I’ve been lucky to work with quite a lot of shopper organizations, together with philantrophy.
Navigating grantee-funder relationships whereas staying true to your mission is complicated. It’s a panorama the place aspirations to create significant change typically intersect with the practicalities of securing funding.
Nevertheless, amidst the pursuit of economic help, I’ve noticed how nonprofits, of their eagerness to entry assets, might place themselves in funding relationships that run counter to their organizational mission.
Ideally, grantees ought to have the ability to leverage a grantee-funder relationship whereas additionally feeling assured to push again towards unreasonable calls for and never lose sight of their mission. This delicate balancing act underscores the complexity and significance of navigating the grantee-funder relationship with confidence and integrity.
Listed here are 5 ideas for sustaining your organizational mission whereas participating constructing relationships with funders:
Know your mission in and out
Earlier than getting into any grantee-funder relationship, guarantee your employees has a deep understanding of your mission, imaginative and prescient, and programmatic priorities. This readability serves as your compass as you discover funding choices. If you’re stable in your mission, it’s simpler to determine which funding alternatives and funder requests align along with your targets and which could veer off track.
Talk overtly and transparently
Foster an open line of communication along with your funder from the outset. Clearly articulate your employees’s capabilities, limitations, and areas of experience. Be trustworthy about what you possibly can and can’t ship throughout the scope of the grant. Establishing this transparency early on units the stage for a extra collaborative and understanding relationship.
Take part in bi-directional studying
In return, your program officer ought to share context by which the funder operates, together with the complexities in how funding is disperse, whether or not they fund applications vs additionally present alternatives for operational funding. Your program officer ought to present insights on how the funder is provided to answer your wants.
Prioritize mutual respect
Domesticate a relationship along with your funder that goes past transactional interactions. Make investments time in constructing rapport and belief based mostly on mutual respect and shared values. If you see one another as companions working in direction of a standard aim, it turns into simpler to navigate disagreements or negotiate phrases that uphold your mission whereas additionally assembly the funder’s requests.
Set boundaries and expectations
Don’t hesitate to set clear boundaries and expectations concerning the phrases of the grant. If a funder’s calls for threaten to divert assets or consideration away out of your mission, respectfully push again and negotiate for phrases that higher align along with your group’s wants. Advocate on your employees’s greatest pursuits.
Key takeaway
Whereas funding is essential for sustaining nonprofit work, compromising your mission in the end undermines the affect you wish to obtain. By fostering open communication, setting clear boundaries, and cultivating mutual respect, you possibly can be sure that your mission stays intact. Strategy the grantee-funder relationship with confidence, advocating on your mission whereas forging partnerships that empower you to create lasting change.
Increase Your Voice: Within the feedback part under, share how your group navigates your mission whereas assembly funder calls for.
Was this handy? Click here to subscribe to the Increase Your Voice publication.
Click here to be taught extra about my providers and the way we will work collectively.
