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 company 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/packages
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 https://www.fostergrantsandgiving.org/projects
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:
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Most brand new organizations are not likely to immediately be competitive for grant funding.
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Grantors typically want to see some evidence that your organization is making an impact.
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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.
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This process can take at least a year to demonstrate.
What are the reasons most foundations reject proposals?
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They do not have enough funds to accept every request.
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The request falls outside of the funder's giving interests.
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The applicant did not follow application guidelines.
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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:
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Established nonprofits – Seven to Ten days.
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Newer organizations or first-time grant Seekers – Up to Two Weeks.
What do most grantors require?
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Financial statements, such as an annual budget, year-end financial statements, and year-to-date financial statements.
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Questions related to your business plan.
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Your three-five-year strategic plan.
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Your long-term fundraising plan.
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How will you measure the success of your proposal?
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What are typical Grant Deadlines and Responses?
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Each funder establishes deadlines for proposals, and may only have one or two deadlines per year.
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Most funders take about three to five months to respond to a grant request.
STATISTICS:
Key Fundraising Statistics:
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Overall giving grew 4.1% over the past year, the 6th consecutive year of growth.
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Online giving grew by 12.1% over the past year.
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45% of worldwide donors are enrolled in a monthly giving program.
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41% of worldwide donors give in response to natural disasters.
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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.
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31% of offline-only first-time donors are retained for over a year, versus 25% of online-only first-time donors.
Demographic Fundraising Statistics:
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The average donor in the United States is 64 years old and makes two charitable gifts a year.
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31% of worldwide donors give to organizations located outside of their country of residence.
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Female donors are more likely to donate because of social media marketing, while male donors are more likely to give because of email messages.
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Generational differences between donors can have considerable impacts, as well, as evidenced in the findings to the right.
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67% of worldwide donors also choose to volunteer locally in their communities, and 56% regularly attend fundraising events.
Corporate Philanthropy Statistics:
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Between 2013 and 2017, giving increased by more than 15% for 6 out of 10 companies.
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Corporations gave over $20 billion to nonprofit organizations last year.
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The top 10 most generous corporations donate over $2 billion annually to nonprofits, much of it through employee matching gift programs.
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40% of Fortune 500 companies offer volunteer grant programs.
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65% of companies surveyed provided employees with paid-release time volunteer programs in 2017.
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Microsoft is the largest contributor to corporate philanthropy funds, with a 65% employee participation rate for annual giving campaigns.
Online Fundraising Statistics:
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Overall online revenue increased by 23% over the past year, up from 15%.
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Online donations to environmental and human rights-related missions grew the most, 34% and 37%, respectively.
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38% of online donors who made a gift in 2016 made another gift to that nonprofit the next year.
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Revenue from individual online gifts grew by 19% over the past year.
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Online monthly giving revenue grew by 40% as recurring donation options become increasingly popular with online donors.
Mobile Fundraising Statistics:
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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%.
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The number of donations completed through desktop browsers decreased by 10%.
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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.
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The average gift by mobile users is $79, while tablet users give $96, and desktop users give $118.
Nonprofit Marketing Statistics:
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On average, nonprofits post to Facebook and Twitter once a day and to Instagram twice a week.
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Nonprofits send an average of two print newsletters and three print donation appeals per year.
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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.
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For every 1,000 email addresses, the average organization has 474 Facebook fans, 186 Twitter followers, and 41 Instagram followers.
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Instagram was the fastest-growing social media platform for nonprofits in 2017, with a 44% increase in followers.
Email Fundraising Statistics:
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Email-based marketing and promotional campaigns generated 28% of all online nonprofit revenue in 2017.
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Nonprofits send an average of three email newsletters and two donation appeals monthly.
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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.
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Fundraising email response rates have seen a 9% decline, and click-through rates fell to .42% in 2017.
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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.