Prince Georges County ? The Non-Profit Sector of Prince George's ...

Subject: Prince George?s County ? The Non-Profit Sector of Prince George?s County is Underfunded and Needs Volunteer Grant Writers

Fact: ?As of 2012, there were 3,554 registered non-profits in Prince George?s County

Fact: The Prince George?s County non-profit sector generates $3.2 billion in combined revenues

Fact:? 81% of the County?s non-profits operate on an annual budget of less than $25K

Question: Why do a majority of the non-profits operate on a shoestring budget?

Question: If they operate on shoestring budgets, how do they pay employees to manage the organization and operate programs?

Question: If the budget of individual non-profits is barely above the poverty line, can they accomplish their mission and effectively serve the client(s)??

I am NOT an expert on grants, grant writing, or funding. I can ONLY speak from my limited perspective of ?just in time? volunteering with a small Prince George?s County technology non-profit. The balancing act of capacity building, meeting payroll, raising short term and/or long term funding, planning events and programs, managing events and programs, recruiting parents and community volunteers, etc. is daunting. It is even more daunting when additional human capital and resources are needed just to get through the next event but the organization is ?tapped out.? I did see that organizations like Human Services Coalition of Prince George's County offers capacity-building programs and provides networking opportunities. Coordinated Funding & Capacity Building Grants: The Neel Hajra Interview
Making Good Organizations Great: Capacity Building

Annuity Funds

I want to know if non-profits in Prince George?s County pool their financial resources to create an annuity fund. An annuity fund is a tool used to generate lasting income. It usually works best when a large amount of money is used to initially establish it. A professional money manager is put in charge of the annuity to ensure it continues to generate the interest needed for perpetuity.

54 Freedom Not-for-Profit Training Module I

Partnering on Grants

I would also like to know if non-profits in the County are organized to partner on grants similar to the government contracting sector. Each company has a specialty that can be used to meet the requirements of the contract. In this case, it would be meeting the requirements of the grant.

Marketing and Branding

Many residents in the community are oblivious to non-profits and what they do for a sizeable portion of the population. Just like any other business, the non-profit sector must market itself to let residents know exactly what they do, how they have helped individuals, and the vital functions they perform for the County. In business, it takes money to make money which means individual non-profits have to pool their resources together and identify a marketing company to develop an ongoing, well crafted campaign to communicate the message. Unfortunately, businesses don?t have the luxury of being shortsighted when it comes to marketing the brand and the message.?

Are there boutique marketing firms in Prince George?s County with the skills and proven track record that are willing to work with the non-profit community to develop an effective marketing campaign? I listen to WAMU 88.5 which is the local NPR station and marvel at the creative ideas and effectiveness of their marketing. ?They have the volunteer legal and financial expertise which allows them to alert listeners that they can write the station into their will as well as donate cars, boats, stock market losses, etc. Anyway people that have assets want to donate, WAMU 88.5 has you covered. I have never heard such appeals from individual Prince George?s County non-profits or cooperatives. Technology and Non-Profits

Using technology to support non-profits and automate as many tasks as possible is a strategic way to lessen the failure rate of startup non-profits and build capacity for mature non-profits that can?t breakthrough the funding barrier. The You Tube video showcasing an Indian tech company that provides a for-profit software service to subsidize the non-profit software services shows the creativity and innovation. The founder of the company states that his sustainable business model allows him NOT to be at the whim of philanthropic foundations and going through the rigors of the grant process. The business model probably has philanthropic foundations coming to him to create custom software for their organizations. Although I am not a programmer, this is how I envisioned the Prince George?s County Volunteer Tech Nation. Members of the Volunteer Tech Nation would identify a problem and find a way to solve it using tech and collaborating online or in person with other like-minded individuals with varying skill sets. If we could employ the same type of business model as the company in the video, that would be great!

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Technology for Nonprofits: enabling reach and funding

Google 101 for Non-Profits - Google Grants Workshop

Volunteer Grant Writers and Compliance

I would like to get back to the title of this post. Prince George?s County non-profits need two basic things from my limited perspective and they are:

-volunteer grant writers

-volunteer 501C3 compliance officers?

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Volunteer grant writers would be instrumental in streamlining the grant writing process for non-profits which lack human capital and overwhelm the minimal staff with multiple duties on a daily basis. I know grant writing is a legitimate occupation which people use to generate income. In this situation, I think residents have to look at the bigger picture and forsake income generation until the sector as a whole in Prince George? s County is operating within the baseline set forth by organizations such as Maryland Nonprofits and the Center for Nonprofit Advancement. ?I plan to attend the Hands on Grant Writing Workshop on Wed July 10 from 6:30 pm ? 9:00 pm sponsored by People for Change. I hope to learn valuable grant writing skills so I can volunteer my services to a local non-profit.?

Nancy Faria da Costa - 90% Grant Fund Award Rate - How to Write a Grant Proposal

In 2006 many non-profits were victims of the new IRS regulations dealing with ?automatic revocation.? If the non-profit was oblivious to the new regulations and didn?t comply with them, their non-profit status was automatically discontinued. As I understood this, the job of knowing about the regulation changes fell squarely on the person or persons handling the non-profits financial obligations and taxes.?

IRS - Tax Tips How to Get Your Tax-Exempt Status Back?

This is where I think a 501C3 compliance officer is critically needed. Most, if not all, grants require the 501C3 of the recipient organization to be current and compliant. If the organization?s 501C3 status is not current, it is virtually impossible to receive donations from the major philanthropic organizations to include governments.

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501(c)(3) Compliance & Form 990 Preparation

The ?New? Expectations of Philanthropic Organizations

In the last 5-10 years, companies that want to contribute to the community by donating to causes have changed their approach. They see their donation as an investment and consequently want to see a Return on Investment (ROI). The donor wants to see an entrepreneurial approach to problem solving and delivery of services by the non-profit. To the donor, this demonstrates efficiency and a high chance of successful outcomes. Small non-profits need to understand the requirements of the philanthropic community and tailor their application and process for delivering services to clients accordingly. This will increase their chances of success in the grant writing arena.

The video below speaks to how the philanthropic foundations tie the hands of non-profits. They want non-profits to act like for-profit businesses but put restrictions on how the money can be used. Dan Pallotta was in the ?weeds? and using big thinking entrepreneurial strategies to build capacity with his breast cancer non-profit before it was shut down.

Dan Pallotta: The way we think about charity is dead wrong

What action are you going take??

What Volunteer Tech Nation member are you going to collaborate with?

Source: http://www.princegeorgescountyvtn.com/2013/07/prince-georges-county-non-profit-sector.html

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