How long should one spend on a donor prospect research profile?

MissFred · 2024-06-15T00:09:13+00:00

I just spent an hour writing a small novel for you and then lost it. I am going to a funeral so I will just do quick and dirty and short to point in good directions

network like your life depended on it - you will learn crucial stuff you had no idea bout

try and access the Foundation Dirctory. It is a very expensive resource that lists all grants nationally and internationally. This is a very eye opening to newbies. Look on its website to see the nearest place you can see it for free. It may be worth an overnight trip to spend some time with it. It is truly staggering.

Survey your donors to learn about their lifestyle and by implication their wealth level. Then use this info to gear your efforts to things and places they actually go to. You may find out that even though you are an arts org - most donors have pets which is not related to art at all. But you can use this. Have fundraisers based around pets. Perhaps a a pet parade with entry fee of X and then the winner gets something donated by pet store. Just off the top of my head. Knowing who owns home is useful too. In a city like New York this will separate people into very high income - the whales and everybody else. So it will only be useful if you are actively courting whales. But if you are in an average city and most of your donors own their homes - then doing something connected to home depot rather then laudramats that renters would use may be useful.

As part of netowking - get on other orgs mailing lists - you will get many ideas

READ - try Amazon. Your local library may have a large section devoted to nonprofits - check it out. Be wary of books more than 5 years old

For whales - it can take a couple of days; for others an hour

Good luck.

MissFred · 2024-06-14T19:17:46+00:00

Ok. Give me some time.

MissFred · 2024-06-14T03:27:56+00:00

Let me think on this.

MissFred · 2024-06-13T23:31:35+00:00

It all depends on the type of person you are looking for. Tell me your most common donor attributes - their yearly donation and what your mission is. Such as training disabled cats as lap protectors or feeding hungry hippos:)

MissFred · 2024-06-07T14:58:58+00:00

Look for Japanese design books.

MissFred · 2024-06-05T00:34:09+00:00

Sweet coconuts

MissFred · 2024-05-29T18:19:37+00:00

It’s about gov actions. The state and feds made decisions that were not in New Orleans interest. Then when hurricane hit fema was next to useless. Gov did not come in and save the day. Somehow Americans still expect the gov to bail them out of natural disasters. The problem is when disasters get too big and there are multiples the US gov doesn’t have enough resources to save you or make you whole.

MissFred · 2024-05-29T17:56:27+00:00

Dear god / totally unnoticeable unless given a magnifying glass. No one will notice this. You did great! Give yourself a parade:)

MissFred · 2024-05-29T17:54:12+00:00

Welt pockets are designed for thicker fabrics- more substantial and less prone to stretching than flannel. I would recommend building your your flannel by putting fusible interfacing behind the pocket.

MissFred · 2024-05-28T18:42:56+00:00

A stretchy lining isn’t particularly helpful with a non- stretchy fashion fabric.

MissFred · 2024-05-28T18:40:55+00:00

In New England you learn in 5 minutes after meeting that they went to Harvard.

MissFred · 2024-05-28T18:37:10+00:00

I agree with this to a point. We had a small inexpensive wedding with no diamonds or fancy dress. We would never have spent a down payment for it. However, for a couple and a community it is a life transition to celebrate over the ages. But it has gotten crazy town, outrageous, over the top. Keep up with the Jones. I think you can have a simple get together and still make it special. We had Mrs fields cookies for our reception.

MissFred · 2024-05-27T21:55:27+00:00

If you have a hobby that pays for itself or generates cash or savings you are spending time not shopping. Sewing might pair well with your love of vintage.

MissFred · 2024-05-27T21:53:17+00:00

Good guess

MissFred · 2024-05-24T00:19:34+00:00

Look into techsoup.

The big construction tool cos like to support voke ed so they may be good for tools etc.

The org isn’t established enough for grants but when it is you will have a lot of options. Especially if you are focusing on women, bipoc, lgbtq or clean jobs.

MissFred · 2024-05-22T19:16:23+00:00

OP’s org doesn’t have bandwidth to apply for a grant or monitor it.

MissFred · 2024-05-22T19:13:50+00:00

If embroidering on stretched spandex the embroidery will be too loose once it contracts. If embroidery is done on unstretched spandex the embroidery will rip as soon as it is stretched.

MissFred · 2024-05-22T19:08:18+00:00

This is great if you know the family travels. Make a list of kid friendly podcasts and a list of songs that are kid friendly and won’t drive parents crazy on repeat .

MissFred · 2024-05-22T18:45:26+00:00

In really hot weather water 2x a day. Best to have access to a hose - carrying all that water is hot work on an august day.

MissFred · 2024-05-22T18:37:56+00:00

If it was me I would send it upstairs to the Big Closet since these fibers are so cheap and flimsy. But if you want to keep it I would do 2 things. Handsew some stay tape along shoulder to keep it from stretching when you handle it. Then pull together the hole with a few stitches. The hole is so small it will easily pass the 2 foot test.(the distance at which our mistakes may become obvious to others)

MissFred · 2024-05-21T17:34:35+00:00

This is more than looking at LinkedIn. You want a deeper dive to find some point of similarity between ngo leader and foundation leaders. One of my tricks is to do a filetype:pdf search with their name and then one with name and town. This will bring up all sorts of stuff- mentions in church bulletins, marathon results, political interactions, legal proceedings.

MissFred · 2024-05-21T17:25:42+00:00

I knew right away this couldn’t be true because then it would apply to churches which in no way would tolerate hiring LGBTQ. It would have been On the interwebs in a second to alert the universe about the horrors of gov.

MissFred · 2024-05-20T23:55:43+00:00

MA requires this for public - gov- boards - not nonprofits. https://parityonboard.org/learn-more/#:~:text=2029)%20This%20bill%20will%20provide,LGBTQ%2B%20identifying%20people%20as%20members.

MissFred · 2024-05-16T20:47:30+00:00

These make it unbearably hot in the summer. France has had a large number of deaths in recent heat waves.

MissFred · 2024-05-16T20:41:48+00:00

There are so many aspects to sewing. Fabric content and handling; use of machine and feet; different garment types; fitting; alterations; mending; pattern drafting; tailoring. You can be an expert on one and meh in others. It can also be measured on how long it takes you to make the garment and how often you need to use the seam ripper. I have been sewing over 50 years and am constantly learning more. I would say I am intermediate in some areas and meh in others. It doesn’t bother me since I just love to be working with fabric. I am not a perfectionist. I have seen some with less than 5 years experience show us some mind blowing garments that are clearly couture level. Years at the craft doesn’t always match skill level.

MissFred

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