempt from federal income taxes, an organization must meet requirements set forth in the Internal Revenue Code.
Development Evaluation
A Development Audit provides an organization with a thorough review of its development program and offers steps to take to achieve future success. It is a comprehensive process that examines procedures, materials, volunteer/board engagement, donor relations and more. 501(c)(3) Internal Revenue Designation Non-profit status is a state law concept. Non-profit status may make an organization eligible for certain benefits, such as state sales, property, and income tax exemptions. Although most federal tax-exempt organizations are non-profit organizations, organizing as a non-profit organization at the state level does not automatically grant the organization exemption from federal income tax. To qualify as exempt from federal income taxes, an organization must meet requirements set forth in the Internal Revenue Code.
Organizational Assessment
An organizational assessment helps an organization improve the overall effectiveness of its current development efforts. By focusing on how the organization may better use its present resources. Brewer & Associates will determine the group’s strengths and weaknesses and suggest cost-effective improvements to maximize the organization’s fundraising potential. This may take several days.
An organization’s current donors are its best assets and prudence must be taken in cultivating them for sustained support over the long term. By approaching your problems from a fresh outside attitude, Brewer & Associates often can recommend relatively simple improvements in your development program, which will make a big difference to your bottom line.
Capacity Building Strategies
Annual Campaign
The annual fund is the building for all fundraising. It serves to establish a base of donors that can serve as an effective device to inform and beyond a constituency to the organization. It can further as an instrument that compels accountability to the cause of the organization is serving. An annual fund focuses on individual donors that traditionally support the general operations of an organization. This tool is often used to increase the prospect database to move current donors into the major gifts program.
Capital Campaign
A capital campaign is most commonly conducted for new facilities, renovations, equipment and endowment building. A capital campaign has a set goal, beginning and end, a plan, a case statement, and pre-determined expenses. Conducting this type of campaign is time sensitive and should be coordinated with the beginning of construction.
The capital campaign is very effective to not only raise money for the completion of capital needs, but to provide funding so the organization can fund additional overhead.
Community Partnership Development
Developing strategic partnerships is paramount to the operations of an organization. Today philanthropists are requiring organizations to collaborate to maximize the benefit to its constituents. We will identify potential community organizations that best fits the mission of the organization to ensure a “win-win’ opportunity for both parties.
Corporate Campaign
A Corporate Campaign is a targeted program towards corporations. This may include sponsorship opportunities, targeted solicitations and foundation support. A corporate campaign is an effective way by both enlarging existing annual gifts and of drawing in new corporate donors. What is key is that this type of program often leads middle and upper level management to deeper involvement with the organization, resulting in the expansion of its volunteer base and the development of potential leaders for its fundraising activities.
Direct Mail Campaign
This is a written request for a gift distributed and returned by mail. Direct mail usually means a mass mailing sent to prospective donors where there is no linkage to the signer of the letter.
Fundraising Opportunities
Fundraising Plan
An organization uses a fundraising plan as the foundation to begin and strengthen its fundraising efforts. It is the “roadmap” that defines the future development of a nonprofit. For example, a fundraising plan should include a case for support, a goal, sources of gifts, a gift range chart and solicitation strategies, just to name a few. Brewer & Associates will develop one will need this as you begin to cultivate current and potential donors.
Major Gift Campaign
A Major Gift Campaign is a vital part of a comprehensive fundraising program. These are larger gifts that often serve as the basis for an annual campaign, may be a part of a special campaign or are the largest income portion of a capital campaign. A Major Gift program is the process an organization pursues to cultivate individual donors into larger donors. The culmination of the development process is the integrative stage in which the focus moves to assuring continued growth for the organization and the donors in their relationships with the organization.
Membership Campaign
A Membership Campaign is an effective method of garnering support for an organization. A membership added to a development program will raise funds as well as awareness of the organization’s mission and vision for the future.
During this program, Brewer & Associates partners with the organization in the design of a strategy for membership, including strategic reasoning about levels of membership and the corresponding benefits. In addition, Brewer & Associates will assist in the development of supporting materials for a campaign and training to enlist members.
Proposal Writing
We prepare proposals for specific programs and ongoing operational budgets identified by the nonprofit organization. We work with your organization in submitting the proposal in a timely manner.
Proposal writing fees are based on the scope (corporate, foundation or government) of funding. No guarantee of funding is implied and is totally dependent on the worthiness of your request and whether it fits within the funding guidelines stipulated by the funding entity at the time of submission.
Public Relations
Public relations or communications is just as critical to the success of a nonprofit organization as any other business aspect. It requires good planning, good stories, good will and good luck. And persistence. We will help you design a public relations plan defines who your target market is, what is to be communicated to the community, what vehicles will be used to “tell your story”, and who will communicate your story.
Strategic Plan
A strategic plan is a management tool designed to guide the strategic initiatives of the organization. This is a three-to-five-year document that reviews the agency’s mission and vision, defines the strategic goals and objectives and provides a system of accountability for board and staff.
Board Development
Board and Staff Training
Effective training for the board of directors and staff keeps an organization on the leading edge of quality service. Brewer & Associates provides training on the art and science of fundraising to help each acquire the knowledge and skills needed to advance their organization’s mission. A sampling of topics include:
- Building an Effective Nonprofit Organization. This training is designed to create the infrastructure for a nonprofit organization that is in the conceptual or early forming stages. This training will afford organizational leadership to avoid the pitfalls often made my start-up organizations. The outcome to be achieved is a nonprofit organization with the ability to execute its vision through identified strategic objectives and a forward-thinking board of directors.
- Building an Effective Board. This training is designed to transform an organization’s board to an effective governing body. Board members are educated on heir roles and responsibilities as board members. This enables the board to focus on its governing role instead of daily operations.
- Energizing Your Nonprofit Organization. This training is designed to re-align its strategic goals and direction with its mission. It “fine-tune’s “ the statement of purpose, mission and vision and restructures board and governance policies and procedures to effectively and efficiently pursue its mission. The result is the foundation for a strategic plan.
- Defining and Moving to the Next Level. This training is deigned to evaluate where an organization currently is and strategize for future goals and objectives. The result is a plan that will allow the organization to pursue its future on a variety of levels in a concerted effort.
- Building a Fundraising Program. This training is designed to guide board members through the identification of program goals, objectives, fundraising strategies and create the organizational and governance infrastructure to provide effective and efficient fundraising management. The result is a plan that provides the foundation for the financial sustainability of the organization