Today’s charities are in a constant process of developing new and effective fundraising and marketing strategies to assist them with implementing their missions, attracting more donors, and thus, making a positive impact in the community. Since the introduction of the Internet, nonprofits have been embracing a great opportunity to raise funds, promote their programs, and draw interest to their work.

Since the nonprofit world has become competitive, developing a website is usually a daunting task for the nonprofit management. Their goal is to not only advertise services, but also make the website stand out, show uniqueness, and appeal to potential donors.

Before initiating website development, imagine yourself being a potential donor. Understanding what donors are looking for will help you design your website in a way to attract the most attention and positive feedback. A few major things that charities include on their websites have proven to make a difference in their growth and achievements. We summarized them below:

– Your charity’s name, logo, mission, and vision statement.

– A picture gallery of individuals who your organization serves, drives, fundraising events, and volunteers. Include videos as well, if possible.

– Description of past and current projects. Success stories.

– Up-to-date information about upcoming fundraisers, drives, and other events.

– “Search” option to quickly access information by using key words.

– Explanation of how received funds are used to further the exempt purpose.

– A request for donations and volunteers.

– A “Donate” button to accept donations.

– Recognition of donors in the form of pictures and stories.

– An invitation to stay in touch by signing up for the newsletters and updates.

– An option where potential donors can leave their email and other contact information.

– Testimonials of individuals who the nonprofit has helped, volunteers, and influential people in the community.

– Links to social media for the donors and volunteers to follow your updates.

– Infographics to make your website more live and easy to grab attention.

– Google keywords to utilize Search Engine Optimization, which can lead to more visitors.

By following this simple checklist, you will be capable to implement your vision and creativity into a very effective website that will help you achieve your goals.

You’ll do great!

The mission of the American Honda Foundation (AHF) is to help meet the needs of American society in the areas of youth and scientific education by awarding grants to nonprofits, while strategically assisting communities in deriving long-term benefits.

The American Honda Foundation engages in grant making that reflects the basic tenets, beliefs and philosophies of Honda companies, which are characterized by the following qualities: imaginative, creative, youthful, forward-thinking, scientific, humanistic and innovative. We support youth education with a specific focus on the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects in addition to the environment.

Eligible Organizations:

Nonprofit charitable organizations classified as a 501(c)(3) public charity by the Internal Revenue Service, or a public school district, private/public elementary and secondary schools as listed by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

To be considered for funding, organizations MUST have two years of audited financial statements examined by an independent CPA for the purpose of expressing an opinion if gross revenue is $500,000 or more. If gross revenue is less than $500,000, and the organization does not have audits, it may submit two years of financial statements accompanied by an independent CPA’s review report instead.

Geographic Scope: National

Funding Priority: Youth education, specifically in the areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, the environment, job training and literacy

Other Important Information:

• Organizations may only submit one request in a 12-month period. This includes colleges and universities with several departments/outreach programs
• The grant range is from $20,000 to $75,000 over a one-year period
• Proposals should be submitted online. Click here to start the online process
• No faxed applications will be accepted
• Support materials such as annual reports, pamphlets/brochures, newsletters, articles, DVDs, etc. should be mailed.

The online application process begins with an Eligibility Quiz: Click here to determine if your program/project meets the qualifications for consideration.

The Food Lion Charitable Foundation is committed to supporting the communities we serve. We love giving back by donating to deserving groups and organizations that provide critical services within our operating areas. Therefore, the Food Lion Charitable Foundation focuses its philanthropic giving on eliminating hunger and food insecurity in our communities.

If you are interested in applying for a grant, the Food Lion Food Charitable Foundation is currently accepting grant applications through our new on-line application process.

To submit a request online:

(1) Go to www.foodlion.com
(2) Click on Community Outreach (3) Click on the tab for Donations and Sponsorship Requests
(4) Click on the APPLY NOW link
(5) The system requests the Charity ID, which is the Tax ID # – The ID should be entered as xx-xxxxxxx
(6) Complete the form and submit your grant request

For your grant application, you must upload the following documents:

(1) 501(c)(3) IRS determination letter
(2) Current W-9
(3) A letter from the director of your local Feeding America food bank or the United Way confirming your organization’s affiliation is in good standing.

Organizations must be within a 25 mile radius of a Food Lion store in order to be eligible for grant consideration.

More information is on their website: Food Lion