Sources of funding

If your condition is rare, you may think you will not be able to raise substantial funds. Or if your condition is common you may think it will be easy to raise money. There is no corollary between these characteristics. There are organizations for rare conditions receiving contributions in the millions, and there are organizations for common conditions that receive very little money. Evaluate your revenue sources with new eyes – don't listen to that voice that says it just can't be done, or the one that says it should all be handed to you!

List the sources of money that you are pursuing now, and think about them. We'll talk about ways to explore avenues for funding later; here just concentrate on what you are already doing and what results you are getting.

Then think realistically about each of these sources.

• Which are the easiest to work with?
• Which seem to bring the greatest return for the effort?
• Which areas would you like to develop?
• What have you not even considered?

Grants

• Do you have someone with grant writing experience in the organization – or available through personal contacts or networks?
• Have you received funding from grants?
• Are they restricted or unrestricted?
• Are they from foundations or government?

You can download a PDF form to help with this activity.

» Event-based fundraising