Rural Philanthropy Days Connect
Colorado’s Non-Profits with Funders

Each year a Colorado-based foundation hosts Rural Philanthropy Days to bring together nonprofit organizations and funders.

Who/What:

Since 1990, the Community Resource Center and the Anschutz Family Foundation have sponsored Rural Philanthropy Days events for nonprofits in Colorado to meet with foundations on a regional basis. Only nonprofits in the designated host region can attend that region’s event.

When/Where:

Two Rural Philanthropy Days events are held each year, so each of eight regions in the state has the opportunity to host an event locally every four years.

How:

Pre-event, three-hour training sessions are held in several locations in the host region about one month prior to the Rural Philanthropy Days event. These sessions help local organizations and agencies increase their capacity for successful contacts with funders. Sessions cover how to develop case statements and/or “elevator speeches” – a quick pitch for your project, and strategies for approaching and talking with funders.

Rural Philanthropy Days open with an evening funders’ reception with steering committee members and local leaders. The actual event begins the next day with panel presentations and discussions. A Community Exchanges portion of that first day of the program allows funders the opportunity to tour other areas of the region and to talk with nonprofit and government representatives.

The second day involves a series of round table sessions. Eight to 10 nonprofit representatives gather at a table with a single funding entity’s representative(s). The funding source representatives presents a five-minute introduction to his or her foundation, corporation or government agency and its funding purposes. The eight to 10 nonprofits representatives at the table then have about 90 seconds each to present their mission and program focus. Enough exchange usually takes place for the nonprofit representativs to have a sense of whether there is enough of a fit to later pursue a full proposal for funding. The funder may also give those nonprofits which fit the funding entity’s mission a “thumbs-up” to contact them for a future meeting opportunity.

The Community Resource Center returns to each host region after the Rural Philanthropy Days to present grant writing clinics and other training services to support successful grant applications. The Center also offers one-on-one consulting and provides members with access to a Colorado Grants Guide Online, a database of funds that support Colorado-based community organizations.

Byway representatives interested in developing Rural Philanthropy Days for their state can access consulting assistance through the Community Resource Center (CRC). CRC Executive Director Steve Graham says the keys to organizing successful Rural Philanthropy Days include an intermediary with a commitment to rural areas, a strong funding partner, and commitment from the funding community. The CRC has developed a manual for replicating their success.

Funding Potential:

The Rural Philanthropy Days event does not guarantee any funding, but does help nonprofits quickly determine which foundations may have or do not have an interest in their funding request. One regional program included about 200 nonprofits presenting to 27 funding representatives.

Why Philanthropy Days:

• Save time for both potential funders and nonprofits and helps match similar interests between funders and nonprofits

• Allow nonprofits to learn who is funding projects in their region

• The Colorado event has spurred increased funding for projects that have improved delivery of services, have stimulated development in rural Colorado, and have encouraged the development of initiatives that benefit an entire community or region, per the mission of the event sponsor, the Community Resource Center

Resources:

Community Resource Center

Acknowledgements:

Thanks go to Charlotte Bumgarner of the Gold Belt Tour Scenic and Historic Byway in Guffey, Colorado, and to Community Resource Center Director Steve Graham for sharing this resource.