If you haven’t heard the origin story of the Fundraising HayDay Podcast, the long story short is this: Kimberly and I were meeting regularly for lunch to discuss the grant world and life in general, we were both feeling stuck in a bit of a rut, and I had recently...
Have you ever noticed a theme or idea that keeps slapping you in the face? It’s almost as if the universe is telling you to sit up and pay attention. No? Just me? Well, it seems like I’m meant to contemplate my last (nearly) 25 years in the grants profession with the...
Amanda and Kimberly have a combined 50+ years of grant work. To say our cohosts have learned a few things along the way is an understatement. They are sharing their top 10 lessons learned along the way – maybe a few of them will resonate with you.
HayDay Services is bringing you a series of “how-to” articles related to successful grant development. Part 9: Typical Attachments If you’ve ever been in a training session about grant proposal development with my HayDay Services Co-Founder Kimberly, you’ve heard her...
During the 2024 GrantSummit, hosted by the Grant Professionals Association, I had the distinct pleasure of being officially inducted into the Grant Professionals 2024 Class of Distinguished Fellows. I knew I would be recognized during the opening session, along with...
For many grant professionals, the leap from working for an organization to starting your own grant and/or fundraising consultancy is a scary one. There are so many questions, from wondering if you should be an LLC or sole proprietor to what to charge and how to market...
I love the ‘90s. It was the decade of all my high school and college years (class of ’96 and ’00). Music was popping, fashion was questionable (though I did love a good pleather pant and wide-legged jeans), Friends and ER ruled Thursday nights, and I knew the exact...
Foundation and corporate grants are a funding source for many nonprofit organizations, but since these funders are not required to have a website, your best source of information is their annual Form 990. On that document they are required to share information about...
HayDay Services is bringing you a series of “how-to” articles related to successful grant development. Part 7: Evaluation The evaluation section of your grant proposal is often one of the last sections of a grant application. At that point, you may be tired of coming...
Have you ever worked at an organization where you were expected to bring in all the funding plus a million other things? Your title might be Development Director, Grants Administrator, Director of Fundraising, or anything along those lines. But that title alone...
HayDay Services is bringing you a series of “how-to” articles related to successful grant development. Part 6: Program Description I find the program or project description, sometimes called the methodology section, to be the easiest section of a grant proposal to...
People come to the grant field from a variety of backgrounds and their work varies depending on their clients, focus, and experience. Dr. Janelle Harvey’s passion is nonprofits and ensuring they have the resources needed to thrive. She shares her insights on being...
From my birth in 1978 until I graduated from college in 2000, I moved (on average) every three years. And I’m not talking down the street. It was always a different state and sometimes a different country. That’s the life of an army brat. Check those dates, and you’ll...
Many grant proposals allow, and sometimes require, letters of support. Whether you call them support letters, letters of endorsement, or commitment letters, this is a means for funders to see the wide range of “support” for your project or program. They can be...
The fastest road to burnout is overloading your staff. Boards, elected officials, executive directors, and other leaders must understand the capacity of time and resources necessary to develop and manage grant proposals. It is not a solo sport. So before chasing the...
HayDay Services is bringing you a series of “how-to” articles related to successful grant development. Part 3: Needs Statement Whether you are writing a one-page Letter of Intent (LOI) or a 150-page federal proposal, every grant funder wants to know the need/problem...
It’s a bonus episode! In January 2024, Kimberly and Amanda (your Fundraising HayDay cohosts) attended Courageous Leadership training led by Julie Boll. Over 8 weeks we each built and refined our calls to courage, affirmed our skills, and learned what courageous...
Raise your hand if you’ve ever: • Been asked your organization’s overhead cost by a donor. • Had to share your organization’s overhead percentage on a grant application. • Felt inclined to define your agency’s overhead costs. • Realized that your position was an...
What two things are necessary for a sustainable nonprofit? Fundraising and administration. What two things are nonprofits often judged for spending money on? Fundraising and administration. Programs serve people, but you cannot have programs without funding and staff....
Logic models: you either love them or hope you never have to create one. But the truth is, you should not be intimated by one. Simply put, it is a flowchart that highlights the important elements of your planned work and intended results related to a grant funding...
HayDay Services is bringing you a series of “how-to” articles related to successful grant development. Part 1: Grant Readiness School started yesterday in my community, and over the past two weeks my daughter and I have been making preparations for a successful year....
As a grant professional, who you report to and where you sit in the org chart matters. When I worked in local government, my position (Grants Administrator) was nestled in the Administration Department and reported directly to the City Manager/Administrator. I had no...
In 2023, today’s guest (Laura Chynoweth) penned the blog post “Disrupting the Development Hierarchy” in which she spells out why grant writing so often is found at the bottom. Laura, founder and CEO of Grant Fundraising Consultants, joined us to share those reasons...
Each year, the Giving USA Foundation and the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IU Indianapolis releases the annual Giving USA Report. Their goal is to “advance philanthropy through research and education.” The results from the data collected...