Nonprofit Notes
Three Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Wrote My First Grant Proposal
I had no experience or formal training in grants when I wrote my first grant proposal 15+ years ago. Here are three things I’d go back in time to tell myself!
How to Evaluate the Success of Your Grant Program
While it’s easy to focus on the big numbers of a grant program, establishing key performance indicators can help set realistic goals and reduce burnout.
Deciding Whether to Pursue a Grant
With so many grants out there, how do you decide which ones to pursue?
Solving the Mysteries of Public versus Private Funders
Considering you have limited resources and time, funder research is critical in helping you decide which funding opportunities to pursue. While public grants can be a bureaucratic maze, researching private funders can feel like it takes serious investigation. Read on for the difference between public and private funders.
How My RV Lifestyle Taught Me to Embrace Uncertainty
What I’ve learned on the road (and in running my own business) is that I need to learn how to exist in discomfort. For me, discomfort comes in the uncontrollable.
My 4 Shortcuts for Reviewing a Funder’s 990-PF
Too busy to read a funder’s entire 990-PF? Here are my favorite shortcuts.
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Measuring and Reporting Your Nonprofit’s Internal Demographic Data
Nonprofits are accustomed to providing demographics about the populations they serve, but funders want more demographic information than ever before. Is your nonprofit ready to answer funders’ questions?
The Top 3 Grant Mistakes to Avoid
Here are the three top grant mistakes I’ve seen and ways to avoid them.
How to Find New Grant Opportunities
There are a variety of paid and free grant opportunity search engines available. Here are a few of my favorite ways to find new grant opportunities, plus some tips and tricks.
What it’s like to be a digital nomad
Lessons from 18 months as a full-time RVer and digital nomad
“Are grants even worth my time?” (Part 4)
Part 4 of a four-part series that addresses questions you can use to evaluate whether grants are the next step for your organization. Are there other fundraising mechanisms you should pursue?
Systems Thinking in Nonprofit and Grants Management
Working harder, not smarter? Here are five topics your nonprofit and grants team can consider to work more efficiently.
Tired of recreating the grant narrative wheel?
We tend to use the same language over and over again in one grant application or another, and we’re usually combing through our memory to find the most up-to-date language. Consider creating an institutional language document as a repository of all that information, and save yourself time and sanity.
“Are grants even worth my time?” (Part 3)
Part 3 of a four-part series that addresses questions you can use to evaluate whether grants are the next step for your organization. Do you have the right team in place?
What we wish funders knew
You know what really grinds my gears? Time-consuming grant application requirements. If you had the ears of your funders, what would you say?
“Are grants even worth my time?” (Part 2)
Part 2 of a four-part series that addresses questions you can use to evaluate whether grants are the next step for your organization. Is your project or program fundable?
“Are grants even worth my time?” (Part 1)
Part 1 of a four-part series that addresses questions you can use to evaluate whether grants are the next step for your organization. Why do you want to pursue grants?
Music on the Road
I’m unpacking the music I’ve seen on my journeys so far this year. What music are you seeing this summer?
Reflections on Strong Women
On International Grant Professionals Day, I’m reflecting on two of the women who helped me get my start.