1w • Edited • 1 week ago

A #nonprofit secured a $150,000 grant to create Makers Spaces in two public schools in their region, but six months into the grant there was a serious problem. One of the schools had a leadership transition, and could not start the project. How does the nonprofit deal with the #funder so that the #grant is not in jeopardy?

If your organization is pushing its #innovation edge, then this is a likely scenario. Communicating with funders in an open and transparent way is key. Two mindsets are critical to the way you handle this communication...
a Design Thinking mindset and Funder-Partner mindset.
#DesignThinking is about creating a learning culture that works deeply with its intended beneficiaries-- conducting cycles of brainstorming, prototyping, implementing in real-world contexts, evaluating, and refining.

The #FunderPartner mindset enables a nonprofit to bring their funder into the project design work, share your learnings including the challenges and draw on the funder’s expertise to work on adapting your solution.

#Funders appreciate your honest assessment of the risks and challenges. Being part of your design process helps create a new collaborative space to work through the hiccups.

Now You: How have you communicated a bump in the road to a funder or client?