I don’t know how you handle conflict, be it personal or professional, but my go-to modus operandi is avoidance. I’ve always been a peacemaker, and when things get uncomfortable for myself or anyone else, I will happily change the subject, crack a joke, or simply sweep...
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,...
Last week Kimberly and I led a workshop for area police chiefs and other command staff. We spent time talking about what grants can and cannot do and how to build a grants team without a grant professional on staff. We spent a lot of time explaining that competitive...
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...
The grant world is split into two very distinctive halves: pre-award and post-award. Many organizations put pressure on their grant professionals to get the grant, causing the focus of our time to live on the pre-award side – conducting prospect research to find the...
Kimberly and I are currently going through the Dare to Lead training created by Brenè Brown. Our facilitator is Julie Boll, a fellow grant professional, whom we had the pleasure of interviewing on the Fundraising HayDay Podcast last year. If you want to learn more...
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...
When I first started working in the grant profession, there was no such thing as grant management software. The phrase “there’s an app for that” didn’t exist, and no one was talking about tools or hacks to keep up with grant deadlines. (I suddenly feel like my father...
The first grant proposal I tackled on my own was a $2 million transportation request to the Atlanta Regional Commission – our area regional commission/council of government that administers federal funds to the 11 counties in Metropolitan Atlanta. To say I was in over...
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,...
I have a friend who is always first in line for the newest iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac Book. She refers to Apple Park (Apple’s headquarters) as the Mothership. She’s my go to when I have a question about these products. I jokingly refer to my son as HayDay...
In August, my husband and I moved our son into his first dorm room. And since that day, I’ve experienced a lot of firsts when it comes to your kiddo leaving home for college. The first week without him joining us at the dinner table. The first realization that I can...
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...
Everywhere I looked in 2023, people were talking about the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other large language models (LLM). The voices ran the gamut from telling us the sky was falling to these tools being the greatest thing since sliced bread. I have never...
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...
The end of the year often brings with it the idea of new year's resolutions, goal setting, and a look over the past year to determine what worked and what didn’t. I’ll confess, I’m the person who always sets resolutions, but within months the best laid plans have...
Last week my friend Cecilia Peredo told a few of us grant colleagues she submitted her first infographic grant application. Needless to say, we all had lots of questions. Turns out, a funder asked for a one-page infographic explaining your proposed project. This...
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....
Way too often, grant writing can feel like an afterthought. Really, though, how many of us as children dreamed of being a veterinarian and an astronaut AND a grant writer. (If you actually did dream of being a grant writer, who hurt you?) Seriously, though. Grant...
My friend Pat Duboise often says, “Music feeds my soul.” I so understand that sentiment. From the time memories first started to solidify in my mind, music was a constant. Riding in the car with my mom to the grocery store, ballet lessons, and a friend's house always...
My first job out of college was in local government, working as an administrative assistant for the city manager. Six months into the job I started helping one of the police officers who had a knack for grant writing. The officer took another job six months later, and...