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NEW Grant Writing Course for Beginners!

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If you want to learn the secret to being a successful grant writer, then you’re in luck. I’m spilling the beans.

The focus of my upcoming grant writing workshop will focus on the most crucial component of writing winning grant proposals.

The course starts Monday, April 30th. After watching this video, click on the link on the right side of the home page to find out all the details.

Hope to see you in class!

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Practice Makes Perfect!

The Key to Becoming a Great Grant Writer

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In the book Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell says it takes roughly 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field.

Based on studies in elite performance, Gladwell contended that it’s “an extraordinarily consistent answer in an incredible number of fields … you need to have practiced, to have apprenticed, for 10,000 hours before you get good.”

This theory has been debated and often refuted. Gladwell admits there are some fields that this theory doesn’t apply to, sports, for example. In a response to the misinterpretation of his rule, Gladwell said the point is simply that natural ability requires a huge investment of time in order to be made manifest.

To become good at something you must practice. For the average person, it doesn’t just automatically happen.

If that’s the case, then why do many people assume you can become a good grant writer by taking one class?

That’s an unrealistic expectation.

I frequently tell students in my grant writing courses that the only way to learn to write grants is to actually write them.

You get better over time. Even in the failures you learn something. Actually, when it comes to writing grants, you learn more from your failures.

So, don’t put unrealistic expectations on yourself after taking a course. Accept that you won’t know everything all at once.

The worst thing you can do is take a course and do nothing. Instead, here are some concrete things you can do. 

  1. Volunteer your services. There’s a nonprofit organization that would appreciate anything you can offer to assist them in raising funds. Even if you can’t command a fee for your skills, you will be rewarded with experience, which ultimately builds your confidence and your resume.
  2. Connect with professional organizations in the nonprofit and grant writing industry. The more people you can network with, the more you can learn about what’s happening in your community. This will also give you the opportunity to let people know that you’re a new grant writer and you’re looking to get involved in a project.
  3. Invest in an online subscription to stay abreast of grant opportunities and relevant industry news and events. A few examples include, Foundation Center, Grant Professionals Association, and Grant Station.
  4. Enroll in more courses. Select courses that build on the skills you’ve already gained, not just rehash the same things you’ve already learned.

If you’re looking for a new grant writing course, I have one that begins Monday, April 30th. It’s called Strategic Storytelling: The Secret to Being a Successful Grant Writer.  It will provide you with the practice you need to get better. Registration is open now.

 

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How to Brag for Financial Benefit

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Whenever I’m working as a grant reviewer, I can always tell when an applicant is trying to hide the fact that they are unqualified for a particular grant. They tend to tell you everything THEY want you to know, but nothing of what was asked for. In particular, they boast about all the great work they’re doing, whether it’s relevant to the proposal or not.

For those applicants their favorite section is the organizational history. And it should be yours too.

This is the section that allows you to go all in by tooting your own horn. This is where you get to brag about your organization, your programs, and your staff.

Every grant will ask about your organization’s background because they want to determine your credibility and capacity to implement the type of program in which you are applying. This section is typically referred to as the organizational history, organizational background, or organizational capacity.

Here are some components that should be included in this section:

  1. Mission Statement – describes the purpose of your organization. It’s the core activity your organization was formed to do.
  2. Vision Statement – describes the ultimate objective of your organization. What is the “pie in the sky” goal you want to accomplish?
  3. Staff Credentials – list the credentials and educational background of your key personnel. You only need to identify the personnel relevant to the project you’re proposing (i.e. Executive Director, Program Director, Evaluator, etc.)
  4. Organization’s Experience – indicate the organization’s experience serving the target population and experience running your type of program. This demonstrates credibility and it’s especially important if you’re working with a very specific population (i.e. at risk youth, mentally and physically disabled individuals, substance abusers, non-English speaking individuals, etc.)
  5. Accreditations and Certifications – describe any special accreditations or certifications that your organization holds that are relevant to the project.
  6. Years in Operation – include how long your organization has been in operation. An extensive history speaks to your experience and credibility. If you are newly formed, discuss the relevant experience of the founder prior to forming the organization.
  7. Community Partners – describe any community partnerships with established organizations. This demonstrates the community buy-in and assures the funder of sustainability after the grant award expires. You can also lean on the experience of your community partners if your organization is newly formed.
  8. Fiscal Capacity – include a statement about the financial capacity of the organization. Indicate your financial history and experience managing budgets equivalent to the funding you’re requesting, especially if it’s a request for major funding. You also want to indicate if your organization has regular independent audits and follows standard accounting principles.

These are the basic elements that need to be included in your organization’s background.

If you’re submitting a major proposal, then you should have at least one full page describing your organization. If you’re submitting to a foundation, or writing a simple letter of intent or case statement, then two to three paragraphs should suffice.

Finally, once you write a great organizational statement you can cut and paste it into any proposal, as appropriate. The bulk of this information will always remain the same.

If you’d like to learn more about writing grants, my NEW course – Strategic Storytelling: The Secret to Being a Successful Grant Writer –  is open for registration.

Until next time…

Peace & Blessings!

 

 

 

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Lessons Learned from Grant Writing 101

What the Students Taught ME!

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I just wrapped up my online grant writing course – “Grant Writing 101: The ART of the Skill.” No matter how many times I teach my basic grant writing course I enjoy it. Most of all, I always learn something new.

The greatest revelation I’ve had recently is you have to teach true “beginners” from a different perspective. It’s one thing to know how to do something. It’s quite another thing to try to relay that knowledge as a new concept to someone who has no exposure to it.

The past few weeks I’ve been exposed to people who not only don’t have any grant writing or writing experience, but they haven’t even worked in the nonprofit field.

There are so many things I’ve taken for granted because I’ve worked in this field for so long. New students remind me of that.

Now, I must think differently about how I approach my lessons. This is another reason I’ve found the writing assignments to be so crucial. It shows me where people are in their writing, so I can build from that.

The best thing it shows me is how I need to modify my teaching style and adjust my format. That allows me to meet them where they are and help elevate them to where I need them to be.

Upon completion of every course I teach, I take the lessons I’ve learned and incorporate them into my next course. So, my next course is ALWAYS my best course. I keep improving every step of the way.

I’m constantly inspired to elevate my teaching game. Best of all you get the benefit of those lessons learned.

Here are a few things I’m changing for my next course:

1. I’m adding an additional week so I can leave room to build a foundation with an exercise that primes the students for writing. 

2. I’m dropping the recorded modules and making the course ALL live. The students in this last course really benefited from the live coaching. It was their favorite part. It helped them more than anything else.

3. I’m assigning a real grant instead of a mock grant. The mock grant omits too many crucial elements. It makes it harder for the students to engage in the full writing experience. By giving them an actual Request for Proposals (RFP) to guide them, it makes it easier for them to produce valuable content.

4. I will keep the class size small. If I enroll more than 10 students, it negates from the personal attention I desire to give. It’s difficult to effectively coach a large group.

These are just a few things I’m changing. I won’t give away everything. You’ll have to sign up to learn more.

My next course will begin on Monday, April 30, 2018.

Let me forewarn you – this course is NOT for someone who is not committed and who doesn’t want to write. Participating in the writing assignments is mandatory. The only way to learn to write grants is to actually practice writing them.

Click here to register!

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How Bad Do You Want It?

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I’ve been teaching my grant writing course in a classroom setting for the past three weeks. This is a course that was promoted as being hands on, meaning you will have to participate in writing assignments. It was designed this way because so many people have told me they want to actually write a grant in a class setting. Whenever I offer a mini-workshop it never appears to be enough. People want more.  That’s why this particular format was perfect. It allows me to offer more time to develop the skill.

Here’s what I’ve learned from this course experience, as well as a previous online grant writing course I facilitated, most people don’t want to do the work. They seem to want instant gratification.

There is no magic formula to learn how to write grants. You don’t just take a course, listen to the instructor and then go out and get millions of dollars in grants. If it were that easy everybody would have grant money.

As in all things in life, you have to do the work. Grant writing is not for the faint at heart. It requires a lot of work and a lot of sacrifice. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to pull an all-night writing session to get a grant completed.

It’s never going to be convenient to write and submit an actual grant proposal, even if that’s your only job. Life happens and it’s always going to infringe on your deadlines.

As I have often said when talking to aspiring nonprofit leaders: “You have to put in the time and the work.”

Just because you have a nonprofit organization with a tax exempt status from the IRS, the money is not going to just start rolling in. The same applies for grant writing. Just because you enroll in a course, it doesn’t mean you’re going to instantly know how to write winning grant proposals.

You have to put in the effort. The ONLY way to learn how to write grants is to just write them. You won’t get funded for every proposal you submit, but with every experience, you WILL learn something. Everything you learn will make it that much easier to write the next one.If you’re consistent, and keep getting better, you will eventually get funded.

In the meantime, be committed to doing the work. If not, I can assure you, you will not be successful. The same attitude you have towards participating in class assignments, you will carry over into the real world once you start writing.

There are NO shortcuts. You have to do the work. The competition is too fierce for you to submit mediocre work. The people who get funded give it their all and it shows in their work. When you phone it in, and just submit anything, that shows too. Those types of applications never get funded.

If you want to run a successful nonprofit organization that is consistently funded, then you need to put in the work. If not, why bother?

So, I’m leaving you with this final question, “How bad do you want it?”

Grant Writing 101 Starts Soon!

NEW Fundamentals of Grant Writing course starts Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at Atlanta Technical College. This course is 4 Sessions that will be taught weekly on campus.

There are still seats available. Here’s the link with more information about cost and content.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/help-granted-fundamentals-of-grant-writing-tickets-36905541468 (copy and paste link into browser)