JD Levy & Associates

Getting the Most Out of Your Project & Proposal

This 55 page proposal development handbook will navigate you through not only how to find funding and make the match with a funder, but also provide the insider's track to understanding project development and proposal development in order to help secure funding. This is the text used at multiple universities at the professional, graduate, and undergraduate level. Jamie wrote this as a solution to the need for a good text for teaching this subject at the graduate studies level at Indiana University. Since then, it has been adopted other universities and is currently being used in the United State and Europe and will soon be used in Canada and translated into French to be used in select regions of Africa.

Table of Contents

Chapter One: Introduction to Proposal Development
Chapter Two: Research On – Why and What
Understanding Your Organization’s Case and Capacity
Defining the Need/Problem/Project
How Your Project/Program Addresses the Need
Researching a Funding Source
Tools for Researching a Funding Source
The Process of Making the Right Fit with the Funding Source
Chapter Three: Getting to Know the Grant Maker
Chapter Four: Approaching a Potential Grant Maker
Chapter Five: The Basics—Proposal Format Types
Preliminary Needs: Your Approach
Deciding What Format To Use
Chapter Six: The Specifics—Proposal Style and Content
Proposal Components Up-Close and Personal
Cover Sheet
Project Abstract/Executive Summary
Introduction/Organization Information/Background
Table of Contents
Need/Problem/Issue Statement
Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes
Proposed Solution/Method
Long Term Impacts of Project: Direct and Indirect
Evaluation
Project Sustainability Strategies
Budget
Budget Explanation/Justification
Appendices
Logic Model: Putting It All Together
Chapter Seven: Last-Minute Concerns
Chapter Eight: Now What? Post-Submission Concerns
Chapter Nine: When It Is All Said and Done
Appendix: Overview of JDL

Click to Order:
   Softback: $22
   Hardback: $34
   CD Version: $18

Handbook on Being a Board Member

This educational guide is an excellent resource for all board members. It covers 17 important topics on what board membership means, ranging from roles and responsibilities to liability and fundraising.

Table of Contents

Overview of Philanthropy and the Board
The Nonprofit Board Today
Tax Exempt Status and Its Implications
Legal Duties of the Board
Board Responsibilities
The Individual Member’s Responsibilities
Liability of Board Members
Govern Responsibly: Businesslike Does Not Mean Be A Business
The Difference between the Board and Management
Board Culture, Leadership, and Greatness
Board Size and Structure
Financial Management
Creating Sustainability: Fundraising and the Board
Information Management for Boards
Nonprofit Stakeholder Expectations
Maintaining Productive Boards and Board Members
Why Would Someone Want to Serve on a Board?
What to Look for in Good Board Members
A Checklist for Building an Effective Board
JDLevy & Associates Overview

Click to Order:
   Soft pamphlet: $10
   Hard bound: $22
   CD Version: $12

Philanthropic Sustainability Handbook and Resource Guide

This comprehensive guide explores building a culture of philanthropy, the foundation for a successful fundraising program, and how it can allow an organization to achieve philanthropic sustainability.

Table of Contents

A Brief Overview of JDLevy & Associates
Toward a Culture of Philanthropy
Defining True Philanthropy
Culture of Philanthropy or Commodity?
Finding the Right Approach to Fundraising
Supply-Side versus Demand-Side Fundraising
Donor Care versus Commodity Transaction
Fundamentals of Philanthropic Sustainability
Value Exchange-Based Model of Fundraising
Basics of Relationship Focused Fundraising
Building a Relationship Focused Fundraising Program
   Simple Fundraising Calendar
   Constituency Development and Donor Rights
   Case Statement Development
Fundraising Vehicles
   Prospect Research
   Annual Giving
   Major Gifts
   Grants
   Planned Giving
   Direct Mail
   Special Events
Leadership
   Board
   Management Staff
   Volunteers
Next Steps to Attaining Philanthropic Sustainability
Appendix
   Reference List
   Constituent Identification
   Constituent Evaluation
   Case Resource Checklist
   JDLevy & Associates Overview

Click to Order:
Soft pamphlet: $10

Board Training DVD

This 2 hour DVD of Jamie’s board training. The first hour focuses on understanding philanthropy, fundraising, and trends in giving. The second hour focuses on the leadership role and board as it relates to the long-term sustainability of the organization – what the board should look like if it is to become a unified body of leadership that can sustain a charitable organization. The DVD is an excellent accompaniment to the Handbook on Being a Board Member.

Click to Order:
Board Training DVD: $39

Bits & Bytes from Jamie E-newsletter

JDLevy & Associates provides a free monthly E-newsletter, Bits & Bytes from Jamie, highlighting recent research items or articles of interest to those working in the nonprofit sector. Please CLICK HERE to sign up. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Educational Resources Written by Jamie Levy

“Understanding Not-for-profit Mergers and Individual Acculturation” – 2001 Published by JDLevy & Associates

“Philanthropic Sustainability: Understanding and Applying” – 2005 Published by JDLevy & Associates

“Developing and Improving Your Association's Voluntary Support” Issue No. 311, Report 311 Published By CCH Incorporated Magazine

"Do You Suspect Unethical and Perhaps Illegal Management Practices? What Should You Do?" Issue No. 319, Report 319 Published By CCH Incorporated Magazine

"Knowing the Cost of Fund Raising? What is it worth? " Issue No. 299, Report 299 Published By CCH Incorporated Magazine

"Charity: Do You Understand It?": Habits of the Heart, 1999 Published by Indiana University

"The Dysfunctional Organization: Should You Be A Whistleblower" Fund Raising Management, November 1999. Co-Authored with Dr. Lilya Wagner Published by Fund Raising Management

"Understanding The Board: To be a whale or a dolphin" Nonprofit Perspectives, Spring 1999 Published By Nonprofit Perspectives

"The Trade Association's Guide to Board Governance" – Independent Insurance Agent’s of Indiana. Spring 1997. Published by Independent Insurance Agents of America and Indiana