S. Jones Books and Education

Filling in the Gap (FIT-G) Corporate Sponsorship Campaign

Event: Conference and Gala

Date: Spring, 2024

Location: TBD in Baltimore, MD

 

Filling in the Gaps (FIT-G) Sponsorship Campaign

 

The purpose of this campaign is to raise $1.5 million to hire 10 expert consultants which SJBE can distribute to support the grant writing, grant seeking, and strategic development consulting needs of minority owned, led, or operated organizations pro-bono.

 

The problem as we see it…

 

We often see non-minority organizations winning grant monies and operational funding to support disadvantaged, minority youth. They get the grant funding and are still unable to actually activate change because they do not have a proper connection to the root causes.

 

The minority owned organizations that need the most financial help are the ones who lack the resources to even compete for monies to get it due to a lack of financial resources in the first place. The old adage, it takes money to make money is especially true in the grant seeking world. Not only do organizations need to have proper protocols, legalities, and capacity in place, they most likely need an experienced grant writer to ensure their applications are completed and presented in the most competitive light. These dynamics create looping cycles in which black and other minority owned businesses who are on the ground and doing the work but are grossly limited in their ability to scale and to perform in an efficient way. 

 

Many disadvantaged organizations are unable to scale effectively and quickly due to multi-level, systemic barriers that limit access to necessary resources. Often, due to financial limitations, these businesses are unable to hire expert consultants who can guide and direct their organizational operations by helping them to develop and implement professional operating systems, standard operating procedures, and income-generating pursuits such as grant research, grant writing, grant compliance, and paid contractual pursuits with schools and government entities. 

 

Many minority owned companies are led by a single entity attempting to make it day by day, bootstrapping and piecemealing. Because resources are limited, niche roles that could help them earn more money to support the longevity of their businesses, seem like monstrous undertakings and investing in grant writers and strategic consultants can wipe them out if they do not see immediate wins for grants or government contracts. Grants and contracts are a long-game, meaning an organization should be able to commit to researching, writing, and strategically positioning themselves for at least 3-6 months before they may see a return on their investment; however, they simply cannot afford the $10 - 15,000.00 it may cost to hire an expert consultant for a calendar quarter or more.

 

Additionally, systemic barriers such as having certain certifications, licenses, writing grant applications in very specific ways, and having things such as financial statements are often things small businesses don’t even know they need and are scrambling to get them when a grant opportunity arises. This means they often become intimidated and don’t even try. Having an expert consultant on call helps to position them, in advance, to go up for opportunities and to win monies that help sustain their businesses.

 

The Gaps

 

S. Jones Books and Education Consultants support organizations by helping them to:

• Develop effective operating systems for data collection, data maintenance, and financial reporting

• Reviewing and professionalizing paperwork processes

• Develop standard operating procedures for things such as hiring, firing, sales processes, daily operations, and other programming specific operations

• Develop income generating systems, sales processes, and sales cycles

• Develop and implement strategic planning, partnerships, and positioning

• Build capacity 

• Strategic positioning to prepare for scaling and grant applications

• Research and develop income generating strategies such as grant cycles, doing business with schools, and government contracting

• Write grants and win grant awards

• Ensure companies are compliant with grant requirements by setting up systems and protocols to ensure compliance and continuity with grant awards

 

A solution we can provide…

 

The Fill in the Gap campaign has been designed to address these gaps by hiring 10 minority consultants at the standard industry rate ($60,000-75,000) who will offer services, free of charge, to five minority owned organizations per quarter. These organizations will receive free strategic development/positioning consulting, programming and project design support, as well as grant writing services. We seek to create an ecosystem that puts grant money into the hands of disadvantaged businesses to ensure that they are able to expand their missions.  

 

Client Selection Process

 

SJBE will choose the organizations that receive free services by announcing the opportunity and assessing the candidate’s viability and sustainability as an organization. We will take a systematic approach to selecting the most successful candidates who will take action and maximize the use of expert consultant support. These organizations will work, diligently, to scale and show aggressive improvement with the help of SJBE consultants. 

 

Conference

 

In fall of 2023, SJBE will host a conference that will bring together small businesses and non-profit organizations to participate in a day of interactive, strategic workshops and consulting sessions. This conference will support programmatic development and systems infrastructure. We will plan to host between 100-300 attendees in Baltimore, MD. The workshops will be highly specific and technical. 

 

Gala

 

The conference will conclude with a gala to bring brand promotion and recognition, as well as to celebrate the accomplished campaign. Location TBD