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When your non-profit staff jumps into grant research, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of foundation websites. Finding a funder whose mission seems  to match yours is the easy part. The hard part (the part that costs you hours, disappointment, and often the grant itself) is asking the critical, nuanced questions  that determine true funder alignment. Relying solely on a general Google search isn't due diligence; it makes grant prospecting  feel like g uesswork. As professionals who conduct exhaustive research on behalf of non-profits, we know  that only by answering five specific questions can you stop wasting time and start targeting funding sources with precision. Key Takeaways Guesswork is Expensive:  time spent on a bad application is time taken away from a funder who would actually say yes. Precision is Power:  True alignment goes beyond mission statements; it includes geography, grant size, and funding style. The 5-Question Vetting:  Using a core set of questions ensures you match your needs to a funder's actual, verified priorities. Prospect Search Solves It: Instead of getting lost in a sea of foundation websites, our service provides the ready-to-use intelligence you need by proactively answering these five critical questions, for a delivered list of 25 ranked prospects. The Vetting Checklist: Essential Questions for Non-Profit Grant Prospecting Successful grant prospecting  isn't about applying to the most foundations; it's about applying to the right  ones. When you move beyond simple mission matching, you gain the strategic advantage  necessary to stand out. Here are the five most critical questions your non-profit must answer about any prospective funder before  you invest time in an application: 1. Where Do They Fund? Understanding Geographic Restrictions A funder might list "Children's Health" as their mission, but their specific focus could be limited to "After-school programs in only three designated counties in the Northeast." If your organization operates outside that narrow scope, you've wasted your time. IN Fundraising's  Prospect Search  identifies these precise, non-negotiable restrictions hidden deep within their past grant history or annual reports, ensuring your service area and target population are an exact match. 2. What is Their Typical Grant Size, and What is the Strategic "Ask" Amount? If you ask a foundation that typically awards $5,000 for your $100,000 project, you'll likely be rejected. Conversely, if you ask a foundation that regularly awards $500,000 for a small $10,000 project, you might be overlooked. Your request must fit within their established funding capacity and history . Strategic research analyzes past  IRS Form 990  filings and giving patterns to recommend a precise, achievable request amount, maximizing your chance of securing the largest possible grant. 3. Do They Fund Programs, Operating Costs, or Capital Projects? Many foundations are restricted to funding only specific areas, such as programs , while refusing to cover administrative overhead or general operating support . If your project needs unrestricted funds for salaries and rent, applying to a program-only funder is a guaranteed rejection. A thorough vetting process identifies their specific funding category preferences, ensuring your need aligns with their investment style. 4. What is the Specific Grant Cycle and Deadline Requirement? Grant application cycles can range from open (rolling deadlines) to highly restrictive (once per year). Furthermore, many foundations require a preliminary step, like a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) , months before the full proposal deadline. Applying outside their known cycle or skipping the required preliminary step means instant elimination. Detailed prospect research provides a clear, actionable timeline for every opportunity. 5. Do They Have a History with Your Organization or Similar Organizations? The single greatest indicator of future funding is past funding. Beyond just looking at the organization itself, a comprehensive search looks for board member overlap, shared community initiatives, or even prior giving to non-profits with a nearly identical mission. This intelligence allows you to personalize your approach and potentially seek a warm introduction  from a shared contact, drastically increasing your chance of success. Did You Know? Many high-capacity foundations do not accept unsolicited proposals . Instead, they prefer to be approached through a known board member or referral. Finding these insider connections or identifying their "no unsolicited applications" policy is often the difference between a successful major gift pipeline and wasted effort. Statistically Speaking: Why Precision in Grant Prospecting Matters According to the 2024 State of Grantseeking Report , success is heavily tied to how well you align your applications, not just how many you submit:   The Power of Three:  Non-profits submitting just one application had a 62% success rate , but that jumped to 96%  for those submitting six to ten.   The Funding Gap:  Private foundations are the most common source of awards, but their median award is $50,000 —vastly different from federal grants which average $615,000 .   The Time Sink:  Writing a single application takes two days to two weeks . If the geography or funding type is a mismatch, that is a massive loss of staff time. Frequently Asked Questions How do I know if a grant funder is a good match for my non-profit?  True alignment goes beyond a shared mission; it requires verifying that your specific service area, project type (operating vs. program), and requested amount match the funder’s actual verified priorities and past giving history.   What information is found in a foundation’s 990 filings? IRS Form 990 filings provide critical intelligence on a foundation’s funding capacity, including their typical grant sizes, specific geographic focus, and a list of past recipients which can reveal potential board member overlap or shared community interests.   Why is my grant success rate low?  A low success rate is often the result of "guesswork" and low alignment. According to the 2024 State of Grantseeking Report , success is heavily tied to the precision of the application rather than the volume submitted.   Can I apply for a grant if the foundation says they don't accept unsolicited proposals?   Applying blindly to these foundations usually results in instant elimination. However, professional prospect research can identify "warm lead" opportunities, such as shared board members or referrals, which are often the only way to access these high-capacity funders.   Transform Your Grant Research into Winning Applications Your non-profit's time and mission are too valuable to be wasted on poorly vetted prospects. Trying to answer these five critical questions for dozens of funders is exactly the time-consuming administrative work that drains your team's capacity. IN Fundraising’s Prospect Search  service is the solution. We leverage our expertise and professional tools to conduct the exhaustive research needed to answer these five questions (and many more) for a list of 25 fully researched, ranked, and prioritized funding prospects . We deliver the definitive intelligence so your team can focus entirely on writing a winning grant. Your next major funder is out there—we’ve already done the research to find them for you.

Every successful fundraising campaign, major gift ask, or winning grant proposal is built upon a single foundation: a crystal-clear, compelling narrative. Yet, too many non-profits struggle with content chaos—a disorganized collection of stories, outdated statistics, and fragmented financial reports. This chaos makes it nearly impossible to articulate your mission powerfully and consistently. With IN Fundraising  as your expert strategic partners, we know the solution is to distill your entire organization into five non-negotiable elements that form a high-impact non-profit Case for Support. This structure is the key to transforming confusion into confident, secured revenue. Key Takeaways Structure Drives Success:  The most persuasive cases follow a logical, five-part structure that addresses every donor concern. Clarity First:  Eliminating jargon and unifying your content into a single narrative is the essential foundation for trust. Answer the 'Why Now?':  A high-impact case must clearly articulate the urgency and timeliness of your funding needs. The Professional Solution:  IN Fundraising's Case for Support service delivers a final document that has been professionally vetted and polished, ensuring every element is strong, cohesive, and ready for deployment. Getting Started is Easy:   Book a meeting  with IN Fundraising for your free consultation.  Your Five-Part Roadmap to an Unshakeable Donor Pitch IN Fundraising’s Case for Support  is the architectural blueprint of your mission. It is designed to take a prospective investor (donor or funder) on a logical, emotional, and fact-based journey. Our process ensures your final 14-17 page document contains these five essential elements, providing the strategic clarity needed to secure investment: 1. The Problem: Establish Urgency and Scale You must begin by defining the problem your non-profit exists to solve. This section must be emotionally resonant but factually grounded.  It should answer: What is the crisis, and what is the current cost of inaction?  Your data must be current, verifiable, and clearly illustrate the immense scale of the challenge in your community or sector. This element establishes the profound need for support. 2. The Solution: Define Your Unique Role This is where you explain why your organization  is the right entity to solve the problem. Avoid generic descriptions. This element must articulate your unique competitive advantage, your history of success, and your strategic theory of change. It answers: What distinct services do we provide, and how are we uniquely positioned to achieve success?  This section is vital for building confidence in your operational expertise. 3. The Impact: Demonstrate Measurable Results Donors invest in outcomes, not just activity. This section moves beyond outputs ("We held 50 workshops") to quantifiable outcomes ("We increased literacy rates by 15%"). The impact element must be clear, concise, and driven by audited data. It answers: What results have we already achieved, and how do we measure our success and accountability?  This is the hard evidence that verifies your mission's effectiveness. 4. The Capacity: Prove Stability and Trust Before investing, donors vet stability. This element addresses the organizational infrastructure: governance, financial health, and leadership.  It answers: Is the organization well-run, financially stable, and led by a strong, aligned board?  This is the trust-building  section, often supported by details on your governance structure and financial oversight, which are essential for major gift commitment. 5. The Ask: Connect Funding to Transformation The ask must be clear, specific, and tied directly to the problem and solution. Avoid vague requests. This element connects the funding needed to the tangible transformation it will create.  It answers: What specific resources do we need now, and what measurable change  will that investment create?  This final element provides the necessary urgency and shows the donor exactly what their gift will purchase. Did You Know? Internal consistency is so vital that the Case for Support is often used as the primary training document for new board members, executive staff, and volunteers. By providing a single, polished resource, it ensures that everyone—from the newest volunteer to the CEO—is equipped to describe the mission, impact, and needs using the same authoritative, vetted language. Statistically Speaking  The emotional connection and trust a donor feels are directly tied to the clarity and consistency of your organization's message. Experts in non-profit communication emphasize that a clear, consistent message is essential for fundraising, as confusion and inconsistency erode trust, while clarity and consistency build it. The Case for Support is designed to eliminate message fragmentation entirely, acting as a constant trust-builder. This unwavering clarity is paramount because organizations that proactively share professional, detailed, and transparent information see significantly higher returns. In fact, research by GrowthForce a Nonprofit Accounting & Reporting Firm  shows that organizations that demonstrate a commitment to transparency see contributions increase by an average of 53% . Your Roadmap to Funding for Your Non-profit With a Case for Support Content chaos is a choice, not a necessity. If your non-profit is struggling to articulate its complex work consistently, you are missing out on major funding opportunities and needlessly taxing your staff. IN Fundraising’s Case for Support  delivers a professionally crafted, 14-17 page document structured around these five essential elements. We provide expert guidance, clear message alignment, and a streamlined process to ensure your organization has a cohesive resource for grant proposals, donor appeals, and marketing efforts, accelerating your path to fundraising success. Ready to eliminate content chaos and establish the clear, high-impact message your mission deserves? Schedule your free consultation with IN Fundraising  today .

Grant rejection is an inevitable part of non-profit fundraising, but many rejections aren't due to bad luck—they're due to fixable alignment errors. Spending weeks drafting a compelling proposal, only to receive a standard denial letter, represents a massive opportunity cost that diverts time and energy from securing mission-critical funding. The top three fixable reasons your non-profit grant application was rejected are Geographic or Population Mismatch, Funding Type Mismatch (Program vs. Operating), and a Misaligned Request Amount. Complacency in prospect research—relying on basic website data or outdated information—is the number one culprit. As experts who conduct high-level grant vetting, we know that most rejections stem from these three fundamental, avoidable misalignment mistakes. Understanding these missteps is the first step toward transforming your rejection rate into a high success rate. Key Takeaways Rejection is Fixable:  Most grant denials are due to misaligned research, not the quality of your program. The Three Killers:  The top reasons for rejection are lack of geographic fit, incorrect funding type (program vs. general operating), and requesting the wrong amount. Opportunity Cost:  Every rejected application represents time and money lost that could have been invested elsewhere. Prospect Search Solves It:  Our service eliminates these alignment issues by proactively vetting 25 prospects against these three critical criteria. IN Fundraising: offers free consultations, schedule your meeting  today. Reasons for Rejection & How to Fix Your Non-Profit Grant Application So your non-profit grant application was rejected, here are some possible reasons why and hopefully some easy how-to-fix scenarios. Non-profits are often too busy delivering programs to dive deep into a funder’s history. However, overlooking the subtle differences in funder requirements is a fatal flaw in the application process. When a foundation says "no," it's often because you didn't check one of these three boxes: 1. Geographic or Population Mismatch A funder's mission statement can be broad ("Supporting youth education"), but their giving history is often hyper-specific ("Only supporting literacy programs for youth in zip codes X, Y, and Z"). If you operate outside that precise geographic or demographic area, your application will be instantly rejected. This mistake often happens when staff use old data or fail to read the funder's most recent annual report for updated restrictions. Expert prospect research identifies these precise boundaries, ensuring your target service area is a confirmed match before you lift a finger. 2. Funding Type Mismatch (Program vs. Operating) This is one of the most common mistakes that torpedoes excellent proposals. Many foundations are legally or structurally bound to fund only direct program costs (e.g., salaries for specific project staff, materials for a workshop). If your application asks for general operating support (GOS) to cover overhead, rent, or utilities, it creates an immediate misalignment. Failing to verify the funder's grant type preference results in a rejection that wastes a grant writer's entire drafting time. 3. Misaligned Request Amount (Too High or Too Low) As discussed previously, the amount you request must fall within the funder's established comfort zone. If a foundation's historical giving range is $10,000 to $30,000, and you submit a proposal for $150,000, you are signaling to them that you haven't researched their capacity. This lack of due diligence suggests a lack of seriousness and results in a guaranteed rejection, not because your project isn't worthy, but because your ask is wildly misaligned with their investment portfolio. Did You Know? Many grant denials occur not during the proposal review phase, but during the initial administrative screen. If your application fails to meet a mandatory requirement—such as operating within the funder's required county or using the correct grant submission format—it is often rejected instantly by staff, never even reaching the foundation's review board. Statistically Speaking: The Resource Gap That Leads to Rejection Why do intelligent non-profit leaders make these fixable alignment mistakes? It isn't a lack of skill; it's a lack of capacity. According to the 2024 State of Grantseeking Report by GrantStation , the top challenges consistently cited by non-profits are the lack of time and staff  and the difficulty in identifying grant opportunities . When development teams are stretched thin, the deep, time-consuming work of vetting a funder's geographic constraints or giving history often falls through the cracks. This "resource gap" forces organizations into a "spray and pray" approach, leading to avoidable rejections. Prospect Search solves this by acting as an extension of your team, handling the labor-intensive vetting process so you can focus your limited time on writing proposals that are actually eligible for funding. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Q: What is a misaligned grant application?  A: A misaligned grant application is a proposal submitted to a funder whose core mission, geographic area, or typical grant size does not match your organization's specific needs or location. Misalignment almost always results in rejection, regardless of the quality of your program. Q: Does Prospect Search guarantee a grant award?  A: Prospect Search cannot guarantee an award, as the final decision rests with the funder. However, it guarantees that your proposal is directed toward verified, high-probability prospects  that meet all their mandatory alignment criteria, dramatically increasing your chances of success. Q: How do I find a funder's geographic focus?  A: Funders' exact geographic focus is typically found by studying their grant history (Form 990 filings) and reading their most recent annual report or specific grant guidelines, often requiring complex research that goes beyond simple website checks. Conclusion: Eliminate the Guesswork and Secure the Yes Every grant rejection based on bad research is a drain on your non-profit’s capacity and morale. Complacency is the silent killer of growth. The choice is clear: either your team spends hundreds of hours learning these lessons through repeated, frustrating rejections, or you invest strategically in expert intelligence. IN Fundraising ’s Prospect Search  service eliminates these fundamental errors. We deliver 25 fully researched, ranked, and prioritized funding prospects —each vetted against the three rejection killers—so your team moves directly to writing a winning proposal. Stop guessing, stop failing, and start winning the funding your mission deserves. Ready to eliminate grant rejections and secure a higher success rate? Book your free consultation with IN Fundraising  today to learn how Prospect Search provides the clear, strategic advantage your non-profit needs.

Discover how IN Fundraising can help your non-profit raise funds and secure grants. Explore our services to boost your fundraising success. We Help Non-Profits Raise Funds & Secure Grants We understand the challenges and frustrations you face in raising funds and securing grants. Check Eligibility Get your Free Fundraising Readiness Assessment Get Started What Does it Mean to be "Grant Ready" How It Works Tailored Fundraising Solutions for Non-Profits of All Sizes: 01 Book a meeting with a support team member Let's review your unique fundraising needs 02 Select the right plan to get in fundraising From startup to seasoned non-profits, we'll help supercharge your ability to raise funds. 03 It's time for onboarding, building, and getting ready for fundraising We gather the facts about your non-profit to create your lighting rod for fundraising. 04 Engage and execute fundraising plan We execute on your plan for either building a powerful story for increasing donor activity or engaging grants 05 Rinse and repeat Keep your fundraising going with monthly plans for additional grants, non-profit events, and donor network engagements. Our Impact in Numbers Facts & Figures 27 Cups of coffee Daily cups of coffee required Grants awarded Just in grants alone $81m 812 Awarded applications That's a lot of non-profit wins Success rate We get over 50% of our clients funded. That's got to be a record! 53% about us We Help Non-Profits Raise Funds IN Fundraising began at Janeal Ford’s kitchen table in 2014, when she left her full-time development role to start Fordable Freelance, a solo grant writing consultancy. With one client and a $300 monthly stipend, she built the business from scratch—eventually incorporating as Fordable Fundraising, LLC in 2018 and rebranding to IN Fundraising in 2025. What started as a kitchen-table operation has grown into a dynamic, values-driven team committed to helping nonprofits thrive through strategic, high-quality fundraising support. Learn more about us! Discover IN Fundraising Your All-in-One Fundraising Tool Check Eligibility Get started in your fundraising! OUR CLIENTS We believe every client is a valuable long-term partner. First name* Last name* Email* Message Donate to help a non-profit businesses get IN Fundraising $100 $200 $300 Submit Help Non-Profits With Their Grant Services Imaging being able to help 5 or 10 non-profits at once! Our Services Grant Writing Finding a grant writer with the right expertise and experience can be difficult. On top of this, many nonprofits simply don’t have an adequate program or system in place to support success. Learn More 1 Consulting IN Fundraising provides 501c3 nonprofit charities with consulting and grant writing. Services are designed to help you raise more money, stress less, and achieve greater mission impact. Learn More 3 Case for Support Creating a compelling case for support is the foundation of successful grant applications. With expert guidance, you’ll articulate your program’s solution, its goals and impact with clarity and passion. Learn More 2 Grant Pioneer Our innovative software helps write stronger grant proposals. By analyzing over 800 successful grant applications, we've developed a proven process that has helped IN Fundraising clients achieve an average 53% success rate. Coming Soon 4

Discover expert fundraising services with IN Fundraising. From strategic planning to donor engagement, we provide tailored solutions to help organizations achieve financial success. Our Services Need more help? Book a meeting with us to learn how we can help you achieve your goals. Consulting IN Fundraising provides 501c3 nonprofit charities with consulting and grant writing. Services are designed to help you raise more money, stress less, and achieve greater mission impact. Case for Support Craft a Compelling Solution Story. Creating a compelling case for support is the foundation of successful grant applications. We can help you to tell your nonprofit’s story like never before. With expert guidance, you’ll articulate your program’s solution, its goals and impact with clarity and passion. Grab the attention of grant reviewers and leave a lasting impression. Grant Writing Grant writing is hard, and often one of the most overwhelming tasks for nonprofit teams. It takes time, structure, and a thoughtful approach to get it right. IN Fundraising helps you create space for relationship building by managing the writing. Our team helps clarify your message, identify aligned funders, and keep everything organized so you can focus on what matters most. Using our clear, two-step system, we prepare your team to submit stronger proposals, stay focused, and pursue the grants that truly match your mission.

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