May 2008: Volume 5

As we continue our discussion of strategic fund development by exploring possible sources of sustainable funds we want to remind you of this critical fundamental premise - MONEY FOLLOWS MISSION. We would never encourage any organization to compromise their mission in the pursuit of money, yet this is a nagging temptation for many leaders - especially in lean economic times such as these. Avoid any opportunity that might thwart or hijack your mission, it's not worth the cost.

Let's look at three broad categories of potential funding sources. Within each of these categories are myriads of opportunities and approaches that we will discuss in upcoming articles, but for now let's keep it simple and look at:

• Individuals - the single largest category of philanthropic funding in America.
  
• Institutions - there are over 72,000 grantmaking foundations that are invested heaviliy in nonprofits.
  
• Innovative Enterprise - a creative, entrepreneurial opportunity for nonprofits.