Grant Writing

In the latest episode of the Fundraising HayDay Podcast, Amanda and I may or may not have ranted about several things including a trend that really bothers us: the proliferation of grant training programs that promise the moon but deliver very little of substance. To...

I spent what should have been an introvert’s nightmare thoroughly enjoying myself and relearning what it takes to secure more grants. Amanda and I had a booth for the very first time ever to promote our training, keynoting, and podcasting business, HayDay Services, at...

Grant fraud really pisses me off. I’m not talking about mistakes. I get that those happen. Heck, it’s happened to me on more than one occasion. We submit a report days late. We don’t get all the grant funding spent before the deadline. We forget to count the number of...

As I write this in the middle of October, Halloween costumes are vying with Christmas decorations for my attention in the big box store. Thanksgiving tchotchkes are a distant third on a few endcaps here and there.  I grew up as a preacher’s and teacher’s child, so for...

Right now, grant writing feels more solitary and isolating than ever before in my 28 years of experience. The uncertainty around federal and other grant funding sources has intensified this stress dramatically—with agencies announcing massively shortened deadlines...

October 1, 2025, dawned with no approved federal budget. It’s not the first time we’ve been here, but it feels like the worst. It’s reasonable to panic. I’m already wondering about the status of grant funding. How long until the shutdown is over and new grant...

As a recovering Development Director, I have lots of thoughts and feelings about fundraising events. They can be amazing, but there is a huge staff and resource cost involved whether you host an elegant gala, a fun run, an awards breakfast, or anything and everything...

Working in local government, I got to experience an annual performance review for the first 15 years of my career. I hated them. Not because a boss berated me or used it as an opportunity to tell me how many mistakes I made, but because I always found it awkward to...

The idea of failure used to scare the living daylights out of me. And admitting a mistake. Hard pass; no thank you. Zero stars. Do not recommend. It was the perfectionist in me. I never wanted to show a single flaw or misstep. Heck, I wouldn’t leave the house without...

Many Federal agencies are throwing deadlines at us with barely any warning. What used to be about a month of super-focused prep time has telescoped into a few frantic days. It’s ridiculous, ineffective, and feels like it’s being done on purpose at this point. It’s...