As a development director, city clerk, or solo grant writer, you may often find yourself juggling multiple responsibilities and facing increasing demands on your time and energy. The pressure to do more with less in the workplace or in the heavily staged photos that...
Picture mentorship as a cozy sweater – most folks think you only need it when fresh out of college and shivering in the cold winds of the "real world." But slipping into the comfy career cardigan of mentorship never goes out of style. Over the past 28 years, I have...
HayDay Services is bringing you a series of “how-to” articles related to successful grant development. Part 5: Goals & Objectives Goals and Objectives are a kind of shorthand for an entire grant proposal. In fact, writing goals and objectives really doesn’t feel...
HayDay Services is bringing you a series of “how-to” articles related to successful grant development. Part 4: Budgets When I first started writing grants, budgets were the last thing I wanted to deal with. My focus was on using words to convey needs and telling...
Securing a large grant feels like hitting the jackpot—making all the hard work worth it. But the real work is just beginning. Bigger isn't always better when it comes to grant funding. Grant funding can provide much-needed resources for programs, but often comes with...
HayDay Services is bringing you a series of “how-to” articles related to successful grant development. Part 2: Strategic Grant Seeking If I had a nickel for every time someone told me that Mackenzie Scott makes lots of grants, corporations are a great source of...
I used to dread any grant application that required a logic model. It was just another form to fill out, another hoop to jump through. After a while, I realized that logic models offer a visual representation of a program's key components and expected outcomes for...
I read and write historical fiction and have immersed myself in all things medieval Bruges for a Young Adult historical mystery that is in its final edits with a trusted professional. One of the many things that fascinates about this time are the medieval...
It happens every year, but I still get excited about it. A family cookout? Poolside lounging? A beach trip? A mountain getaway? Nope. I’m talking about the annual June release of charitable giving trends from Giving USA and the Indiana University Lilly Family School...
Whether you're a nonprofit grant writer, a city clerk “voluntold” to write grants, a newly minted development director, or a harried consultant, grant writing is intense. The pressure to meet deadlines, navigate complex requirements, and craft perfectly written...
Winning grants can be a game-changer for your organization. Whether you're running a nonprofit, seeking federal funding for a local government agency, or launching a new program or service, a well-turned grant proposal can transform the community you serve. What’s the...
Being the only person with the word “grant” in your job title, or even mentioned as “other duties as assigned” on an outdated job description, doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. While having a dedicated grant writer, team, or consultant is invaluable, grant...
The pressure to apply for all the grants can be real in nonprofits and local government agencies with unrealistic expectations of this key funding and how it works. But there's a time to say "no." Strategically declining a grant opportunity can actually increase the...
Letters of Intent (LOIs) can be beautiful things when it comes to streamlining your grant-seeking process. Over the past 10 years, more and more funders are using these (usually) shorter applications, or formatting for an actual letter, to screen applicant...
As grant professionals, we often see ourselves as mere intermediaries - facilitating the flow of funds from grant makers to nonprofits by carefully completing proposals, securing required documents, and reporting on outcomes. As grant professionals, we’ve all grappled...
I was badly stuck on what kind of consulting business I wanted to build, and a deep fear of making the wrong decision had really shut me down. A trusted mentor recommended I work with The Enneagram of Personality to gain some much-needed insight. The Enneagram helps...
Did you know that in 2022 alone, foundations, corporations, and the federal government offered over $146 billion in grants? A wealth of resources is available to support your nonprofit's mission, but securing those funds requires strategic planning. All too often,...
While extroverts (like my podcast co-host and training partner Amanda Day) might thrive on large networking events and cocktail receptions, introverted grant writers (yours truly) can excel at building networks too. Our approach may be quieter, but it can be just as...
How many of us dreamed of being a grant writer at age 12? Yeah, me neither. I also never dreamed of being a baker. Yet here I am with 25+ years of grant writing and fundraising experience and an addiction to the lovely amateur contestants on the Great British Bake...
Silos are great for storing fermented hay or corn to feed cattle but make a terrible model for grants and fundraising success. So why do so many nonprofit professionals insist on separating two key revenue-generating functions—rarely working together or even taking...
To help brush up on my Spanish (rusty but serviceable from my time as a US Peace Corps Volunteer) in the months before a trip to visit family in Chile, I started using the free version of Duolingo. Training clients, grant development and fundraising projects, family,...
As frigid winter blankets most of the United States, it may help to think back to the long hot summer of 2023—including the annoying boy math vs. girl math memes—later expanded to dog math, cat math, and maybe even llama math. But how about Artificial Intelligence...
It’s so seductive at the start of the New Year: the frenzy of planning tools, project management systems, productivity apps, AI integration, seminars, webinars, calendars, and checklists that all promise to help you do more things in less time. I am not suggesting a...
Kimberly here: For years I thought I should be a free spirit, ready to go where the breezes pushed me, where the weather suited my clothes, where the party was. I told myself that one day I would love big crowds, last minute surprises, jack in the boxes, and...clowns....