Development Strategy Review & Recommendations

We are seeking a volunteer with experience in the field of foundation fundraising to review our current development strategy. This project will include reviewing our current proposals and making recommendations on how to develop more fundable proposals and enhancing our foundation fundraising strategy.

We are seeking guidance on how to improve our grant proposals and overall foundation fundraising strategy. We are not asking the volunteer to help us write the proposals but rather seek feedback and recommendations on our current and future proposals and foundation fundraising strategy to be more effective. We also have years of experience with foundation fundraising but realize some of our approaches may need to be updated. Our funding comes primarily from family foundations and individuals—many of whom are alums.

Our nonprofit organization has sponsored residential summer leadership development programs since 1946 with a 16-year hiatus (1997-2012). We do not have contact information for the majority of our alums, and we have low engagement with the ones with whom we are in touch. We are looking to increase our effectiveness as at the moment we are in calls for action as our democracy is threatened. The EFC was founded in the wake of W.W. II, countering worldwide fascism, and constructed to prevent future authoritarian models and to prepare young people to be active and thoughtful citizens confronting injustice as a lifelong pursuit. The Encampment is non-partisan and encourages young people to develop their critical thinking and deepen their understanding of others coming from different communities than their own. The Encampment convenes a diverse group of young people coming from different cultural, geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds. However, the Encampment is currently not reaching the numbers it could if more funding was raised.

We will select proposals to critique in each of our program areas. We will have a summary of the last 12 months of foundation fundraising. We will prepare a historical overview of funding for EFC. We will also share our internal evaluation which includes feedback from a paid grant writer. The plan developed with the Taproot volunteer will be implemented by the staff, fundraising committee, and board of directors.