Knowledge
Creating a factsheet for a project can be a powerful way to communicate about your program to potential funders and other key stakeholders. Factsheets are often used for promotional and fundraising purposes and, if done well, they can help tell the story of an organization’s work in a dynamic and pithy way.
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (“RPA”), in partnership with Columbia Business School, and with support from Lever for Change and others, has been taking a deep dive into the world of large-scale prize philanthropy.
In August 2020, our social impact partner, IMAGO Global Grassroots, hosted a coaching series focused on feminine leadership for members of our Bold Solutions Network, which matches donors with outstanding nonprofits and social enterprises from Lever for Change competitions.
Earlier this year, Lever for Change launched its Bold Solutions Network to match donors with nonprofits and social enterprises proposing solutions to significant social challenges. Lever for Change supports Network member organizations—whose “bold solutions” were highly rated after rigorous evaluation in its competitions—by providing ongoing learning and networking opportunities to strengthen their work, raise their visibility, and increase their potential to secure funding. In April 2020, Lever for Change launched a partnership with our skills-based volunteering platform, Catchafire, to help strengthen Bold Solutions Network members on organizational and operational needs.
When we speak of resilience, we think about people’s ability to withstand hard times and “bounce back.” The year 2020 has been a continuous source of unexpected shocks.
At Lever for Change, our mission is to accelerate social change by connecting bold donors with highly rated proposals submitted through customized competitions. We are committed to openness and transparency in all of our competitions, and to providing value to each participant. We do this by publicly sharing information about the competition process, including the timeline, evaluation criteria, and judges. We also ensure that as many applicants as possible receive feedback on their proposals during each competition. Our platform invites applicants to think big and be bold as they strive for impact.
Lever for Change initiatives require applicants to submit a short video with closed captioning. Full guidelines for the video are included in the application. The following resources showcase example videos and provide technical guidance on creating and captioning videos.
Storytelling is a key component of communicating your impact and building support for your solution externally. The following resources provide guidance on how to use storytelling effectively in your communications and fundraising efforts as well as how to assess your organization’s current fundraising capabilities.
All projects have some level of inherent risk, but the most effective organizations put systems in place to effectively manage risk. The following resources provide some tips on understanding and mitigating risk in your application and strategies.
An organization’s leadership – both the executive team and board – are critical for realizing the organization’s vision. The following resources provide an overview of the characteristics of strong nonprofit leaders and boards.
We can often achieve greater impact when we work together. The following resources provide guidance both for considering new collaborations as well as strengthening existing collaborations.
Lever for Change is committed to incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in all competitions. The following resources clarify concepts related to different aspects of DEI and provide guidance on incorporating a focus on DEI into your programming and teams.