Table of Contents

• What does it mean to be "incorporated?"
• Why is being incorporated important for councils?
• How do I have my council incorporated?
• How do we obtain 501(c)(3) designation (tax-exempt status)?
• What guidelines should I follow to be sure my council operates efficiently?
• What type of information should be included in my council's bylaws?
• Sample bylaws

• I have just been elected president -- now what?
• What can I do to become a more effective leader?
• What are common responsibilities and duties of council officers?
• What records should council maintain? Who keeps them? Where? For how long?
• How do I run a meeting?
• How can I reduce the possibility of conflict during my meetings?
• Can I be an effective leader? What are my strengths? Weaknesses? (A worksheet)

• How many and what types of businesses are located in my neighborhood?
• How many and what types of schools, religious institutions, and social services agencies are here?
• What types of services or charitable activities do they provide to area residents?
• What do the residents of my neighborhood look like?
• What do they want and need?
• Who among them are potential council members and/or volunteers?
• How do we organize groups in my neighborhood?
• What are some points we should know before going door-to-door?
• What are Block watch groups? How are they formed?

This section includes a community-produced directory of important neighborhood contacts and resources, as well as a brochure and booklet listing key information about county and state departments and county-wide elected representatives. Also included is a segment devoted to special programs sponsored by the City of Cincinnati.

• What is the Grants Resource Center?
• How do I get started writing a grant proposal?
• How do I determine who to ask for funds?
• What are some do's and don'ts of grant writing?
• What is an RFP? How do I use it to prepare my proposal?
• What are my responsibilities if I get funded?
• Who can apply for an Invest Merit Grant?

Leadership Manual

Grant Proposal Writing

THE FOUNDATION CENTER

Where Do I Begin?
Anyone visiting the Main Branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County for the first time usually wants to know "Where do I begin?" Where your research begins depends on the type of information you need. So take a moment to concentrate on your organization's information needs; the more clearly you can define your own requirements, the more quickly you can get to work. This might also be a good time to sign up for an orientation session, if the library you are using offers one. The Main Library offers free orientations.

What is a foundation?
There is much confusion as to the definition of a foundation. It can be defined as a non-profit, non-governmental organization with a principal fund or endowment of its own. A private foundation derives its money from a family, an individual, or a corporation. An example is the Ford Foundation. This is in contrast to public charities, which may give grants but which derive their support from various members of the public. An example is the Ms. Foundation for Women. At present, the Main Library publications and databases cover private foundations, community foundations, and corporate giving programs.

If you are looking for support from foundations or other funders:

Like the individuals who originally established them, foundations differ dramatically from each other in their giving interests. Your organization has a much better chance of securing funding if you do careful research. Foundation Center resources will help you focus on those foundations whose funding priorities most closely match your project. The most effective results come from using the following three approaches to funding research:

• THE SUBJECT APPROACH identifies foundations that have expressed an interest in funding programs in your subject field.
• THE GEOGRAPHIC APPROACH identifies foundations that fund programs in a specific city, state or region. Although some give nationally and even internationally, most funders limit their giving to specific geographic areas.
• THE TYPE OF SUPPORT APPROACH identifies foundations that provide specified types of support, such as building funds, seed money, operating support, or endowment funds.

To help you match your non-profit's needs with the interests of a potential funder, see the Prospect Worksheet on the next page. Feel free to photocopy this worksheet. After you have answered the questions about your own organization, you may wish to make several copies of the worksheet and use one for each prospective funder.

You will want to use Foundation Center and other resources to compile a list of foundations that appear most likely to support your organization or your project. Choose prospective funders by examining their descriptive profiles and recent giving histories. Foundations that have already supported projects similar to yours, those that award the type of support you seek, or those in your geographic area should be considered for your prospect list.

The next step is to research carefully and exhaustively the funders you have identified. To research foundation giving patterns and trends, some of the best sources are: annual reports, IRS returns (Form 990-PF), and published directories. Remember, research is hard work; it takes time, but it always pays off.

---»SOURCES AND SUGGESTED REFERENCES