Affordable, effective communications and marketing products to drive sales, raise brand awareness and achieve organizational goals

Fundraising Plans

Your fundraising plan should employ a suite of strategies and tools to help achieve your financial goals – among those tools is accurate, consistent and persuasive messaging, employed over a span of products.

If you and your organization are approaching foundations for grant applications, a standardized series of products will be essential to efficiently make multiple approaches.

The Foundation Grants Checklist

Your Foundation Grants Checklist compiles a collection of commonly requested data for Foundation Grant Applications. Having these data available helps minimize time spent in producing persuasive and successful grant applications.

These products include:

• Cover Letter – introduce your organization and make a case for why funding your organization or programming is in alignment with a particular foundation’s goals.
• Organizational information – outlines the size, quality and character of your organization and its ambitions. This will include your charitable registration number. Includes your mission, vision, values and organizational goals.
• Organizational history – an opportunity to demonstrate the impact your organization has made, and prove its longevity.
• Audited financial statements – as prepared by your professional bookkeepers, these are regularly required to demonstrate financial independence, prudency and the organization’s continuing perpetuity.
• Project general information – clearly outlines all essential details about your project and programs.
• Needs statement – what needs are satisfied by providing funding to your project? What impact will this project have?
• Goals and reporting – demonstrate quantifiable, trackable goals the program or project aims to achieve, illustrating how success will be measured, and what mechanism(s) are in place to report results.
• Project timeline – outlines milestones, deadlines and project completion date.
• Partners and collaborators – a list of allies that are formally affiliated with your project or programming.
• Letters of support – a series of letters from community members, organizational partners and influential stakeholders that support the argument that your program and organization are worthy causes.
• Accessibility / Anti-discrimination policies – Foundations and government grants are increasingly requesting evidence of accessibility compliance and anti-discriminatory policies from the organizations they support.
• Donor recognition plan – outlines how donors are acknowledged.
• Communications plan – a plan ensuring that who you are, what you stand for, and where you’re going is clearly understood and expressed clearly in every opportunity for communications (learn more at this link: click here.)
• Website content – supportive and relevant data, expressed alongside consistent messaging about your organization and its programming. Foundations also commonly request any social media profiles affiliated with your organization.
• One-pagers / brochures – supportive documents provided to prospective donors, left in their keep for their future reference.

Impact

A well-researched and robust collection of the above-listed products and documentation makes foundation grant applications much more efficient, ensuring that the time invested in preparing an application is time spent focused on being as persuasive, influential and eligible as possible.

Let’s get started!

Get the full-time marketing and communications department you know you need, for less than the price of a part-time employee. Gain access to a full suite of marketing, communications, fundraising, sales and branding products and services.

Contact us to start today with developing a strategic plan that helps you reach your marketing and communications goals by visiting this link.

Affordable, effective communications and marketing products to drive sales, raise brand awareness and achieve organizational goals

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Do you have a Crisis Communications Plan in place that effectively communicates what to do and how to communicate your message in the event of a crisis? It is one of the four primary tools of an effective Crisis Management Plan.

1. A crisis communications plan
2. Prevention and risk management
3. Roles and responsibilities
4. Possible scenarios

Crisis Communications Plan

Your Crisis Communications Plan is part of your crisis management plan, which identifies risks before they turn into tragedies, minimizing unfavorable media coverage, customer dissatisfaction, any harm to stakeholders, and facilities security.

What to expect from your crisis communications plan?

Your Crisis Communications Plan:

• supports the Crisis Management Plan
• outlines roles and responsibilities for communications in the event of a crisis
• frames and develops messages
• provides values-based messaging
• addresses how to respond to bad reporting
• strategizes for effective press conferences

What are your risks for a crisis?

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure – crisis management begins with crisis prevention. Every organization faces difficulties, controversies and risks, and your crisis communications plan should carefully consider foreseeable situations and have protocols in place with how to communicate with all stakeholders, including staff members, customers, investors, community members, family and the media.

This begins with identifying potential risks and managing them before they spin out of control, and ensuring stakeholders are informed of any risks, and clearly articulated protocols are communicated that ensure those risks are minimized.

Impact

An effective crisis communications plan minimizes risks and prevents crises before they occur. And in the event of a crisis, provides a communications plan and outlines roles and responsibilities to navigate out of the crisis, with attempts at minimizing any harmful impacts.

Let’s get started!

Get the full-time marketing and communications department you know you need, for less than the price of a part-time employee. Gain access to a full suite of marketing, communications, fundraising, sales and branding products and services.

Contact us to start today with developing a strategic plan that helps you reach your marketing and communications goals by visiting this link.

Affordable, effective communications and marketing products to drive sales, raise brand awareness and achieve organizational goals

Do you have publicly visible and declarative organizational values? Develop and amplify your organizational values and let them characterize your business plans, marketing plans and communications plans, to show the public who you are and what you stand for.

Communications Plans

The Communications Plan centralizes what’s important to your organization and then optimizes and informs all operations and public-facing opportunities to communicate with organizational stakeholders (customers, media, recruits, etc.)

That simply means, the plan will: Ensure that who you are, what you stand for, and where you’re going is clearly understood.

The Communications Plan ensures: whenever you interact with customers, whenever you connect with potential recruits, and whether facing a crisis or an opportunity, who your organization is, and what it stands for is clearly understood and effectively communicated.

These plans succeed when they are firmly rooted in your organization’s values and purpose, and then support your organization’s goals and mission statement.

What to expect from your communications plan?

Your communications plan will affirm and be driven by your organization’s goals and outcomes, its vision as expressed in the mission statement, and its values and beliefs.

What are your organizational goals?

Organizational goals vary from enterprise to enterprise, but can include:

• Profitable income,
• Employment equity,
• Award-winning customer service,
• Community service,
• Charitable donations,
• Impactful advocacy campaigns, etc.

Impact

A comprehensive and carefully designed Communications Plan identifies every opportunity to spread your message and ensure that it’s clearly articulated at every opportunity. Knowing and clearly articulating who you are, what you stand for, and what people can expect from you and your business characterizes every facet of your operations. And when it’s designed in alignment with your organizational goals, mission, vision and values, it translates into continued progress towards achieving success.

Let’s get started!

Get the full-time marketing and communications department you know you need, for less than the price of a part-time employee. Gain access to a full suite of marketing, communications, fundraising, sales and branding products and services.

Contact us to start today with developing a strategic plan that helps you reach your marketing and communications goals by visiting this link.

Affordable, effective communications and marketing products to drive sales, raise brand awareness and achieve organizational goals

Marketing Plans

The Marketing Plan is a management tool outlining how your business remains customer-orientated with the goal for a profitable sales volume, done by making informed choices that help your business identify new products and services, tomorrow’s markets and future growth.

The marketing plan, as a document, provides a unified reference for mediating a consistent message and making informed decisions.

The marketing plan’s success is contingent upon understanding both the identity of your business (who you are and what you do) and the identity of your customers. With a detailed understanding of these elements, informed choices can be made to build a stronger relationship between your customers and you.

The marketing plan is like a road map that helps pick the route to get from Point A to Point B. With a robust and detailed marketing plan in place, your business can make important business decisions on:

• selecting growth opportunities
• which markets to enter, and when to enter them
• branding and identity
• marketing materials
• what to advertise, where to advertise and when to advertise
• pricing
• what to communicate, and how to communicate that message

The choices and goals outlined in your marketing plan will influence your Product Development, Communications Plan, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Marketing Campaigns, Website Design, Media / Communications Policy, Fundraising Campaigns, and more.

Let’s get started!

Get the full-time marketing and communications department you know you need, for less than the price of a part-time employee. Gain access to a full suite of marketing, communications, fundraising, sales and branding products and services.

Contact us to start today with developing a strategic plan that helps you reach your marketing and communications goals by visiting this link.

ICI project aims to fund 20 – 25 inclusive community initiatives

Aiming to address the continued gender gap in leadership for all orders of government in Canada the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM’s) Inclusive Community Initiative (ICI) is accepting applications for initiatives that increase the participation and retention of women in municipal leadership.

ICI projects are delivered by local governments in collaboration with community organizations. The funding is designed to strengthen community capacity to support to women run for, assume or remain in a leadership position.

Local Canadian governments are asked to apply to the first round of applications, which will select 10-12 initiatives (between $5,000 – $10,000 each) that are to begin by March 2022. The deadline is November 5.

To acquire the forms necessary to complete your application, contact women@fcm.ca. Application portal is at this link.

Deadline: November 5.

CanWILL (Canadian Women In Local Leadership), is a three-year project beginning in 2021, that’s part of the FCM’s social inclusion initiatives, designed to increase the participation and retention of women in municipal leadership and support a more diverse, inclusive and equitable environment in the municipal governance process.

In 2021, women hold just more than a quarter of municipal council seats. “This democratic deficit is even more pronounced for women from diverse or marginalized backgrounds,” says the FCM.

“The FCM wants to help close this gap because Canada is better served when women and diverse communities contribute their insights and expertise,” adds the organization. “Their voices enrich our political discourse and inform decision-making.”

The ICI prioritizes initiatives intended to serve underrepresented women, including “Indigenous, Black or other racialized women, as well as youth and members of the LGBTQ2S+ community,” says their press release.

The initiative aims to:

• Strengthen the capacity of women, particularly diverse women, to run for elected office;
• Create a more conducive context for women leaders to thrive;
• Enhance the capacity of municipal stakeholders to address gender-based violence and harassment;
• Mobilize knowledge and sharing best practices across municipalities.

Choose ForthWrite

If your business isn’t big enough to hire a dedicated staff member to develop your marketing and communications vision, then ForthWrite is for you.

Contact us today to develop a strategic plan that helps you reach your marketing and communications goals by visiting this link.

Register Oct. 11, event Oct. 18 – 21

Does your business have products or services that would be of service to Durham Region? Has your business an innovative solution that would benefit the municipal sector?

The Durham Business Showcase Event is an opportunity to introduce your business, your products and services, and how they might benefit Durham’s municipal sector, to Regional staff.

Registrants have an opportunity to make a 10-minute presentation through Microsoft Teams directly to Regional staff – an opportunity to introduce your business, company, products and services.

“The Region of Durham is hosting its first Business Showcase Event that provides businesses the opportunity to showcase their products or solutions to the municipal sector. Businesses will be grouped by theme and given approximately 10 minutes to present their product or service. Regional staff whose work relates to each theme will attend to learn about participating businesses and their services or products.”

– Press release

NOTE Registration is October 11, and can be done by visiting this link.

This virtual event takes place October 18-21, 2021. Each day will consist of presentations grouped by themes. Click the themes below to learn more:

October 18:

• 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Water/Wastewater
• 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Roads/Transportation

October 19:

• 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Facilities construction and maintenance operations
• 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Health/Social services

October 20:

• 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Other innovation
• 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Information technology

October 21:

• 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Administrative services
• 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Planning and economic development

For further details on registrations, terms and conditions, visit Durham Region’s website here.

Choose ForthWrite

If your business isn’t big enough to hire a dedicated staff member to develop your marketing and communications vision, then ForthWrite is for you.

Contact us today to develop a strategic plan that helps you reach your marketing and communications goals by visiting this link.

2021 RBC EPIC Business Model Canvas Competition (BMCC) now accepting applications

Student entrepreneurs are invited to submit a video demonstrating their business model to a panel of judges for their shot at winning some of the more than $15,000 in prizes from the RBC EPIC Business Model Canvas Competition this fall.

The competition is hosted as a learning experience for student entrepreneurs, providing them with the tools to help launch more successful ventures, and invites them to learn about business models, business model validation, and business model canvas, and then demonstrate their understanding through the competition.

The competition is for student-created and student-managed ventures, including new ventures launched by licensing university technology.

Competing teams must consist of no more than five post-secondary students enrolled at least part-time at an accredited institution of higher education in 2021. (Non-students may be part of the venture but cannot participate in the competition, video submission, pitching, Q&A, etc.).

Students are expected to:

• be the driving force behind the new venture
• have played the primary role in developing the business model
• have key management roles in the venture, and
• own significant equity in the venture (if allocated)

Eligibility is ultimately decided by the RBC EPIC Business Model Canvas Competition organizers, who may qualify of disqualify any team based on their interpretation of the “spirit of the competition.” Any questions of eligibility may be asked by emailing epicentre@uwindsor.ca.

More than $15,000 in prize money is available including a $10,000 first prize, $2,500 second prize as well as the Postmedia People’s Choice Award ($2,000 in in-kind advertising) and The KPMG Financial Competence Award ($750). There are another $6,000 available in gift cards, and each semi-finalist receives a $300 gift card to a tech retailer.

For all the details on eligibility, registration and to learn more about the EPIC BMC, visit this link.

Entrepreneurs don’t have to do all of the work themselves – ForthWrite is specially priced for small businesses who know they should be doing more to develop their marketing and communications plans, but are already at their limits juggling their businesses, their customers, their personal lives, and everything else the world throws at us.

For details on products like our marketing plans, communications plans, web content and newsletters, review our list of services or contact us. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Do you know someone between 14 and 30 years of age who are interested in developing their entrepreneurial skills or business idea? The Community iLab’s Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) offers a month-long, eight-session series of lessons aimed at developing entrepreneurial skills and business strategies beginning Nov. 1.

The YEP Fall Program offers the opportunity to learn and network with industry specialists, successful entrepreneurs and peers, that fosters the spirit of entrepreneurship through inspiration, development and networking.

Two age groups can register for the biweekly, 90-minute sessions for a series of live, online workshops that provide the skillsets to take an idea and make it into a business.

Group 1 (ages 19-30) sessions are Monday and Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. each week beginning Nov. 1.

Group 2 (ages 14-18) sessions are Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30 p.m. each week beginning Nov. 2.

Sessions focus on:

• developing the skills to become a business leader
• business communication
• leadership
• self-confidence
• plans and executable business ideas
• business modelling
• the customer journey and identifying the customer
• financial literacy
• public relations
• digital marketing
• market research
• social media trends
• cybersecurity

Fee is $300 plus applicable taxes.

A limited number of full scholarships are available for those who identify the need for financial support, which are requested by contacted learning@communityilab.ca.

Entrepreneurs don’t have to do all of the work themselves – ForthWrite is specially priced for small businesses who know they should be doing more to develop their marketing and communications plans, but are already at their limits juggling their businesses, their customers, their personal lives, and everything else the world throws at us.

For details on products like our marketing plans, communications plans, web content and newsletters, review our list of services or contact us. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

The Endeavour Sustainable Building School publicly opens its resource database

The Endeavour Sustainable Building School has opened its database of resources to the public, offering a variety of tools and information for your own sustainable build.

Their materials encyclopedia is accompanied by installation tips, tools for weighing the pros and cons to a selected material, and advice.  

The encyclopedia itself is categorized by building categories: foundations, walls, insulation, floor and roof structure, cladding, flooring, finishes, windows, water supply, wastewater, HVAC, and energy.

For example, in the flooring category, there is information on earthen floors, hardwood, softwood, engineered wood, tile, linoleum, bamboo, cork, and concrete. Details about the application, basic materials and a rating chart for each category are provided, along with installation tips.

Their concepts and resources are so popular, a Nov. 13 in-person, two-day workshop called Design Your Own Sustainable Home has already sold out. A list of other upcoming workshops is available at this link.

Financial supports

Granting opportunities are available to support renewable and low-emission solutions, education and public awareness, and green development.

Financial supports:

• The Peter Gilgan Foundation supports eligible applicants that make environmentally sustainable residential and commercial developments, while also making strong business and economic sense.
• Toronto’s Eco-Roof Incentive Program offers grants to support the installation of green roofs and cool roofs on Toronto homes and buildings.
• Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (Infrastructure Canada’s GCIB program) are accepting small and medium retrofit projects to existing community buildings ($100,000 – $3 million in cost) on a continuous basis and are funded on a rolling intake basis.
• The Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Sustainable Affordable Housing program offers supports to retrofit existing units or build new affordable housing for higher energy performance.

Application support

Need assistance preparing an application? ForthWrite can help with that. Contact us at this link. Grant Writing is one of the many marketing and communications products and services available from ForthWrite. For an overview, visit Services.