FAQ | FGG INC.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Does FGG find grants for individuals or companies that do not have a 501(c)(3) status?

No, We only work for nonprofits with a 501(c)(3) status.

What companies and foundations have your clients received funding from?

With over 28 million dollars in grants and donations secured for our clients, this link will answer your question:

www.fostergrantsandgiving.org/successfully-funded-grants

Will you work with a nonprofit for free?

No, Unfortunately, we have budgets for one-person-run nonprofits to larger nonprofits with multi-million dollar budgets. This link will give you options: www.fostergrantsandgiving.org/grantwriting

Are your nonprofit programs the same thing as your grant writing services?

No, Our Fostering Higher Education for All Program and our community engagement programs are a separate function of Foster Grants and Giving Inc. Click this link for more information www.fostergrantsandgiving.org/programs

How do I start a nonprofit?

Click this link: www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/form-nonprofit-eight-steps-29484.html

Can Private schools apply for grants?

Yes, as long as they have a 501(c)(3) status.

Can churches apply for grants?

Yes, because they have a 501(c)(3) status.

Does Foster Grants and Giving Inc. apply for Federal grants?

We tend to stick to corporate/foundational grants, but we will do Federal grants on a case-by-case basis.

Do you work for new nonprofit organizations?

Generally No for the following reasons:

Most brand new organizations are not likely to immediately be competitive for grant funding.
Grantors typically want to see some evidence that your organization is making an impact.
They also want to see how effectively you are building a strong and active board of directors, creating and managing budgets, carrying out quality control, and more.
This process can take at least a year to demonstrate.

What are the reasons most foundations reject proposals?

They do not have enough funds to accept every request.
The request falls outside of the funder's giving interests.
The applicant did not follow application guidelines.
One simple piece of advice we often give is, "If you do not qualify, do not apply."

How quickly can you write a proposal?

It Varies:

Established nonprofits – Seven to Ten days.
Newer organizations or first-time grant Seekers – Up to Two Weeks.

What do most grantors require?

Financial statements, such as an annual budget, year-end financial statements, and year-to-date financial statements.
Questions related to your business plan.
Your three-five-year strategic plan.
Your long-term fundraising plan.
How will you measure the success of your proposal?
What are typical Grant Deadlines and Responses?
Each funder establishes deadlines for proposals, and may only have one or two deadlines per year.
Most funders take about three to five months to respond to a grant request.

STATISTICS:

Key Fundraising Statistics:

Overall giving grew 4.1% over the past year, the 6th consecutive year of growth.
Online giving grew by 12.1% over the past year.
45% of worldwide donors are enrolled in a monthly giving program.
41% of worldwide donors give in response to natural disasters.
Missions related to international affairs experienced a 19.2% increase in overall donations over the past year. Environmental issues and medical research were the next most prevalent causes of donors.
31% of offline-only first-time donors are retained for over a year, versus 25% of online-only first-time donors.

Demographic Fundraising Statistics:

The average donor in the United States is 64 years old and makes two charitable gifts a year.
31% of worldwide donors give to organizations located outside of their country of residence.
Female donors are more likely to donate because of social media marketing, while male donors are more likely to give because of email messages.
Generational differences between donors can have considerable impacts, as well, as evidenced in the findings to the right.
67% of worldwide donors also choose to volunteer locally in their communities, and 56% regularly attend fundraising events.

Corporate Philanthropy Statistics:

Between 2013 and 2017, giving increased by more than 15% for 6 out of 10 companies.
Corporations gave over $20 billion to nonprofit organizations last year.
The top 10 most generous corporations donate over $2 billion annually to nonprofits, much of it through employee matching gift programs.
40% of Fortune 500 companies offer volunteer grant programs.
65% of companies surveyed provided employees with paid-release time volunteer programs in 2017.
Microsoft is the largest contributor to corporate philanthropy funds, with a 65% employee participation rate for annual giving campaigns.

Online Fundraising Statistics:

Overall online revenue increased by 23% over the past year, up from 15%.
Online donations to environmental and human rights-related missions grew the most, 34% and 37%, respectively.
38% of online donors who made a gift in 2016 made another gift to that nonprofit the next year.
Revenue from individual online gifts grew by 19% over the past year.
Online monthly giving revenue grew by 40% as recurring donation options become increasingly popular with online donors.

Mobile Fundraising Statistics:

Online donation pages had an average conversion rate of 8% on mobile devices last year, but the number of transactions completed through mobile devices increased by 50%.
The number of donations completed through desktop browsers decreased by 10%.
Half of all nonprofit website traffic last year came from mobile and tablet users. The share of desktop-based traffic decreased by 9% over the previous year.
The average gift by mobile users is $79, while tablet users give $96, and desktop users give $118.

Nonprofit Marketing Statistics:

On average, nonprofits post to Facebook and Twitter once a day and to Instagram twice a week.
Nonprofits send an average of two print newsletters and three print donation appeals per year.
Self-reported “effective” marketing strategies created roughly 9.4 short-form blog articles, 2.1 mid-form articles, a one long-form article per month; nonprofits dissatisfied with their own marketing results typically produced fewer pieces of digital content overall.
For every 1,000 email addresses, the average organization has 474 Facebook fans, 186 Twitter followers, and 41 Instagram followers.
Instagram was the fastest-growing social media platform for nonprofits in 2017, with a 44% increase in followers.

Email Fundraising Statistics:

Email-based marketing and promotional campaigns generated 28% of all online nonprofit revenue in 2017.
Nonprofits send an average of three email newsletters and two donation appeals monthly.
For every 1,000 fundraising emails sent to subscribers, nonprofits raised an average of $42, with small organizations (fewer than 100,000 subscribers) receiving the most donation revenue per email. However, large nonprofits have seen an increase in revenue per message since 2016.
Fundraising email response rates have seen a 9% decline, and click-through rates fell to .42% in 2017.
Cultural missions have seen a decline in donation revenue from email marketing, while international-focused organizations have seen the most massive increase. The graph below illustrates the trends for other categories of nonprofits.