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Funders Value Credibility
February 3, 2011
If you would rule the world, keep it amused.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
When seeking support from a funder or other potential partner, your agency's credibility has as much (or more) influence on your chances of gaining that support than the idea you are proposing.  This is the observation of Roberta Bergman in her Exchange book, Not Just Small Change: Fund Development for Early Childhood Programs.  Bergman advises...

"Your program must be credible in terms of what it does, whom it serves, and how it works;  and it should have some solid accomplishments.  All of this can be summarized in your credibility file — a collection of items that attest to how worthwhile your program is and how deserving it is of funding.

"Your credibility file should include articles about the agency or articles about trends and events in which you are quoted;  letters from parents or other agencies or public figures, or experts in your field;  printed programs from conferences at which you've presented;  statistics on the people you serve;  private comments from funding sources or licensing representatives or other community authorities;  and requests from other organizations for your program's services, and the like.

"Another source of credibility consists of newspaper, magazine, and journal articles on any of the relevant issues you deal with....  When you use these articles, you are 'borrowing' the credibility of the source mentioned in the article...

"In addition, get together with your staff to brainstorm what you already have that attests to your credibility.  Maybe it's the number of calls you get from the community inquiring about your services, the number of families on your waiting list, the number of volunteer hours dedicated to the program, thank-you notes from clients you've served or colleagues you've work with and so on.  Think creatively and use whatever you've got."






Not Just Small Change: Fund Development for Early Childhood Programs is a fundraising guide written specifically for early childhood programs by a veteran early childhood fundraiser, Roberta Bergman.  The practical resource provides advice on...
  • Whom Can We Ask (and Keep Asking) for Money?
  • Building the Donor Base
  • Developing Relationships with Your Donors
  • Events — Yours and Theirs
  • Direct Mail
  • Online Donations
  • Grant Writing
  • Writing Foundation Proposals: Dear Mr. Gates
  • Preparing Government Grant Applications
  • Breaking New Ground: The Capital Campaign

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Comments (1)

Displaying 1 Comment
Avissa Beek · February 03, 2011
Neighborhood Child Care Center, Inc.
Montclair, New jersey, United States


This is a great article, and the book suggested is one that have now become my Bible. It is filled with sticky notes and highlights a few $$ well spent.



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