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News at ACEThe King Foundation is Accepting Letters of Inquiry for the Fall Grant CycleThe deadline to submit a letter of inquiry to the Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation in Dallas for the fall 2013 grant cycle is approaching. All LOIs must be submitted through their online portal (accessed through their website at www.KingFoundation.com) by 4:30 p.m. on the day of the deadline, which for this cycle is Monday, June 17. The King Foundation funds in 32 counties in Arkansas, mostly in the southern and eastern portion of the state. A map of their geographic footprint can be found on their website at www.KingFoundation.com. The foundation funds organizations operating in their 32 county footprint as well as agencies that may be housed in other parts of the state but who provide services in the 32 counties. If you would like to talk about a request prior to submitting an LOI, please call and they will be glad to talk about your agency and funding needs. Their grantmaking process has two steps. First agencies are asked to submit an LOI. They typically receive around 135 LOIs for each grant cycle. From those received, staff prepare executive summaries of the requests for their board who in turn decide the agencies they will invite to submit a full proposal. The foundation will notify you around August 1 if your request has been advanced. If you are invited to submit a proposal they are due in their office (via the online portal) by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, August 30. Funding decisions for requests in the fall cycle will take place in December. The King Foundation offers two grant cycles each year. The deadline to submit an LOI for the spring cycle is December 15 and funding decisions on those requests will be made in June.
You can contact Laura Duty, program officer at 214-750-1884 or by email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
4 Corner Posts to Ignite Best PracticesIn the news in recent days, it has become very clear that non-profit organizations are under close scrutiny by governing authorities. While it is disturbing, it also underscores the need for a non-profit organization to ensure they are engaging in best practices. There is no universal guidebook for best practices across the non-profit world, but there are defining principles that apply universally. Here are Four Corner Posts to ensure your organization has best practices in place. 1. Get REAL According to John Maxwell’s laws of the Mirror and Awareness, an organization needs to take an objective look at its current practices and reflect on the quality of the organization. Leadership needs to be very aware of what is being practiced within the organization because, ultimately, leaders are accountable. In other words, leaders need to get REAL about what is going on within the organization. Relationships – Are all business relationships in compliance with regulations? Are the business marketing relationships in concert with the mission of the business? Are the business relationships within the business built on solid leadership principles? Exercise – Just as exercise strengthens the mind and body, an organization must carry out its defined principles in order to be a strong organization. It is not enough to have a mission statement – it must be practiced regularly. It is not enough to have defined processes – they must be followed through consistently. It is not enough to have guidelines – they must be enforced regularly Attitude – Best practice is all about attitude. It is about having an attitude of leading an organization on the right course, no matter what. It is about having an attitude of quality and excellence. Best practices are built on these attitudes. Life Plan – In personal coaching, clients develop a Life Plan. What is the Life Plan of your business? What is its defining purpose? You cannot develop best practices without first defining purpose. Once that purpose is developed, you must create the plan to make it happen. If you don’t plan the course of your organization, someone else will plan it for you. 2. Get Clear Imagine your organization on the last day of 2013. You are about to speak to your people on the state of the organization. What do you want to report? Write that speech now –get crystal clear on what your talking points would be for that speech. Envision yourself standing tall and giving that report. This is how clear you must be on your goals in order to make them happen. 3. Get Smart You must be smart in how you lead your organization. Study the industry, study other industries, study business practices of others. See what is working and emulate it. See what is not working and avoid it. Work with well-defined processes in place. Develop your team to work efficiently so they are working smarter, not just harder. 4. Get a Wind-up Clock Has your organization been hitting the snooze button? Have you been putting off difficult decisions, failing to start initiatives, hesitating to move forward? It is time to get a wind-up clock for your business. A wind-up clock will run throughout the day, but at the end of each day, you have to wind it up again, or it will eventually quit working. What are you doing to wind up your organization? Are you motivating your team? Are you reviewing your goals to ensure you are on track to accomplish your objectives? Just as you turn that clock a few turns each day to keep it going, you must do the same for your organization. Each day, ask, “What are the three or four things I need to do today to ignite my organization to high performance?
Set these four corner posts solidly, and your organization will be a stellar example of best practices.
If we can help you ignite high performance in your organization or personally, please contact us at Harbour Resources www.mikeharbour.net , or call 501.225.3359 and ask for Mike Harbour. Winning the Money Race Before You Ask for DollarsLast week, ACE President and CEO Stephanie Meincke presented "Winning the Money Race Before you Ask for Dollars" at DHS Division of Community of Service and Nonprofit Support's The Summit. Below are materials she presented.
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