Despite a rocky economy, cause-related marketing agreements with charities remain attractive to business. It's the form of corporate giving that's most likely to thrive even in the face of record losses and economic uncertainty, says Holly Hall ("Corporate and Individual Giving: What to Expect in Coming Months," The Chronicle of Philanthropy, February 26, 2009). Hall cites an encouraging forecast from David Hessekiel, president of the Cause Marketing Forum. He predicts that businesses may actually increase the number of deals they make with charities to boost their corporate image—for example, donating a percentage of product sales. One reason for this: According to a 2008 Duke University study, if consumers know that a product benefits a charity, they're more likely to purchase that product.

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Some of the $790 billion in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act stimulus funds will flow through local governments this year. Cities, counties, and other local government entities have long been a source of grant support to nonprofit organizations in their communities, and now is a good time to strengthen those relationships. Mike Roque ("Looking Downtown: How Nonprofits Can Partner With Local Governments," Grassroots Fundraising Journal, March/April 2009) offers tips:

• First, do your homework. Make sure you understand your local government's revenue sources and its budgeting process.
• Identify and get to know potential allies at the relevant government agencies.
• Treat the people in local government with respect and develop strong relationships with them.
• Learn how grant decisions are made.
• Make sure the decision-makers know your organization and your programs.
• Make use of the non-grant resources your local government can provide—meeting space, surplus equipment, technical expertise, etc.

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Just as consumers select products from the supermarket shelf based on the value they place on the brand, foundations develop a "brand image" of the organizations applying for grants. Once you've identified a foundation as a good match for your organization and its work, you can take steps to improve the way that foundation views your brand, says Jeanette Archer-Simons ("Branding Strategy with Foundations," CharityChannel, February 27, 2009). Her suggestions:

• Visit the appropriate program officer at the foundation. Bring a board member and/or a staff person with you, but make sure they're thoroughly briefed on the foundation before the visit.
• Listen carefully to make sure the program officer understands your organization and that you understand the foundation's grant program.
• Follow up the meeting by providing more information to the foundation—either about your own organization, if the meeting confirmed the likelihood of a good match, or about another organization, if you think that would be a better match.
• Share resources and references that would be of interest to the foundation program officer in their work.
• Invite the program officer to speak at informal gatherings of your board, staff, and/or partner organizations.
• Build links to the foundation through members of your board and/or staff who may have another connection with the foundation.

(Full article can be accessed only by CharityChannel subscribers.)

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U.S. government grant solicitations, loaded with acronyms and technical requirements, can make your eyes glaze over. But understanding what you're reading and why it's important can be your best defense against glazed-eye syndrome.

GPRA (pronounced GIP-rah) is one little acronym with big implications. It receives at least a passing reference in most federal grant solicitations. For example, a recent solicitation from the Centers for Disease Control says that grantees must "implement interventions to increase the proportion of those with current asthma who report that they have received self-management education for asthma as required by the Government Performance Results Act (GPRA)".

So what does that mean?

GPRA, which was enacted in 1993, is one of a number of initiatives undertaken over the last 50 years to improve the federal government's effectiveness and accountability. The Program Planning and Budgeting System of the Johnson era; Nixon's Management by Objectives; Jimmy Carter's Zero-Based Budgeting; and the Clinton administration's efforts to "reinvent government"—these all aimed at building accountability and demonstrating results.

GPRA was intended to tie the performance of federal programs to the federal budget. It's probably the most significant advance to date in the federal government's efforts to emphasize accountability. And it's unique in that it requires agency results to be considered in the budget decision-making process.

Under GPRA, each Executive Branch agency is required to submit various reports to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). These include a five year strategic plan, which they must revise and submit every three years. According to the establishing legislation, Federal agencies "shall solicit and consider the views and suggestions of those entities potentially affected by or interested in such a plan." As such, nonprofits are well-positioned to help formulate goals and approaches that may profoundly impact the lives of the people they serve.

Each agency reports its progress using an instrument called PART (Performance Assessment and Rating Tool). The OMB uses PART to assess the effectiveness of each program. Effectiveness ratings and performance improvement plans are published online at www.expectmore.gov.

And why should I care?

Nonprofits that want to pursue federal grants must be aware of the priorities and objectives of the funding agency. Many federal grant solicitations refer to the funding agency's GPRA objectives and the consistency it requires in applications. The closer the grant application's purpose and objectives match those of the funding agency, the better.

Beyond that, however, is a bigger picture. The funding agency must report results to the OMB. Since the OMB assesses and rates effectiveness, it is essential that grantees be able to help demonstrate the results and the success of the federal funding.

A federal agency's level of performance can be a rationale for increasing or decreasing its budget. Whole programs may be terminated. For example, according to the ExpectMore website, the Healthy Community Access Program was ultimately terminated after having been assessed as ineffective.

What does all this mean for you? If you're going to apply for a federal grant, it's important that you take the following steps:

1. Provide input into the federal agency's plans. This can help ensure that federal objectives are related to the needs of the people you serve.
2. Before you apply for federal funding, be sure you understand the funding agency's strategic plan.
3. Make sure that the proposal you submit (a) supports the goals of the funding agency and (b) is designed to produce the results that agency seeks.

For more information:

OMB's assessments of program effectiveness:
www.expectmore.gov

Federal agency plans and reports:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/performance_pdfs
/performance_addresses_jan2009.pdf

Program Assessment and Rating Tool:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/performance_pdfs
/performance_addresses_jan2009.pdf

Office of Management and Budget—Assessing Program Performance:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/performance_default/

Patty Hasselbring is a consultant trainer for The Grantsmanship Center. She has worked with nonprofits for over 25 years on both sides of the funding desk: as executive director of grantseeking nonprofit organizations and as executive director of a funding agency.

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