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Table of Contents

Section I -- Organizational Requirements

• 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

Section 2 -- Leadership and Governance

• 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)

Section 3 -- Defining the Neighborhood

• 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?

Section 4 -- Government Relations and Other Partnerships

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.

Section 5 -- Grants and Grant Writing

• 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

INTRODUCTION

Nonprofit organizations seldom have enough money to expand their operation or to develop and implement new programs. For this reason, the grant has become one of the chief sources of additional funding for many nonprofit organizations. The grant proposal is simply a written request and documentation for funding. The funding may be required to initiate a new program, hire an additional staff member, or aid in fulfilling a similar need. Whatever the purpose, a grant proposal is a vehicle for persuading a potential funder to sponsor the proposed spending.

Grant proposal writing today is one of the most competitive ways to obtain funding for a nonprofit organization. In this arena, organizations compete for federal, state, local, or private funding on several levels:

1. The competitors are other organizations that have similar missions;
2. The proposed program is in competition with other proposed programs;
3. Competition is based on the clarity of the proposal, the writing ability of the applicant, and the completeness of the grant package.

It is not uncommon for a federal grant to fund 200 proposals out of 900 applicants. It is imperative that the grant proposal present the program in the most comprehensive and accurate light, and that the grant package completely fulfill the requirements of the funding agency. The entire world may be aware that the organization is a nonprofit organization, but, if a copy of the letter granting the nonprofit status is not included in the appendix of the proposal, the grant will not make it past the first review.

Grant proposal writing has become a science; a set of rules must be followed if the grant is to be funded. Although grant proposals may vary tremendously in length, documentation, and format, a number of common elements are found in all grant proposals.

---»GOVT. vs PRIVATE GRANT PROPOSALS