U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services
370 L'Enfant Promenade, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20447
Ideas
Creativity can spark the best funding ideas. Here are some sample ideas to get you started.
As always, check your office’s rules before forming funding partnerships and collaborations.
Hold a charity auction and invite attendees to bid on donated services and products. You keep the cash generated. The donor company receives name recognition, plus potential new customers.
Consider your collaborations with other organizations—existing and potential—and ask if you could team up on a grant application. Or, if you see a funding opportunity that would lend itself to your collaboration, explore that angle.
Rotary Clubs make community grants to local service organizations. Grantees receive funding, and sometimes assistance in implementing the grant. See if your local club offers these grants.
Sometimes churches take special collections and donate the proceeds to community organizations. The church may invite the organization to attend the service and briefly share its mission and needs with the congregation. Ask a local church if you could set up this kind of event.
In-Kind Donations
To make your waiting room more inviting for families, collaborate with a store that sells children’s furniture, toys, or children’s books and is willing to donate some to you. You can return the favor by placing the store’s flyers or coupons in your waiting room.
Gain computer equipment by partnering with a computer store—or ask a community-based organization that teaches people how to use computers if you can have access to their equipment after hours.
If you plan a seminar to educate the community about child support services, you can accept gift certificates or products—children’s clothing, toys, school supplies—to give to the parents who attend.
See if professional associations for business leaders in your town—or business students at your local university—offer assistance in writing grant applications for deserving community projects.
Bar associations and law firms may have pro bono programs that offer free or reduced-price services to community members. Forge a partnership with these programs to receive legal services for your organization, or referrals for your clients.
The Hispanic National Bar Association is one resource. Check your Yellow Pages or search online to find bar associations and law firms in your area.
If you are holding a public meeting and need extra space, collaborate with another organization that has a larger office. This approach is particularly effective if your meeting will involve potential clients who are unfamiliar with—and perhaps hesitant to use—child support enforcement services.
For example, if you are hosting a public meeting with a community-based organization for Hispanic immigrants, have everyone gather at your partner’s office. The attendees will gain a feeling of comfort and trust from the setting, you will have the needed meeting space, and your partner will receive your assistance with the meeting logistics and costs.
To supply your meetings with food and drink, collaborate with a nearby grocery store, restaurant, or Hispanic market. Offer to recognize your partner at the start of the meeting and include a thank-you sign with your partner’s name.
You can do the same for meeting travel expenses; join with another organization that will assist in paying transportation costs and thank that organization accordingly.
Contact a nearby college or university to see if it has an internship program. A joint venture with it could land you a valuable office helper. Depending on their courses of study, students could assist either with administrative tasks or with intake.
Contact your local printer to ask for free or reduced-price printing of…
In return, include a “printing provided by” line on each of your materials.
Join with a public relations firm—or a professional association serving communicators—that offers its publicity services pro bono.
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