A plant growing out of a small pile of coins

Funding and Sustainability: Recommendations for the Field, from the Field

Sofia Betteo

Amidst compounding Federal funding cuts and perpetual competition for dollars in the nonprofit sector, guest speaker Anthony Smith, Executive Director of Cities United, brought his expertise to the SYNC 2.0 family’s Funding and Sustainability Learning Lab.

Funding and sustainability is one of many Learning Lab topics that SYNC 2.0 is engaging in to support its members’ mission of strengthening and uplifting Black and Brown communities with inequitable risk for violence. Smith’s years of experience in both community violence prevention and resource development provided many valuable seeds for the learning community members to cultivate to fruition.

The following are a series of takeaways and recommendations from Smith to strengthen strategies and practices relating to funding and sustainability.

Cultivate relationships.

It is necessary to have trust with current and potential funders in order to effectively understand, negotiate, and develop a path for the future.
By establishing and maintaining relationships with the right people, doors to later opportunities remain open and turn a “no” into a “not right now.”

Be clear about your vision and look to partners who can uplift it.

Be in community with people who understand your mission, want to build up your work, and create mutually beneficial relationships.
Reciprocal relationships can mean waiting a few years to get the grant you want.
It’s okay to walk away when opportunities don’t align with your values; otherwise, your mission and vision might be compromised without keeping communities close at heart.
We have to see where our organizations and projects fall within both the philanthropic and community safety ecosystems so that we know what systems we can impact and where to seek funding.
Ask yourself: “Can I articulate my work with the right mission statement that resonates with philanthropy and other partners?”

Create space for everyone to give.

Smith shared a story about his first experience with fundraising as an organizer, working hard to support a network that worked closely with him. During an initial fundraising push, in a room of 100 people, a little girl gave him about 15 pennies to kick off donations. Two important lessons came out of this interaction:

The more you give space for people to support your work, the better off you will be—every penny counts!
Let people know that you appreciate them, their support, and their donation.

Ask for what you need, not just what you think you can get.

By being clear with yourself on what it will take to achieve your mission and what you need from funders, you will gain a stronger sense of confidence to do what is necessary in order to realize your vision.
Consultants work for you, they don’t know the work the way that you know the work. It’s important to question and challenge them as they help you push the work forward.

Know the data and tie it to your work.

Track any and all data points related to your work (even the points they don’t ask for) to be able to share your accomplishments with different funders.
Determine how contextual and experiential evidence shows up in your work and its relationship to the communities and entities that you are in partnership with. Use this information to support telling stories about your work and your community, and making your case to potential funders.

Ask questions to start a dialogue within your organization and help tell the story of why your work matters.

Audience: Think about the type of funder/decision-maker you need to engage (e.g., grantors, donors, state policymakers who make funding decisions, local government agencies like a health department). Who is the audience you want to tell your story to? Who from your team should share the story?
Economic Impact: What new economic opportunities emerged because of your work? In what ways has your work created or protected economic opportunity for your community?
Community Health and Safety: How has your work influenced the health and wellbeing of people or the environment in your community? How did your work contribute to safer or more sustainable environments because of your work? What harmful health and safety outcomes are being prevented because of your efforts?
Long-term Capacity: What knowledge, skills, or infrastructure are you building that will last beyond a program or project?
Measuring Hope: How did you know the work you were doing is bringing hope to the communities you worked in? When was hope your only measure of success and what did that look like?
Legal and Policy Change: How did your work challenge unjust laws/policies, support new protections, or create pathways to justice and healing?
Public Opinion: How has your work built public trust or shifted public opinion over time?