Most parts of social impact projects in Brazil suffer from a lack of resources
Initiatives afford provides an improvement in the quality of life of populations, but face difficulties in their maintenance.
Every project that seeks to solve a society’s problem and doesn’t generate any profit is a positive social impact project. These projects compose the Third Sector and can be created by individuals, groups of people, governments, companies, universities, religious organizations or any other kind of institution.
Social impact projects are important for society but also for the economy, as they mobilize human resources and materials, meeting various social demands that the government and companies are unable to meet. Besides that, the projects can generate jobs and income for those who act in these organizations.
Most Third Sector institutions, however, face challenges to maintain their activities, compromising their continuity. Among the major difficulties in assure economic sustainability are the lack of a sector responsible for raising material and financial resources and the absence of funding sources.
With that in mind, Lupa do Bem, in partnership with Pitanga.mob, launched a Resource Mobilization Guide. The material provides a step-by-step guide to the diverse possibilities to access resources and shows, in an uncomplicated way, the main strategies to guarantee a successful long-term relationship with funders.
Resources Mobilization
According to Fabiana Rosa, coordinator of Lupa do Bem, the Resource Mobilization Guide was created to show the people involved in social impact projects that they don’t have to be afraid to pursue funding for their activities. “Fundraising shouldn’t be seen as a great challenge, it is possible to start in this area only by taking the first steps”, affirms.
For this, the guide uses simplified language, so that anyone can access it, from those who have never heard about the subject to those who already have some knowledge about it. “When we talk about funding, fundraising, public notices, there is often a complex language behind it and this pushes people away, especially when they don’t know the matter”, explains Fabiana.
The guide also innovates by sharing the main information in a single document. “In general, books about fundraising focus on a specific subject area, so we seek to bring everything that someone needs to know about fundraising in a single document”, highlights.
The many ways to generate impact
Not every social impact project is formalized by a registry, through a CNPJ ((National Registry of Legal Entities), for example. There are collective projects made autonomously and voluntarily, sometimes even with their resources. And there are civil society organizations, known as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
According to the latest IPEA survey (2020), there are around 816 thousand civil society organizations in activity in Brazil. Most of them are concentrated in the Southeast region. The initiatives are, mainly, in the development and advocacy area (36%), followed by religious character actions (29%) and culture and recreation (11%).
Regardless of each project’s registry situation, formalized or not, it is possible to fund resources. The work of an association of indigenous families, that recovers degraded areas in their surroundings can be considered a social impact project in the same way as the work of a collective of disabled women that fights for rights, or even an initiative of a Non-Governmental Organization with nationwide coverage that teaches, groundlessly, programming for insertion in the market.
Social impact projects are, therefore, diverse and can access various forms to mobilize resources. The guide shows that there is no right or wrong when seeking funding, but the sources and strategies are adequate to start investing in the growth of the fundraising program.
Behind every project, there’s a beautiful motivational story
In general, social impact projects arise from the desire to change reality. To this, the guide has a special section on the importance of communication for the mobilization of resources. “A good story about the project helps to create the context for fundraising, generating a deeper connection with the donor”, explains Fabiana.
The stories behind each project, this way, are fundamentals to awaken and maintain the interest of funders in the projects. “A good story is an important tool to inspire someone to donate in a way that no other [story] can”, teached the guide.
For projects to succeed in fundraising, the guide indicates diverse tools that help to efficiently communicate a story. From the main points to elaborate a script and write something moving to an indication of movies and books with motivational stories.
“Communication is a critical factor for success. When we get to tell our story to the right person, at the right moment, in a way that makes sense to them and they get the urgency and importance, she will donate”, shows the guide.
Lupa do Bem publishes good stories of social impact
Lupa do Bem is a project of social responsibility by Sherlock Communications Agency and operates as a social impact news portal since 2021. The goal is to publish small and medium-sized projects so that they gain visibility throughout the website and social media.
Those who follow Lupa do Bem know that each project published has a good story to tell. Here, we have a deep respect for our interviews and always tell what motivated each initiative through moving stories.
From the resident that created an urbanization project on the favelas with green roofs, through the psychoanalysis that set up a space of popular therapeutic training to the young activist invited to participate in a UN forum, there’s always a special memory about each project’s trajectory.
The Resource Mobilization Guide was created precisely to help to strengthen these initiatives: “As we were working on this with the organizations, knowing closer these stories, we realized that many organizations did not know how to raise resources, how to find the right donors, many didn’t have knowledge about the different sources that exist today to raise funds”, explains Fabiana.
The expectation is that Lupa do Bem, along with the Resource Mobilization Guide, can also promote positive social impact. “Since the beginning of Sherlock Communications, we have contributed to social projects, promoting some organizations with our knowledge of public relations and digital marketing. Lupa do Bem was created to potentialize this contribution, so that other companies and people can know the projects and maybe support them, in the same way that we have since the start here in Sherlock”, concludes Fabiana.
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