GRANTWRITERS RESOURCE: PROSPECT RESEARCH ON THE WEB
It's 9:00 AM, you've got your coffee in hand, your computer is blinking invitingly, and you know this will be the day when you'll uncover that treasure trove you've been waiting for - a cluster of foundations that are just waiting for an organization like yours. After visiting The Foundation Center and discovering that, yes, it still costs money to search their database, you take on Google, entering every permutation of "youth, family and foundation" that comes to mind. You learn about "Youth Foundation," an organization in Colorado that sounds lovely, but isn't that kind of foundation, and before you know it, you're gazing at a youth arts program in Australia, pondering the latest UN mandate on youth and mandatory sentencing (interesting, but not exactly lucrative), and wondering if a German foundation might consider funding a program in Rhode Island. You glance at the clock, and realize with a start that you've missed lunch. The benefits of your new-found global knowledge aside, you've made almost no headway.
Sound familiar? Next time you're on the hunt (assuming procrastinating isn't your goal!), give these sites a whirl:- The Grantsmanship Center is located in Los Angeles and provides free, state-by-state information on top grantmaking foundations, community foundations and corporate giving programs.
- Your state's funding resource center to access state/regional directories. Go to The Foundation Center to locate state-by-state funding resource centers across the U.S. State resource centers usually have their own foundation databases for that state, many of which are free if you access them on site, from the resource center. If you don't want to leave your computer, you may be able to access their database online, though often for a fee.
- The Foundation Center's online database can be accessed for a fee, which ranges from $20-$180/month depending on how many foundations you want access to. Although an annual subscription can be costly, you can subscribe for one month, an affordable alternative.
THE VALUE OF A VOLUNTEER HOUR
At one time or another, every grantwriter faces the perennial budget dilemma of how to estimate the value of in-kind,
volunteer services. Agencies take wildly different approaches on this issue, varying from sheer guessing to relying on
detailed records. Some nonprofits even feel that any attempt to measure the value of volunteering is crass and devalues
the activity. In reality, however, volunteers provide real dollar and cents benefits, and from a management perspective,
it's useful to know the extent to which volunteer support is necessary to carrying out your program. From a grantmaker's
perspective, volunteer support increases the value of every grant dollar (more "bang for the buck"), and it also shows
the amount of community support an organization receives from its volunteers.
But how to calculate the value of a volunteer hour? First, do not fall into the common trap of using the minimum wage or the national median wage as a basis for your calculations. The vast majority of volunteer assignments are worth a great deal more. Also, do not confuse the dollar value of the service provided by volunteers with the earning power of the people who are doing the volunteering. For example, if someone is a grantwriter and volunteers to do grant writing for your organization, you are justified to estimate the dollar value of that donated service at the hourly rate normally charged by that volunteer. But if that same grantwriter volunteers to provide child care, paint your shelter, or drive clients to court, the dollar value of that volunteer work has nothing to do with the volunteer's regular earning power.
Although it is difficult to put a dollar value on general volunteer time (for example, the volunteer painter, newsletter folder, peer hotline counselor), Independent Sector is one source that has simplified this challenge. Each year, Independent Sector calculates the estimated dollar value of a volunteer hour (non-management, non-agricultural). For 2006 (the most recent year provided by the organization), the estimated value of volunteer time per hour is $18.77, up from $18.04 in 2005. They also provide state-by-state rates:
Dollar Value of a Volunteer Hour in New England States: 2005Please note that 2005 is the latest year for which state-by-state numbers are available. There is a lag of almost one year in the government's release of state level data which explains why the state volunteering values are one year behind the national value.
- Maine: $14.29
- Connecticut: $23.90
- Vermont: $14.98
- Rhode Island: $16.51
- New Hampshire: $18.27
- Massachusetts: $22.46