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Nonprofit Services�Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

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Nonprofit Services�

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Welcome to Nonprofit Services (in 5 minutes)�NonprofitTeam@cmlibrary.org | cdooley@cmlibrary.org

What is Nonprofit Services?

A specialized service just for organizations like yours.

Team of 6 librarians
Support with our nonprofit & data databases
Introductory Classes & One-on-One appointments
Experienced Presenters
Community Discussions

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Welcome to Nonprofit Services (in 5 minutes)�NonprofitTeam@cmlibrary.org | cdooley@cmlibrary.org

What do we do?

Provide Information
Support development
Strengthen capacity

What do we NOT do?

Grants - write, give, review or submit grants
Prospect research
Fill out start-up paperwork

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Services We Provide: No Library Card Needed

Training, assistance, and access to nonprofit subscription databases; researching funders and grant opportunities, at no cost.
Book a Librarian: nonprofit research assistance.
Introductory classes every other Tuesday, 2 pm.
Coffee & Conversations / Community Discussions
Special programming related to social sector matters.

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Nonprofit Classes

Is Starting a Nonprofit Right for You?

Introduction to …

Finding Grants
Foundation Directory
Proposal Writing
Project Budgets
Corporate Giving

Basic Fundraising Planning
Using GuideStar to Reach Funders

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Nonprofit Databases:

Foundation Directory (Professional)
GuideStar
Foundation Maps
Data Axel
Simply Analytics

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Foundation Directory (Professional)

Foundation Center Online is Professional the premier resource for locating in-depth information about grantmakers and their grants. Includes profiles for 140,000 grantmakers and 4 million grants. This resource is available for in-library use only

Foundation Maps

Visualization platform for global philanthropy, developed for grantmakers, policymakers, researchers, academics, and others interested in the impact of philanthropy worldwide. It reveals patterns of giving, funding relationships, areas where philanthropy has made an impact, and areas where opportunities exist to fill critical needs. (Access limited to library Internet PCs

Data Axle

One of the world's largest databases of industry and company information, with contact information, sales and employee figures. Searchable by yellow page heading, SIC code, geography, and more. Formerly Reference USA.

Simply Analytics

SimplyAnalytics is a web-based mapping application that enables you to quickly create professional-quality thematic maps and reports using powerful demographic, business, and marketing data.

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What is Candid

Candid.org (in-Library use only)

Candid gets you the information you need to do good.

Candid is a nonprofit that provides the most comprehensive data and insights about the social sector.
Candid was formed in 2019 when GuideStar and Foundation Center merged.
Candid provides information in Foundation Directory that helps nonprofits find funders to support their work.
Funders look to GuideStar to verify and research nonprofits that are aligned with their priorities.

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Getting Started

Identify your needs before searching
Find prospects with a project-based search
Evaluate if those prospects are a good fit for your needs

Where do Nonprofits get most of their funding?

Government money
Private | Community Foundations
Donations from people like you and me

Answer: Giving USA

Searching for Funders in Foundation Directory

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Identify your needs

Who are you serving? (population)

income levels, race, age

Where are they? (location)

city, metro area, county

What are you doing for them? (subject)

What will it achieve?

examples …

3 Questions

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first have a clear idea of the project you want to fund. It’ll make your research more focused. Also, you will get a bigger variety of prospects if you can think of different ways to describe your project.

Here are 3 questions to help you brainstorm different descriptions:

Who are you serving?
Where are they?
What are you doing for them?

Can you suggest some descriptions for this program, using the 3 questions I asked earlier?

Great work! In just a few minutes, we have come up with several different ways to describe this program. This will help us find a bigger variety of prospects.

On your own paper, take a few minutes to answer these 3 questions for your own program to help you when you start searching Foundation Directory -- maybe as soon as after this class!

Now -- Are we ready to start searching Foundation Directory?

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Find your prospects

Battered Women's Shelter of Summit & Medina

Who are you serving?

Adults, Women & girls, Victims of crime and abuse

Where are they?

Ohio

What are you doing for them?

Human Services

Domestic Violence Shelter

Practice Demo | Keep evaluation questions in mind

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first have a clear idea of the project you want to fund. It’ll make your research more focused. Also, you will get a bigger variety of prospects if you can think of different ways to describe your project.

Here are 3 questions to help you brainstorm different descriptions:

Who are you serving?
Where are they?
What are you doing for them?

Can you suggest some descriptions for this program, using the 3 questions I asked earlier?

Great work! In just a few minutes, we have come up with several different ways to describe this program. This will help us find a bigger variety of prospects.

On your own paper, take a few minutes to answer these 3 questions for your own program to help you when you start searching Foundation Directory -- maybe as soon as after this class!

Now -- Are we ready to start searching Foundation Directory?

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Evaluate your list of funders

Do I meet this funder’s requirements?

Funder’s profile

Is my mission or project’s goal a priority for this funder?

Giving limitations

How big are the grants?

Trend charts

Does this funder support organizations like mine?

Past grants

Do I know anybody associated with this funder?

Who’s who

5 Questions to keep in mind

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Evaluate your list of funders

About the funder
Applications/RFP’s
Communications
Save your results

5 Questions to keep in mind

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Nonprofit Databases:

Other Library Resources

Gale Business: Plan Builder (formerly Small Business Builder)

This is a step-by-step planning tool used for starting, managing, and optimizing a nonprofit or business. The program's intuitive dashboard walks users through five areas of exploration; Entrepreneur Profile, Business Ideation, Break-Even Analysis, Business Plans and Financial Projections. Tools to help develop a comprehensive plan for any business or nonprofit.

Data Axle Reference Solutions (formerly Reference USA)

One of the world's largest databases of industry and company information, with contact information, sales and employee figures. Searchable by yellow page heading, SIC code, geography, and more.

Simply Analytics

Simply Analytics is a web-based mapping application that enables you to quickly create professional-quality thematic maps and reports using powerful demographic, business, and marketing data.

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Who We Serve:

You might be Surprised!

Nonprofit Services supports our local nonprofit community. We serve nonprofit organizations, those interested in nonprofits, and those funding our nonprofits. We do this through access to online databases, knowledge information, training, and educational programs.

Thank you for being a part of our nonprofit community.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

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