Finding Funders: the art of successful research | Detroit, MI

Finding Funders: the art of successful research

According to a recent survey of grantmakers, between 40% and 75% of the proposals that they receive do not fit their guidelines. It is now recognized that the more thoroughly you conduct your research, ask smart questions, and cultivate foundation contacts, the more your organization will stand out from the crowd.

This session will cover the following topics:

Prospecting for new money: how to find suitable grantmakers in expected and unexpected places
Computer resources and technology: where to find the best information on grantmakers on the web
Making sense of foundation guidelines: and how to read between the lines
Is there a fit: how to decide whether a foundation's priorities are compatible with your mission

This session is ideal for beginning grant seekers who are getting their feet wet, and need step by step guidance on how to find appropriate funding.

Speakers for this session:

Ann Gladwin

Resource Specialist

NEW (Nonprofit Enterprise at Work)

Ann Gladwin is responsible for the day-to-day operations of ResourceConnect®, a program of NEW, an organization that provides solutions for successful nonprofit management. Ann provides personal service to those seeking answers to any and all nonprofit questions. She maintains online databases for the ResourceConnect website, including the resource database, the statewide (MI) training calendar, and the Directory of Nonprofits in Southeast Michigan. NEWSNOTES is an online publication that Ann edits each month. Subscribe, and visit the other resources, at www.new.org. Ann will train and coach anyone on the use of the Foundation Directory Online (by appointment at offices in Ann Arbor or Detroit). agladwin@new.org. Ann has been with NEW since 2000. She received her AMLS degree from the University of Michigan.

Nathaniel Warshay

Senior Grant Officer

Henry Ford Health System

In his career, Nathaniel Warshay has exercised executive-level philanthropic development, program, budget and administrative leadership, raised more than $65 million in grants and contracts, and $5 in donations and underwriting, reviewed for allocation more than $55 million in state and federal grants, and has been a Writing instructor for 13 years. As a senior grant officer at Henry Ford Health System, Mr. Warshay is working on $1.5 million in grants and donations and $8.6 million in grant proposals, in addition to developing departmental case statements. His “grant highlight” was leading the team in writing for a $50 million capital and endowment grant for a Salvation Army community center. He has also focused on organizational issues, strengthening grant application and management processes, building government relationships for access to services and support, executing a successful Kresge-challenged $2.5 million theatre campaign, and securing and managing grants from government, community and private sources.

Detroit Fundraising Summit

A relationship approach to fundraising
Nonprofit fundraising has become highly specialized, and each segment of your donor market requires a different set of relationship management skills. Whether you are reaching out to private foundations, wealthy individuals or your own members, you need to understand who they give to, and why. The Ann Arbor Summit focuses on the relationship aspects of fundraising, and offers you several ways to enhance your relationship management skills:

Day One:
In the morning, listen to a panel of private, corporate and community grantmakers who will openly discuss their philosophy on grantmaking, how they operate, and most important, how you can build a more successful relationship with the grantmaking community. In the afternoon, participate in seminars led by experienced grant seekers who have successfully secured many foundation grants, and have built successful relationships with the grantmaking community.

Day Two:
Attend a series of fundraising seminars covering the hottest areas of fundraising (capital campaigns, major gifts, annual giving campaigns, and many more). Panels of experts will discuss the latest developments in these fields, and then enter into a dialogue with the participants that addresses their most pressing questions.

WHY ATTEND THE FUNDRAISING SUMMIT?
Fundraising is primarily a relationship business, and with increasing pressures facing all nonprofit professionals to build key relationships, it is becoming more important, though much more difficult to meet people face-to-face. Our innovative Summit format provides the most efficient and cost effective use of time away from the office by enabling attendees to interact with experts in the field, as well as other nonprofit leaders.

CAN ONE ATTEND SPECIFIC SESSIONS ONLY?
We understand the demands that are placed on you and on your time. That’s why you can attend only the seminars that are of interest to you. Come for the day or stop by for a couple of hours. You pay for only the seminars you wish to attend and only for the information relevant to you. It’s a novel approach to learning that allows you to get exactly what you’re looking for in a short amount of time.

WHAT IS THE FORMAT OF THE SEMINARS?
Each seminar features a panel of 3-4 experts who will give a short overview of the key developments in that field. After that , we will move into a moderated discussion to explore what these developments mean for nonprofit organizations. During the seminar, panelists will engage with the audience in an interactive manner to ensure the real-world implications of these developments emerge, and the session will end with a summary of practical next steps.

HOW IS THE SUMMIT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER EDUCATIONAL EVENTS?
The Summit offers a unique format to help you accomplish the following:

Build relationships: to ensure maximum exposure to the experts and other nonprofit leaders, each seminar offers structured networking before the session starts
Hear different perspectives: the experts are drawn from different sectors of the nonprofit community to ensure cross-pollination of ideas and practices
Provide a global view: speakers give an overview of key issues so that you can eliminate any gaps in your understanding of the subject
Drill down to the specifics: speakers will also focus on providing specific answers to real-world questions that are common to most attendees
Obtain information you can use: the emphasis in all sessions is on avoiding theoretical discussions in favor of practical tools and techniques that nonprofit leaders can actually use

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUMMIT?
The Summit is organized by the Center for Nonprofit Success, a nonprofit organization that specializes in bringing highly relevant information that nonprofit leaders need to run their organizations successfully. We developed the Fundraising Summit series as a follow-on to the Nonprofit Success Forum, a highly successful educational series on grantmaking that has been taking place around the country for the past two years. The Fundraising Summit drills down into specific areas of fundraising to give nonproft leaders cutting edge tools and techniques.

HOW DO I REGISTER FOR THE SUMMIT?
Simply click on the seminars listed below to learn more about the topics that will be covered in each seminar. Then select only those seminars that you wish to attend.

Location/Directions

The Summit will take place at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center, which is located on Wayne State University’s Main Campus. The Michigan League is easy to reach by public or private transportation. The full address is:

McGregor Memorial Conference Center

495 W. Ferry Road

Detroit, MI 48202

Public Transportation

Wayne State University is Bus accessible. The DOT buses are from Dexter, Hamilton, Warren and Woodward.

Directions by Car

Detroit from the west via I-94

The general campus area is accessible from I-94, I-75, or U.S.10. Those who coming to Detroit from the west via I-94 should take the Trumbull Ave. exit. They should travel south on Trumbull and then go east (left) on Warren Ave. Proceed east on Warren to Anthony Wayne Dr. (Third Ave.). Turn left onto Anthony Wayne and follow this for several blocks until it curves to the right and intersects Palmer. Go right on Palmer for one-half block for parking. Those approaching campus via I-94 east should take U.S.10 south and follow directions in the next paragraph.

North on U.S.10 (the John C. Lodge Freeway

Those coming to the campus from the north on U.S.10 (the John C. Lodge Freeway) should take the Warren/Forest exit. Crossing over the freeway, turn left on to the Lodge Service Drive. Continue north on the Service Drive for one block. At the light, turn right (east) on to Warren. After one block, turn left onto Anthony Wayne and follow this for several blocks until it curves to the right and intersects Palmer. Go right on Palmer for one-half block for parking.

North or South via I-75 (the Chrysler Freeway)

Those coming to the campus from the north or south via I-75 (the Chrysler Freeway) should take the Warren exit and proceed west on Warren to Cass Ave. Turn right on to Cass and proceed to intersection with Palmer. Turn left onto Palmer. Parking Structure #1 is on your right.

Parking at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center

The McGregor Memorial Conference Center is located on Ferry Mall on the main campus of Wayne State University. Visitors may park in Parking Structure #1, which is the north side of Palmer. Visitors must use Gate #3. Parking is paid when entering the structure, which is $3.50 per day. From the parking location, McGregor is one block to the south.

Hotel Accommodations

Most hotels near the Summit venue are within the $109-$139 per night range (please ask for the Wayne State rate). The following hotels are within a three-mile radius of the hotel.

1. Inn on Ferry Street BOOK NOW Approx $139 2.5 blocks (<1/4 Mile)

2. Omni River Place BOOK NOW Approx $185 3.0 miles away

Register Now

Register Now

Register Now

One-on-one mentoring

Click on any seminar title or the arrow on the right side to learn more about that seminar

Register Now