50 WWW.AGRM.ORG MAY/JUNE 2018 DAY-TO-DAY Practical help with the operations and ministry of your mission FINDING FUNDS Barry Durman Helping Foundations Help You The value of establishing relationships with grant givers Barry is director of development for SIM USA. You can contact him at barry.durman@sim.org. B uilding a relationship with a foundation compares easily with individual donor relationships. The more personal you can be with foundation leadership, the better your chances of having them as a partner. Recently I was introduced to a new founda- tion started by the wife of a very successful businessman. She had just hired a manager for the foundation, and we received a request from them for information on a particular area of our ministry. It’s unusual to receive a request for project information from a foundation, but we responded to the email and then I set up a visit to meet with the founder and manager. I began by asking personal questions to learn about the heart of the person herself. My desire to hear her heart opened the door for a fast-growing relationship. Six months of emails later, I was able to steer the interest with two projects where we had need but which also aligned closely with their passion. They asked for a proposal on each project. Knowing that they are very compassionate peo- ple, I made sure that we had a good short video (four to five minutes) for each project that told a life-change story. I also sent them a detailed budget and project description, outlining the need and how their contribution would make a difference. Through our regular communications they have come to understand that I care about their vision and they are now asking for my help find- ing other ministries that qualify for their grants. Yesterday I received notification that one of the ministries I suggested will receive a grant in excess of $70,000—this is desperately needed funding that came because of a genuine relationship. If you already have a good close relationship with a foundation, ask them if they would intro- duce or recommend you to another funding body like theirs. Foundation leadership often gets together to discuss business. You may be surprised how open they are to do this for you. As with major donors, relating to foundations comes down to asking for the right amount at the right time and for the right project. You need to do the research and get to know what they want to hear from you. It may be helpful to ask the staff about how you should prepare your approach—the dos and don’ts. You will be surprised at how helpful they can be; after all, when the staff presents the project to the board they’ll want to look good too. It’s all about relationships. Ĩ