August 2023 – Olivia Blase
Resources for Nonprofits in Orlando and Beyond
Running a community initiative, social project, or nonprofit is a lot of work – and for many of Crave’s leaders and alumni, it isn’t always the full-time gig. You have a lot on your plate, with family, jobs, and other projects. We do what we do because of our passion, heart to serve, and personal experiences. Sometimes the administrative, fundraising, and marketing work that it often takes to run a successful project are put on the back burner.
But did you know that there are many free or reduced price resources for nonprofits that can help make your work easier? Crave leaders often start nonprofits in Orlando, but many of these resources are available for nonprofits in other states, as well as unregistered community initiatives.
Resources for nonprofits in Orlando area:
- The City of Orlando offers a variety of initiatives for nonprofits to receive funding, training to be a neighborhood board member, and more.
- The Edyth Bush Institute is no stranger to Crave and is a resource that everyone in the Craveverse should bookmark!
Funding/Finances
- The Awesome Foundation: The Awesome Foundation is a global community that funds small projects with grants of $1,000 – and you don’t have to be a nonprofit to qualify. In fact, the Orlando chapter prefers to fund smaller, grassroots initiatives that aren’t already accepting a lot of funds from donors.
- Free Online Grant Writing Courses with certification: Nonprofit Ready offers a range of free courses online, including grant writing topics. If you want to break into the world of securing grant funding for your project or nonprofit, this is a useful learning resource.
- Pledge: Pledge is an online fundraising tool that covers the credit card fees that other fundraising platforms charge the donor. They have options for small businesses, nonprofits, and even individuals to fundraise.
Marketing/Digital Advertising
- Google Ad Grants: If you run a registered nonprofit, you can apply for up to $10,000 in Google ad credit (must apply and qualify). If you secure the funding, Donorbox offers a thorough explanation of how to effectively use Google ads.
- Canva: Create beautiful graphics and images (like we have at Crave 😉) with a free for nonprofits Canva pro account!
- Mailchimp: If you are or are planning to utilize a lot of email newsletters, Mailchimp offers a forever free plan and then a 15% discount to nonprofits if you want to upgrade.
- Buffer: Manage all of your social media scheduling, tracking, and analytics with this schedule tool. There is a free plan, but if you need to upgrade to a paid plan, they offer 50% off for qualifying nonprofits. Their cheapest plan is $6/month, so that would be $3/month if you qualify!
Admin/Management Tools:
- TechSoup: This is a nonprofit itself that offers free or discounted hardware, cloud services, software, and technology for other nonprofits.
- Copy.AI: If you are up for trying out AI, this writing tool is useful for generating content in multiple languages, improving your writing, and other tasks that will save you precious time and brain power.
If you aren’t a registered nonprofit yet, Merchant Maverick has an overview of the steps to take to becoming one. And if you are a Crave leader or alumni with a nonprofit in Orlando, reach out to your facilitator or info@cravefla.org for further information and assistance about the process!
Crave III Alumni
Crave’s Social Media Coordinator