On the subject of funding models

One of the key things I learned in my time at Zagaya was that raising funds, though seeming to take time away from the primary cause the organization wishes to work on, is something that requires a major amount of focus and is something that a lot of non-profits struggle with. The following is a great article by the Stanford Social Innovation Review that deals with the various funding models that non-profits can use:

Ten nonprofit funding models

The idea is to identify the best strategy for your non-profit and then spend targeted efforts towards executing that. We found that this exercise also helped in tightening and re-energizing the mission and focus of the organization as we tried to answer the following questions:

• Can we create a tangible and lasting solution to a major problem in a foreseeable time frame?
• Can we clearly articulate how we will use large-scale funding to achieve our goals?
• Are any of the wealthiest individuals or foundations interested in our issue and approach?