Fall Funder Series: A Discussion with Shireen Zaman, Program Officer, BUILD // Ford Foundation
This week on my Business Behind Fundraising Podcast, I launched Part One of a Three-Part Fall Series featuring funders we all admire! Skip ahead and LISTEN HERE.
Many of you saw that earlier this year I was fortunate enough to teach a webinar through The Chronicle of Philanthropy with Shireen Zaman of the Ford Foundation’s BUILD program.
It was all about how nonprofits can start securing more general-operating revenue. I didn’t know it at the time, but that webinar (and the questions in the Zoom chat) are why I decided to do this Fall Funder Series on my own podcast!
As you can imagine, pushing on a historically taboo topic like this brought up lots of questions. So many questions, that I had more!! Thus, this podcast interview….
Here’s the snapshot from my time with Shireen:
[05:50] Flexible Funding is here to stay! With the BUILD Program, Ford Foundation’s institution-wide commitment to gen-ops support is nearing 70-80% of their funding. Their research on how other foundations are responding…
[08:30] Funders DO UNDERSTAND OVERHEAD COSTS…What if you factored in 20-30% into each grant submittal?
[10:10] Shireen describes their approach as “the grantee in the driver's seat”. What does that partnership look like at BUILD?
[12:00] What do REAL RELATIONAL CONVERSATIONS look like between Shireen and the BUILD grantees? (EDs - Shireen has been in your shoes before! Hear the advice she gives (as a former ED) when building relationships with funders and having honest exchanges.)
[17:00] Shireen shares a current example of a BUILD grantee in start-up mode. She refreshingly asked them, “If you were paying everyone at market-rate, what would your actual budget be?”
[18:40] How you can help your program officer make the case for you!
[22:00] Shireen’s advice for YOU on seeking and navigating multiple relationships within an institution…(this is good…don’t miss this part!)
[22:00] We addressed the BIGGEST question we received during our webinar,which was, “If the organization is not open-call, how do I get in the door?”
[29:00] Did anything surprise Shireen about moving from the nonprofit organization-side to the institution-side of the sector? “It’s not as easy as I thought to give away money!”
This was a really fun interview for me! Mainly because I was thinking about how Shireen answered so many of questions I hear from my clients every week! It’s a real treat to get advice from such an influential and esteemed funding institution.
I’d like to say a big thank you to Shireen for her time, honest answers, and candid advice!
WATCH ON YOUTUBE
Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:
👣 Follow me on LinkedIn here where I share the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and adding 7-figures + to their bottom line.
🍎 Read my GUIDE! THE TRUTH ABOUT GIVE/GETS :: Top 5 Reasons Your Board’s Give/Get Is Leaving Thousands (Sometimes Millions) on the Table. See how limiting board members to the Give/Get model restricts gifts and keeps your staff from reaching their full fundraising potential. Here to get it.
📈 Work with me to scale your org's revenue by 2-5X and fund your organization’s Strategic Plan // If you’re a business-minded CEO already raising MILLIONS but need to diversify revenue and secure more general-operating dollars to invest in growth, you can apply to work with me here.
