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Discuss 2 PEER responses and 2 Peer names then respond separately to each peer provided. Read a selection of your colleagues’ posts and cite everything with references

Respond to at least two colleagues in at least one of the following ways:

• Expand upon an idea in your colleague’s post.
• Suggest an additional strategy for fundraising and explain why your strategy might be effective

Peer 1

diamond jacobs

RE: Discussion 2 – Week 9

Post a brief description of the budget presented in the grant proposal you selected.

I was unable to open the link but when it comes to budgets in grant proposal, they are beneficial because the funder needs to understand what the fundee wants the money for. Budgets need to be organized, figures need to align and be easy to read (Kramer, 2019). Many companies use budgets to keep their funds in order.

Describe how you might alter the budget after the grant ended or which budget items you would prioritize as you sought additional funding to continue the program.

As a professional I would alter the grant after it ended by seeing how much the grant brought into the company and estimate how much. If it did not bring much money then I would look at researching and redoing the proposal. Looking at the budget plans and seeing which ones did not benefit would allow the company to see where and what they need to change.

Explain why you would make these changes or prioritize specific budget items. Finally, explain how you would fundraise to meet the budget priorities.

Making changes allows for other opportunities to be planned and other questions to be asked about the previous budget. The company can do different things to fundraise for the budget such as sale things. The company can also fundraise by getting with other companies and seeing what they do to bring in money to the company.

References

• Kramer, H. (2019). How to prepare a grant proposal budget for a nonprofit. https://www.thebalancesmb.com/the-basics-of-preparing-a-budget-for-a-grant-proposal-2501952

Peer 2

Bellinda Mack

RE: Discussion 2 – Week 9

The grant proposal I selected is for 1,000 to 10,000 dollars to aid the Kennett Area Senior Program. The agency shows they are able to maintain a healthy budget and reports being “in the black” for the fourth time in 20 years (O’ Connor, 2015). However, they require new funding because the economic downturn and reallocation of funding to other programs has made it more difficult for them to provide quality services (O’ Connor, 2015). Having enough funding in the short term can mean the agency can ride out these economic setbacks and maintain long-term stability (Bowman, 2011).

The agency already does fundraising through a bookstore and nearly half of its budget comes from charitable donations (O’Connor, 2015). They allocate approximately 2% of their budget to fundraising (O’Connor, 2015). After the grant period ends, the company will no longer have the additional money for services and considering they are asking for the money so their patrons do not have to use their modest, fixed incomes to participate, it would be important to figure out how to make up the difference after implementation. Since the agency is focused on helping senior citizens engage in the community and live a healthy and fulfilling life, maybe they could fundraise by planning community events involving the seniors. For example, a dinner theater. The seniors could get some time to do something they enjoy and the community could come to support the senior center by purchasing tickets and getting a nice meal. Maybe engaging some of the local restaurants to cater could draw a larger crowd and everyone could have an enjoyable evening. Having agency leadership emcee events like this could help make the community more aware of the services and benefits the agency provides to the community. Also, I know many senior centers offer arts and craft type classes. Perhaps some of the work done in those classes could be auctioned off. I could see the event being set up like a fancy art gallery with a silent auction. The seniors who created the art would have an opportunity to engage with the greater community and talk about their projects, the agency would get exposure, and the community could see how much the center offers to the residents that access it. Both of these events are relatively low cost as they are using money already being spent for supplies and could be hosted in the senior center or other community building. The agency should be able to secure donations from other community businesses or could get sponsors by offering advertisements during the event.

References: 

• Bowman, W. (2011). Financial capacity and sustainability of ordinary nonprofits. Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 22(1), 37–51.
• O’Connor, A. (2015). Chester County Community Foundation: Grant Proposal. Retrieved from https://chescocf.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Kennett-Area-Senior-Center-16.pdf