Tag Archives: grants

4 fundraising ideas for grassroots movements

January 14, 2019Neighbors making neighborhoodscrowdfunding, events, fundraising, grants, grassroots, Ideas, Movements, Social MediaNoah Lumbantobing

Whether you’re the driving force behind a new grassroots movement, or are helping your neighbors achieve a simple project on your block, one thing is almost certain: you need money!

Grassroots initiatives large and small require good ideas, serious dedication, and adequate funding to succeed. ioby has worked with hundreds of grassroots groups to get funding, get resources, and get off the ground. Below, we discuss four common funding strategies for the grassroots: their benefits, limitations, and our recommendations for getting the most donor bucks for your fundraising bang.
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Gateway funding: Leveraging your crowdfunding campaign to win more money for your project

March 27, 2018Neighbors making neighborhoodscommunity gardens, crowdfunding, financing, fundraising, grants, rails to trails, transit, urban farmingKatie Lorah

At ioby, we often talk about the many non-monetary benefits of crowdfunding for neighborhood projects. When local leaders crowdfund, they strengthen relationships in their community, build their own capacity to lead, and encourage the buy-in that creates lasting community stewardship, among other perks.

But there’s another important facet of crowdfunding that’s neither the money raised during the campaign, nor these types of non-financial equity. It’s this phenomenon: a successful round of crowdfunding has the power to attract other types of funding to your project.

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501(c)3 or informal groups? Why going nonprofit is not always good for grassroots groups

February 28, 2018Neighbors making neighborhoods501c3, community, crowdfunding, funding, grants, incorporating, informal groups, neighborhood, nonprofitsKatie Lorah

If you and your neighbors have been working on a project to improve your community, the idea that you should turn your informal group into a formal nonprofit has likely come up. That’s understandable, since there are good reasons for some groups to do so.

But for other groups—especially small ones just starting out—incorporating can be unnecessary, even counterproductive. In some cases, it can be such a drain of time and money that it actually deprives communities of the very services the group is working to provide!

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How to fundraise if you’re not a 501(c)3 nonprofit

November 21, 2017Neighbors making neighborhoodscivic crowdfunding, crowdfunding, fiscal sponsorship, fundraising, grants, nonprofitKatie Lorah

If you’re a grassroots group that’s looking to get good done in your community, you might be wondering if your group needs to formally incorporate as a nonprofit organization before you can fundraise. Friends, we are here to tell you that the answer is a loud-and-proud: NOPE!

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