Functional & Funded

For most nonprofits, fundraising is a frustrating necessity, taking precious time and attention they'd prefer to dedicate to their programs. But it doesn't have to be that way. The original and ingenious approach detailed in Harvey Chess's book Functional & Funded: The Inside-Out Strategy for Developing your Nonprofits Resources shows you how to harness the fundraising process to not just win funds, but  to build assets and create a stronger and more effective organization that will gain the confidence of your prospective funders.

By adopting Chess's distinctive strategies you will create an undeniably powerful proposal to use whenever you pursue funding for your organization, be it grant seeking, crowdfunding, or sitting down with a prospective donor. His “business as unusual” system of Integrated Resource and Organizational Development, or IROD, helps you clarify your organization's purpose and unite participants at all levels as you build your proposal. Nothing less than this combination of a strong organization presenting a strong proposal makes sense in these hyper-competitive times. 

The book comes with a reference section of internet resources, as well as a Tool Kit of useful materials to guide and support you, including the Do's and Don'ts of proposal development. A step-by-step IROD guide keeps the proposal development on track, while the book's ease of use allows quick and frequent referencing of the text. To learn how to transform the ever-present chore of proposal development into an exercise in empowerment that will both enliven and enrich your nonprofit, order your book today.

Existing as a nonprofit in today's crowded and competitive landscape isn't easy. As much as you want to devote yourself to the programs your staff and volunteers carry out day in and day out, the specter of raising funds is always with you—a process that can leave you drained and dejected after pouring yourselves into proposals created to suit someone else's priorities. There is, however, a way out of such doldrums; and even if your situation is not dismal, there's a way up to distinction.

In his book Functional and Funded: The Inside-Out Strategy for Developing Your Nonprofit's Resources, Harvey Chess shows you how to not only create that winning proposal, but also how to build a stronger and better functioning organization through the process. You can transform this arduous chore into a litmus test for the overall effectiveness of your organization's work, shore up weak spots, and clarify your purpose—and in the end, come away with a proposal that stands out above its competitors.   

By applying Chess's distinctive system of Integrated Resource and Organizational Development, or IROD, you embark upon "business as unusual”, flipping typical proposal development on its head by documenting needed change rather than a needed program as the basis for your funding request. By departing from conventional wisdom, you can organize a proposal that serves you whenever your organization pursues resources – whether competing for grant funds, joining the throngs for crowdfunding, or making a direct, personal appeal when sitting down with an individual donor.  Wherever it lands, your proposal will be a study in excellence, reflect well on your team and it's work in the world.

But a knockout proposal is not the only thing you'll gain from this book. The soundness of a nonprofit seeking resources directly affects its success in securing them, so the IROD approach includes internal analysis and adjustments designed to improve your organizational effectiveness.

The book's helpful and varied resources include example proposals with annotated comments dissecting the hits and misses of each. A reference section of topical internet resources, a Tool Kit to guide and support you, and a step-by-step IROD guide to keep the proposal development on track, all provide essential elements that will assist your pursuit of funds and your organization as a whole. The book invites quick and frequent referencing, and you'll find yourself using Functional and Funded time and again.

Harvey Chess freely admits not knowing what he was getting into in 1965 when a recruiter for a new federal agency beguiled him by stating that the organization’s mission was to eliminate poverty in this country. Harvey would also freely admit that the experience was his touchstone and a rare privilege because it marked the consonance between the core values he developed and his work since then. Such work has found him working exclusively with and among people in nonprofit organizations as a well-regarded trainer, peripatetic consultant, and fitful volunteer –– and now as an author. Much of what he has come to learn, practice, and cherish is now embodied in this book. A great deal of that background was couched in the ever-alluring arena of grantseeking including years of presenting an acclaimed workshop on that subject. What distinguishes the book is broadening the use of his potent framework for developing grant funding proposals to now include every aspect of nonprofit resource development. You will find this detailed in the book’s core, in the section describing Integrated Resource and Organizational Development. Chess has it in mind to continue writing, while also promoting the book, by blogging on his two websites, one personal, www.chesspiques.com, the other professional, www.fundednpo.com. Meanwhile, he can be found as a grateful soul sharing his life one day at a time with a beloved partner among the redwoods and near the Pacific in Mendocino County, California.