Briefing
Grants and fundraising for a small nonprofit.
How to build a grants pipeline and a fundraising year when the director is also the development office.
What this covers
1
Where the money comes from
The national picture, and what it means for a small organization.
2
The grants pipeline
Five stages, one page per funder, a shared calendar.
3
The fundraising year
What happens in each quarter, and the year-end appeal that works.
4
The board's job
What foundations ask first, and what every member can do.
Civic & Main
2
Money follows a plan and a calendar, not a crisis.
The organizations that raise money every year decide in January what they will ask for, from whom, and when. Everything else is reacting.
Where the money comes from
64%
from individuals: donors, members, families, appeals
19%
from foundations: community, family, and private grants
10%
from bequests: gifts in wills, the fastest-growing source
7%
from corporations: sponsorships and company giving
Americans gave more than $617 billion to charity in 2025. A plan that only chases grants is chasing one dollar in five.
Source: Giving USA 2026, for the year 2025
4
The grants pipeline, five stages
| Stage | What it looks like for a small organization |
|---|---|
| Research | A list of funders whose priorities match your programs, with deadlines, typical award size, and what they funded last year |
| Relationship | A call or visit with the program officer before you apply; a letter of inquiry where one is invited |
| Application | Written to the funder's questions, with the outcomes, budget, and documents they ask for, submitted early |
| Report | Every award reported on time, with the numbers promised in the application. Funders re-fund what is reported well |
| Renewal | Ask again, with the report in hand. A renewed funder costs a tenth of a new one |
One page per funder in a shared calendar. That is the whole system.
Civic & Main
5
What every funder asks for
Proof you exist
IRS determination letter, Indiana registration, board list with affiliations, bylaws
Proof you are run well
Current budget, most recent Form 990 or financial statements, conflict-of-interest policy
Proof it works
Numbers on who you served and what changed, not just what you did
Proof you can explain it
A one-page case: the need, the program, the cost, the result, in plain words
Proof the board is in
Percentage of board members who gave this year. Foundations ask; the answer they want is 100
Proof you will report
A named person responsible for grant reports and deadlines
Assemble these once in a shared folder. Every application after that starts half finished.
Civic & Main
6
The fundraising year
| Quarter | What happens |
|---|---|
| January to March | Plan the year: goals, calendar, one page per funder. Thank-you calls to every donor from year-end. Letters of inquiry to foundations |
| April to June | Grant applications. A spring event or a community giving day. Board training on asking |
| July to September | Funder reports due. Write the year-end appeal now, while it is quiet. Line up a matching gift for it |
| October to December | Year-end appeal in November, email reminder in December, Giving Tuesday, the community foundation's giving day. Thank within 48 hours, every gift |
Civic & Main
7
The year-end appeal that works
One story
A single person or family your work changed, told in three paragraphs, with permission
One ask
A specific amount tied to a specific thing: $50 feeds a family for a week, $500 covers a month of the program
A deadline and a match
December 31, and a board member or business matching the first $5,000. Matches raise response rates
Three touches
A letter, an email two weeks later, and a last-week reminder. Most gifts come after the second touch
An easy reply
A return envelope in the letter and a working online form. Test the form yourself
A fast thank-you
A personal note within two days, and a call for anything over a chosen amount. This is next year's appeal starting
Civic & Main
8
The board's job in fundraising
Every member
- Gives personally every year, at any amount
- Names five people the organization should know
- Makes thank-you calls: ten minutes a month
- Attends at least one ask with the director
- Reviews the calendar quarterly
The board as a body
- Adopts a gift acceptance policy and a conflict-of-interest policy
- Approves the annual fundraising plan and goal
- Recruits members who can open doors, not only members who can serve
- Holds the director accountable for the calendar, not for miracles
Civic & Main
9
Keeping the donors you already have
Across the sector, fewer than half of the people who give one year give again the next. A small organization that thanks fast, reports back, and asks again keeps far more.
Thank within 48 hours
A note or a call from a person, not a receipt
Report back
Tell them what their gift did, in the spring, without asking for anything
Ask again
In the fall, with the report in hand. Donors leave because nobody asked, more than because they were unhappy
Watch the list
A simple spreadsheet or low-cost database: who gave, when, how much, who thanked them
Source: Fundraising Effectiveness Project
10
Why applications lose
Mission mismatch
Applying to funders whose priorities do not match the program, because the money looked available
No outcomes
Activities described, results not measured
Budget that does not add up
Numbers that disagree with the narrative or the financial statements
No relationship
A first contact that is the application itself
Late or incomplete
Missing a document on the list, or submitting on the last day
Chasing money, not mission
Starting a program because a grant existed, then losing it when the grant ended
Civic & Main
11
How Civic & Main helps
1
Research and pipeline
A funder list matched to your programs, with deadlines and a calendar, refreshed monthly
2
Applications and campaigns
Letters of inquiry, applications written to the rubric, and the year-end appeal designed and drafted
3
Reporting and the board
Funder reports on time, donor database setup, and a board training on giving and asking
Monthly packages sized for organizations with no development staff, or a fixed fee for a single application or campaign. Never a percentage of what is raised.
Civic & Main
12
Next steps
A free 30-minute consultation
Bring three things and you will leave with a first funder list and a fixed price.
- Your most recent Form 990 or financial statements
- A list of your programs and who they serve
- Your donor list, in whatever shape it is in
info@civicandmain.com
civicandmain.com
Civic & Main
13
Sources
- Giving USA Foundation and IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Giving USA 2026: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2025
- Fundraising Effectiveness Project, quarterly and annual donor retention reports
- Grant Professionals Association, Code of Ethics (compensation not contingent on awards)
- Community foundation grant guidelines for Greene, Sullivan, and neighboring counties
Civic & Main
14