Testimony from Louis Rodriguez, Ph. D. MBA. MSW, Executive Director of Senior Living Options, Inc.

“When Senior Living Options, Inc. needed to improve fundraising capacity, the Hispanic Federation was there to help us navigate the process of applying for and securing a Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund grant to create a Three-Year Individual Donor Cultivation Plan with amazing results. Here are two reasons why:

First, the Hispanic Federation provided excellent technical assistance on the grant application process. As a first- time applicant, we had many questions on how to fill out forms and budgets. The Hispanic Federation’s staff provided answers to our questions that were comprehensive and easy to understand. No question was too small, and no questions were left unanswered.

Second, follow-up was immediate. When we needed direction on how to a complete a task, the Hispanic Federation staff responded immediately to our inquiries thereby enabling us to submit timely reports. We truly felt that the Hispanic Federation’s staff did an excellent job of guiding us through the grant making process.

With a grant from Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund, Senior Living Options, Inc. has increased its fundraising capacity because we have:

Developed a Written Case for Support- which prospective donors can view on our website and understand how their donations will make a difference by keeping families at risk of homelessness out of shelter.
Developed Donor Cultivation Software, which enabled us to develop and maintain a donor database that we can use to track donors over several years.
Provided the Board with training on fundraising best practices- that educates Board members how to be fundraising Ambassadors for the agency.
Developed metrics to evaluate our fundraising success- which enables Senior Living Options Inc. to track the number of donors, amounts raised, donor retention rate and much more.

If your organization needs to build capacity in the areas of governance, administration or program, the Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund and the Hispanic Federation can help you achieve excellent results just like they helped Senior Living Options, Inc. build fundraising into an area of excellence.”