It is often easier for corporations (individuals, too) to give non-monetary goods than it is money or grants, especially when tightening budgets. This is called the Law of Surplus. This article will introduce the Law and provide an example and give you 2 challenges to apply it to your work and personal life.
A common mistake many beginning grant writers make is to focus solely on asking for money. They don't take advantage of a secret that I never learned until I had 8 years in the business.
The Law of Surplus states that corporations are more likely to give what they have a "surplus" of. If they have a surplus of profits, they are able to give money. If they have employees, they might be willing to donate labor for a fundraiser or special event. You've probably heard of this when a corporation adopts a nonprofit. If they have a surplus of products or services, they are prime candidates for you to approach for tangible items you need for your projects.
The Law also states that if there is no longer a surplus, don't waste any more time looking there. Instead, look for where the surplus is. In other words, if the surplus of profits is gone and corporations, like individuals, are tightening their finance belts, they are less likely to give money. Why? Because there is "no" surplus to draw from.
However, it doesn't take much effort to find the gold mind of surpluses of goods hidden from your view. For example, a restaurant may be willing to prepare and donate food for a fundraising event. A conference center or college might donation a room while local musicians donate music and entertainment. Likewise, a construction company may be willing to donate building supplies, even labor, to renovate classrooms.
Example
One student told me that she was having "no luck" getting a grant for $85,000 for fencing she needed for an animal shelter. You see the wolves were digging beneath the wooden fence they had. What they needed was a metal fence buried far enough that the wolves couldn't dig under.
Instead of asking for money - like she was doing unsuccessfully - I invited her instead to look for the surplus of what she actually needed... fencing. Who has a surplus of fencing? Answer: A fencing manufacturer.
The Law of Surplus says that if a surplus of money isn't readily available, try another surplus. She found a business who not only donated the fencing, but the labor, too, to install it. She didn't need money after all. She needed fencing. And, she got it! $85,000 worth of fencing and labor... everything donated!
The point is that corporations are great sources of surpluses for what you need. You can take advantage of the Law of Surplus by focusing first on what you need. Then, ask, "Who has a surplus of this?" Keep in mind there may very likely be a corporation someplace who has a surplus of that very product you need right now.
By sharing their surplus with you, they are donating something they actually have. Their out-of-pocket expense is limited while the benefit of giving is not. They can even get a tax write-off in most cases.
In summary, one way to strategically use corporations is to maximize the power of the Law of Surplus to your advantage. Look first for non-money donations.
2 CHALLENGES: 1 Work & 1 Personal
Here's 80% challenge at work: challenge yourself and your agency to get at least 80% of the items needed for your next project donated. Then, leverage these donations to ask for actual money.
In other words, once you get things donated, when you ask for money, you can show that 80% has already been donated by corporations. This makes it super easy for a funder to say, "yes" to the remaining 20% (money) you need that you can't get donated from another source. How can they refuse when there is so much support already!
Here's your personal challenge: identify the surpluses you have personally, like clothes, movies, and say 4 hours a month of your time. Then, find creative ways to use the Law of Surplus to give your surplus to a needy cause, like give your clothes to the Salvation Army, your surplus of movies to the local library, and your extra 4 hours a month to the local soup kitchen for the homeless. In just a few minutes, I plan to donate organic sodas to a local church.
Every citizen ought to know the Law of the Land. There is no excuse for not knowing the law. It will not help a person defend him or herself in a legal crisis. Ignorance can never be explained away.
Even when you have not acted against the law, you might need to know the law in order to protect yourself from people who might violate the law. To know ones rights and privileges is not only beneficial, it rzlaw is absolutely essential. You will never know when the information you have at your disposal might come in handy. Having it ready before any crisis strikes will help you take immensely wiser and more informed decisions which you will not regret later. Just as there are varied disciplines in the field of medicine, there is a wide range of divisions when it comes to law. For instance, everyone knows that you don't visit a general physician for a severe heart ailment. You want to consult a heart specialist in this case. Likewise, for every particular type of law, there are specific attorneys who specialize in that particular field. It really helps to search and identify the suitable attorney for your particular case, instead of heading to the nearest or most familiar attorney for every case.
This article briefly lists the types of law:
Admiralty Law
The Admiralty Law is also known as Maritime Law and governs all U.S. All countries have maritime laws and they are responsible for their vessels regardless of which ocean they are sailing in. Admiralty Law Attorneys represent cases of all matters concerning cargo disputes, oil pollution, fishing regulations, international trade, cargo and injury that takes place on docks and vessels. Admiralty Law Attorneys also offer advice on trade laws, legal matters concerning environmental groups and the protection of endangered species. Admiralty Law also covers freight and passenger liabilities.
Aviation Law
Laws have been instituted by state and federal governments to enhance safety in air traffic. Aviation Laws in the United States govern aircraft operations and the maintenance of aircraft facilities.
Bankruptcy Law
When an individual or a company files for relief of debt, it is termed as Bankruptcy. In the United States, there are specific courts that handle bankruptcy rulings and specialty attorneys who handle these cases. A fundamental goal of the federal bankruptcy laws enacted by Congress is to give debtors a financial "fresh start" from burdensome debts.
Civil Rights
A Civil Rights Attorney has the responsibility of defending the rights and privileges granted to all United States citizens. These include freedom from slavery, freedom to vote, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, freedom of speech and the right to be treated fairly in public places.
Consumer Rights
The Attorney General of a particular state houses the division of Consumer protection and its team of consumer fraud attorneys. Complaints about misleading advertising or business practices that are unlawful can be filed and that division investigates and mediates on behalf of the consumer.
Corporate Law
A corporation is a legal entity created through the laws of its state of incorporation. Individual states have the power to disseminate laws relating to the creation, organization and dissolution of corporations. Many states follow the Model Business Corporation Act.
Criminal Law
A "crime" is any act or omission (of an act) in violation of a public law forbidding or commanding it. Though there are some common law crimes, most crimes in the United States are established by local, state, and federal governments. Criminal laws vary significantly from state to state. There is, however, a Model Penal Code which serves as a good starting place to gain an understanding of the basic structure of criminal liability.
Employment Law Employment law is a broad area encompassing all areas of the employer/employee relationship except the negotiation process covered by labor law and collective bargaining. Employment law consists of thousands of Federal and state statutes, administrative regulations, and judicial decisions.
Immigration Law Federal immigration law determines whether a person is an alien, and associated legal rights, duties, and obligations of aliens in the United States. It also provides means by which certain aliens can become naturalized citizens with full rights of citizenship.
There are still a lot more laws than can be reviewed here.