Tips for communicating your goals and achievements to funders.

In a few sentences, your mission statement should describe your organization’s current approach and how you’re different from other organizations. A mission statement is different from a vision statement which is aspirational and highlights what your organization hopes to achieve in the long-term.  

 Mission statement tips: 

• Keep it succinct. Limit your mission statement to 1-2 sentences.
• Skip the jargon and describe your work plainly. For example: “Our mission is to increase the number of college graduates by providing tools and resources to first-generation students.”
• Keep it current. Your mission statement describes what you’re doing now. 
• Say what makes your work unique. Clearly describe why your programming is different from other organizations. For example, do you work in a specific geographic location, with a certain demographic of people? Do you offer a service that can’t be found elsewhere?

 Organization description 
Funders want to understand the problem you are solving. A compelling narrative will elicit an emotional connection with funders. This can be done using a beneficiary’s testimonial or the founder’s personal reasons for starting the organization. 

 Other considerations: 

• Describe your approach: Is it a direct service or addressing root causes of systemic issues? Explain why your approach works. 
• Programming: Provide an overview of your organization’s programs and who they serve.
• Evaluation: Tell funders how you monitor your program’s performance and how you measure success.
• Explain your “why”: What drives you and your team to do this work? Share a story that explains why your work is critical to society.

Help funders get to know you and your team – and why you do this work.

Understanding who is behind your organization helps funders feel connected to your work and the people invested in its success. In your team description, it’s important to convey the unique strengths and experiences each team member brings to your organization. Here are a few reasons to highlight your team story:

Mission alignment: Funders look for alignment between their values and the mission of the organizations they support. By sharing your team members’ backgrounds and motivations, funders can determine how well the team’s values and experiences align with their goals.

Leadership and governance: Information about leadership and key team members provides a clearer picture of the nonprofit’s strategic direction and the quality of its governance.

Expertise and Innovation: Learning about the team’s skills and achievements helps funders understand the innovative approaches an organization brings to its work. These details are especially helpful for funders looking to support organizations with expertise in specific areas.

 Tips to Describe Your Team 

Highlight experience: Focus on your team’s professional background, including previous roles, achievements, and areas of expertise. Specifics like how many years someone brings to the role can help funders understand your organization’s level of expertise.

Include stories of lived experiences: Diverse perspectives and backgrounds contribute to a richer understanding of the issues your organization addresses.

Emphasize work contributions: Clearly articulate the role team members, board members, and volunteers play within the organization. Describe how their work aligns with the nonprofit’s mission. Instead of a broad role description, highlight specific initiatives they’ve led.

Showcase skills and strengths: Whether it’s strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, or strong community relations, detailing team strengths can help funders see how they contribute to your organization’s success.

Key tips for clearly stating how funding will support solutions to key challenges.

This is a space to show funders how they will be part of your organization’s success by listing priorities, strategies, and long-term goals that would be supported by grant funds. Defining how funding will amplify your nonprofit’s work and impact is key to securing support. Here are some tips to effectively articulate your message:

By clearly articulating how funding will amplify your project’s impact, you help funders understand the value of their investment and the potential for significant, meaningful outcomes.

Best practices for supplemental questions.

JustFund permits funders to ask up to three questions for each grant cycle. Here are some helpful tips for ensuring you communicate with them effectively.