advice, and having a board indicates that you’re not afraid to
ask for help if you need it. Despite the importance of estab
lishing credibility, Sobhani still advises aspiring projectpre
neurs to embrace their youth. “Don’t hide behind a suit;
don’t hide behind a title. You’re young. Be young.” he says.
specificity rules
You’ve got plenty of enthusiasm, and you’re not letting your
age stand in your way—now what? Be specific. Once you’ve
developed a well-thought-out plan for your project, the
trick is to pinpoint the best people to give you money.
Donors, be they individuals or business entities, want to
understand exactly how their contributions will be used.
And organizations providing grants and fellowships gener
ally require that projects fulfill their specific aims and mis
sions. In other words, if you’ve never taken a marketing
class, you’re in for a crash course.
First, think about how you can cater to each potential
donor, and present your project in the way that best suits
their needs. If you’re seeking corporate sponsorship from
an athletic apparel company to swim the English Channel
for charity, for example, emphasize the physical challenge.
Generally speaking, you’ll have trouble being specific unless
you’ve done your homework. If you’re seeking a grant or
fellowship, apply only to those organizations whose mis
sion directly relates to your project, and be sure to meet
deadlines. Also, don’t scare away potential investors with an
exorbitant request out of the blue; rather, investigate their
sponsorship track record and know ahead of time what
they’re capable of offering. In many cases, corporations list
their sponsorship activities on their web sites. Check news
paper and press release archives and seek out key people
within companies to fulfill your informational requests. In
other words, don’t aim your attention at the president if the
assistant can answer your question.
No matter how specific you are, though, you should still
offer potential donors more than just one way to help you.
If you give them several options, donors will typically
appreciate the chance to choose just how involved they’d
like to be. When Sobhani approached Basel Dalloul, CEO of
Magnet.com, he suggested several ways Dalloul could help
his cause: He could give money directly, throw a fund-rais
ing party (Sobhani’s research showed Dalloul sometimes
did this), fund the bike ride, or sponsor the It’s for the Kids
web site for a year. In the end, Dalloul chose two options:
He immediately wrote the organization a $5,000 check and
threw a party that raised nearly $10,000.
With artistic endeavors, concentrate on your presenta
tion. Approach donors only after you have a focused idea
and a detailed, yet succinct, summary of your project. As a
budding artist, you can also seek the advice of professionals
in your field. Before embarking on her project, Cazabon
wrote letters to producers and editors in the film industry
asking them to share a cup of coffee with her. Of course,
specificity was important. The letter opened with an assur
ance that she wasn’t trying to sell them a script, nor did she
want a job, just advice. Everyone she contacted met with her.
Armed with entrepreneurial skills, any goal remains
within reach—expenses for that eco-challenge, a summer
long stay at a writers colony, even breaking a Guinness
World Record. And if your project is related to a good cause
that stirs your soul, there are grants out there for everything
from business pursuits to educational projects. Perhaps the
only limit is the realization that nothing stands in your way.
So what are you waiting for? O
Boston-based writer Amy Marcott would someday like to pur
sue a project involving creative writing with handicapped and
terminally ill children.
nojamaBK
say...
don t reinvent the wheel. Pick people’s brains and take advantage of their experiences.”
—Andree Cazabon, 26, found funding for her docudrama
“The greatest thing we’ve ever done? print up letterhead. The second you have letterhead (and T-shirts on
college campuses), you’ve got credibility.”
—Stephen Sobhani, 22, founded nonprofit It’s for the Kids
Offer tO generate publicity for a sponsor whenever you can. That might mean talking at a
school, writing articles for the local paper, or passing out hats, posters, and postcards.”
—Nicole Freedman, 28, got sponsorship to train for the Olympics
“Diversity is key. don't put all your eggs into the foundation basket."
—Jared Katsiane, 35, found funding for a variety of film projects
www.experience.com