You Said It — Share Your Passion With the World
Your voice, ideas and engagement are important to help us accomplish our mission. We encourage you to share your ideas and efforts to make the world a better place by submitting a “You Said It”.
“You Said It” submissions are similar to OpEds — written features which explain an issue and recommend solutions, using supporting information and, where possible, helpful visuals.
An excellent “You Said It” can earn a nonprofit that you champion a $1000 donation from the Make It Better Foundation and and eligibility for a Gala Media Partnership for greater engagement with our audience too.
Read more about guidelines and how to submit a You Said It
Philanthropy Awards
The Philanthropy Awards, a keystone program by the Make It Better Foundation, honors organizations that demonstrate outstanding contributions to their communities. This annual competition is devoted to recognizing, elevating, and amplifying impactful and effective nonprofits who are making a difference. The Make It Better Foundation’s Academy of Judges, which includes venture philanthropists, past winners, sponsors, and thought leaders, plays a pivotal role in selecting winners based on criteria such as excellence, scalability, efficiency, leadership, and overall effectiveness.
Recipients of the Philanthropy Awards receive an awards package valued at over $25,000, further supporting and celebrating their invaluable work each year.
Open to organizations serving the Chicagoland area or those with a national focus, the Philanthropy Awards serve as a platform to celebrate and empower nonprofits making a substantial difference. By fostering excellence, scalability, and leadership, this program exemplifies ‘Make It Better Foundation’s commitment to philanthropy and community betterment.
Read about our most recent winners and find out how to apply for an award or become a judge or sponsor.
Better Makers — Celebrate Fundraising Successes and Nonprofit Supporters and Champions
“Better Makers” articles are post-event recaps that showcase the essential highlights of your fundraising event, including event title, venue, date, funds raised, organization and event leadership, host committee members, emcee, celebrity appearances, honorees, entertainment, major sponsors, and engaging, high-quality photographs from the event. A strong “Better Makers” submission should also highlight the mission and impact of the organization being supported, backed by research and data, with clear examples in the submission along with impactful photos showcasing the work of the organization. Lastly, submissions should end with a clear call to action to readers to support the organization. View an example here.
Learn more about Better Makers and how to submit one.
Grant and Partner Content
We understand the power of storytelling that not only informs but also deeply resonates. When your organization is awarded a grant and content partnership, we will collaborate with your key players and champions to create content to reach your desired audiences in the most impactful format possible. Examples of this content include:
- Inspirational and Advice Articles: Impactful storytelling with actionable advice and calls to action.
- How to Help: We provide simple, straightforward ways to take action in response to both immediate, urgent needs, such as natural or man-made disaster responses and ongoing needs such as blood donation and food for the homeless and food insecure.
- Give Time, Things, Support: A place for nonprofits to share their urgent needs with readers.
- MIB TV/YouTube Channel: Videos that teach, engage and mobilize.
- Pre-event and Better Makers post-event coverage
Matching Grant Campaigns — Incentivizing Support
When you launch a matching grant campaign for your organization starting with a minimum of $10K seed money, we will amplify your campaign at no charge by writing and posting your story on our website to share with all of our 40K+ Better Letter subscribers. In turn, please share that same story link through your network of supporters, sponsors, and followers to repost to their networks. Once the campaign is over, tell us your success story. Coming together, networking, and supporting those around us is the key to a better world. Our matching grant program is philanthropic collaboration and connectivity at its best!
Gala Media Partnership
A Gala Media Partnership is a collaboration between the Make It Better Foundation and your nonprofit to broadly amplify your organization’s mission and your event’s fundraising goals and event highlights pre-event, and successes post-event.
We welcome the opportunity to enter into a media sponsorship of your event in tandem with a content partnership agreement as an essential element for success.
We use storytelling to highlight and promote your event, messaging the mission of your organization along with the key components of the event, including event leadership, host committee members, emcee, celebrity appearances, honorees, entertainment, major sponsors and more.
Media sponsorship of your event typically also includes Better Makers post-event coverage, with specific coverage plans determined on an individual basis.
To be considered for a Gala Media Partnership, please submit a You Said It.
