Step 9: Raise Funds

Purpose: To obtain financial support and donation of goods and services for the Community Access Program

a. Cultivate relationships with organization, foundations and businesses.

Identify the appropriate person in the organization who can help you garner support. This could be the manager of a small business, a marketing person in a larger business. Invite him or her to your mailing list and meet to discuss potential interest.

b. Develop a “turnkey” proposal

Compile a basic set of materials with consistent language and up-to-date information about your computing programs. That way you can ensure a consistent message and more efficient response to funding opportunities.

A proposal should include:

1. A cover letter
2. An overview of the service to be provided and justification  (such as statistics or anecdotes)
3. A work plan or statement of activities to accomplish goals and objectives
4. Contact information

Include other materials with the proposal, such as a list of board of members, a list of past contributors, a fact sheet and any other materials you’ve produced, such as a newsletter or flier.

Many organizations, foundations and business have a standard way they like their grant requests to be written. Be sure to know their exact preferences and application deadline.

Nothing will hinder a sincere, well-designed proposal more than mistakes. No matter what the format is, your proposal must be free of typographical, grammatical and factual errors.

c. Give potential funding sources a menu of options of how they can support the CAP site.

There are many ways organization, foundations, and business can support your CAP and its public access computing program.

These might include:

• Project or event underwriting—An organization can for all or a major portion of the costs of producing fundraising or community events, public service announcement, newsletters and brochures to support your efforts to raise funds.

• In-kind Support—Businesses with limited cash resources, or those prohibited from making cash contribution can often donate products or services.

• Cause-related marketing—A business can tie product sales to donation. For example, every time a local computer store sells
a certain software package, the computer store donates a dollar amount to support the library’s public access computing program.

• Employee volunteers—Business can support community activities by offering their employees as volunteers, often on company time. These volunteers may provide expertise in administration, fundraising, public relations, marketing, and information technology.

• Board membership—Many business leaders in your community may have time or expertise that they can contribute to your board. You can call on your board members to help expand your reach by introducing their associates to your cause or by lending their name to your projects.

d. Recognize your funding support publicly.

A thank-you letter to donors should be just the beginning. Other means of recognition include:

• Using their name and/or logo in places where CAP patrons will see it
• Mentions in press release
• Mentions in newsletters
• Presence and recognition at events
• Awards at an annual meeting or a special awards program

e. Share the success of your CAP’s program with the organization that supports you

Many funding sources require official updates on the results of their grants. Even if they don’t, make sure you communicate how their support benefited the community. You might even consider asking your patrons to write letters of thanks that list the benefits of the program. This will help these donors make an affirmative decision the next time you ask for support.