Center for Nonprofit Studies

Get that Grant!

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I just finished presenting a series of classes titled “Get that Grant!” It has been a wonderful experience sharing time with nonprofit professionals who are looking to take their grant writing skills to the next level!

Thank you to the Center for Nonprofit Studies at Austin Community College (aka Nonprofit Austin) for presenting these virtual classes.

This “Get that Grant” series will be offered again (virtually) in July 2022. And the tickets are available on a sliding scale! I hope to see you then!

Susannah Erler (presenter) is with the title slide for the Get that Grant series of virtual classes.
Get that Grant: A series of virtual classes presented by the Center for Nonprofit Studies.

Lessons from Funders

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As a grant writer, I love having conversations with grant funders; I always learn so much. Top lessons have included:

  • If your organization has been awarded a grant, but is having trouble meeting the objectives – reach out to the funder. Have a conversation – earlier than later.
  • If you are thinking of submitting an application and have a question, do read all the materials before reaching out to the funder. You might find the answer in the materials.
  • But if you can’t find the answer in the materials, and if there is a contact listed, do consider reaching out to the foundation for an answer to your question.

So to summarize: communication is important!

If you are interested in learning more about grantmakers’ perspectives, be sure to join me and Austin Community College’s Center for Nonprofit Studies (aka Nonprofit Austin) for the Funder Focus series. These 90-minute virtual presentations will feature conversations with a grant funder – with plenty of time for your questions.

Find details on the series here; and some of the upcoming presentations are listed below. We hope you can join us!

Funder Focus: Connect with Impact Austin – October 28th, 2021 at noon CT

Funder Focus: Connect with The Webber Family Foundation – November 11th, 2021 at noon CT

Funder Focus: Connect with The City of Austin Cultural Funding Programs – December 9th, 2021 at noon CT

Funder Focus: Connect with The Greater Round Rock Community Foundation – January 20th, 2022 at noon CT

Greater Good Strategies’ Director will be hosting a Funder Focus series presented by The Center for Nonprofit Studies

The Art of Finding Grant Opportunities

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It is one of the biggest ‘grant writing secrets’: your chances of obtaining funding increase significantly when you find the right funder to ask.

So, what is the top strategy for finding the right funder?

The strategy is to find the possible funder who is the most probable funder.

This video will elaborate!

And if you want to learn even more, sign up for this online class presented by the Center for Nonprofit Studies; The Art of Finding Grant Opportunities, April 1, 2021, noon – 1:30 p.m.

The Art of Finding Grant Opportunities

Three little questions

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Grant Writers loathe a blank page.

The blank page represents the beginning of a long road ahead.

But what if you had a way to strategically break that long road into manageable pieces? Then that blank page is not so menacing.

One of my strategies for facing a blank page is the “three little questions” strategy. Basically, you boil the information you need into three questions.

I’ll be talking about those three questions and about other grant writing strategies at a 90-minute zoom master class called Effective Grant Writing Strategies: Using Your Compass to Gain Treasures. This class will be presented on Monday, June 22nd, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. (central time) by the Center for Nonprofit Studies at Austin Community College. And as an extra bonus, the Center for Nonprofit Studies is currently offering classes as “pay what you can” because “learning never stops.” Jump in to this learning experience from anywhere in the world; RSVP here. I’m looking forward to seeing you there!


Nonprofits: Get that Grant!

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Grant Writing Class at Austin’s Center for Nonprofit Studies

I am excited about helping nonprofits achieve their missions. Similarly, I love helping nonprofit orgs get grant funding. So I am thrilled to let you know here that I’ll be presenting a day-long Grant Writing seminar at Austin’s Center for Nonprofit Studies on June 26th, 2019. I hope you’ll join me!

Get ready to look at grant writing in a new way – and energize your fundraising efforts! We’ll cover the basics of applications that support nonprofit organizations. We’ll cover:

  • Overview of grant funding
  • Your “success compass” – Top-line information about three key areas will point the way to a strong application. In this class we will focus on what you need to know and how to gather that information.
    • Know your organization
    • Know your potential funder
    • Know yourself (and your job)
  • The application journey – Once you have the facts above, you are ready to take the application journey. A strong application process will help you build a successful application. This class will teach the essential activities of going from step to step to step.
    • Step one: Our Nonprofit Organization has a Dream
    • Step two: We Have Found a Potential Grant Funder
    • Step three: We Have Turned in the Application
    • (Step four: Celebrate Success!)
  • Key tools for success – Now that you have the outline of what you need and how to proceed, this last section will give you practical tips, tools and hacks for crafting a successful application.

I have been writing grant applications since the 1990s and have raised over $11 million in grant funds for recipient organizations.  I also hold a master’s degree in Business with an Arts Administration (Nonprofit) specialization, and am Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).

Here is the link for tickets. I hope you’ll join me to learn more about successful grant writing on Wednesday, June 26th, 2019 from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM at ACC Highland Business Center, 5930 Middle Fiskville Rd, Austin, TX 78752.

Image: Cutrer

Get that grant!

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Grant Writing Class at Austin’s Center for Nonprofit Studies

I am thrilled to share the news: I’ll be presenting a day-long Grant Writing seminar at Austin’s Center for Nonprofit Studies on December 4th, 2018. I hope you’ll join me!

Get ready to look at grant writing in a new way – and energize your fundraising efforts! We’ll cover the basics of applications that support nonprofit organizations; join us if your level is anywhere from beginner up to intermediate. We’ll cover:

  • Overview of grant funding
  • Your “success compass” – Top-line information about three key areas will point the way to a strong application. In this class we will focus on what you need to know and how to gather that information.
    • Know your organization
    • Know your potential funder
    • Know yourself (and your job)
  • The application journey – Once you have the facts above, you are ready to take the application journey. A strong application process will help you build a successful application. This class will teach the essential activities of going from step to step to step.
    • Step one: Our Nonprofit Organization has a Dream
    • Step two: We Have Found a Potential Grant Funder
    • Step three: We Have Turned in the Application
    • (Step four: Celebrate Success!)
  • Key tools for success – Now that you have the outline of what you need and how to proceed, this last section will give you practical tips, tools and hacks for crafting a successful application.

I am excited about helping nonprofits achieve their missions. I have been writing grant applications since the 1990s and have raised over $10 million in grant funds for recipient organizations.  I also hold a master’s degree in Business with an Arts Administration (Nonprofit) specialization, and am Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).

Here is the link for tickets. I hope you’ll join me to learn more about successful grant writing on Tuesday, December 4, 2018 from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM at ACC Highland Business Center, 5930 Middle Fiskville Rd, Austin, TX 78752.

Money image

Image: Cutrer

Twitter for Nonprofits

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Twitter is known for social engagement. Last week it was fun to take the talk of twitter off-line and into the classroom for some educational engagement in real life.

I was excited to share tips in a presentation called Twitter for Nonprofits at Austin Community College’s Center for Nonprofit Studies. Twitter is one social media tool that can be used to Inform, Engage and Move your audience in support of your nonprofit organization.

Here are some of the tips I shared:

  • Know your audience, speak to your audience;
  • Tell your story;
  • Keep posting and interacting;
  • Plan tweets (use a content calendar);
  • Use quality content;
  • Know your goals;
  • Be authentic;
  • Be patient.

Thank you to all who took the class! Thank you to ACC’s Center for Nonprofit Studies. Check out their list of upcoming classes. And happy tweeting!

3 Austin Resources for Strengthening Your Nonprofit Organization

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When you think of people who chose to work for nonprofit organizations, what comes to mind? You probably picture someone with a big heart.

big heart

But a big heart is not the only requirement to for helping others. If you fill your brain with tips and specialized nonprofit knowledge, you can help even more people. There are a number of organizations in Austin that provide excellent assistance to community sector professionals. But there are three that I “geek out” at when I visit them or take a class from them – and I think you will too.

Center for Nonprofit Studies at Austin Community College (CNS @ ACC)

Check out CNS @ ACC’s web site for their list of services. But as a nonprofit geek, I’d like to focus here on their learning opportunities. I have enjoyed offerings such as grant writing, social media, and team-building. One thing I like is that they have classes of various lengths and price-ranges. I have seen free brown bag lunchtime offerings and I have seen multi-week classes culminating in a certificate. There is something for every nonprofit professional at CNS @ ACC.

The Regional Foundation Library (RFL) at the University of Texas at Austin

Do you ever wonder what the secret to obtaining grant funding is? Stopping by the RFL is the first step toward finding out. For more than 50 years, the RFL has served as a bridge between the grant-seeking and the grant-making communities. The staff at the RFL can answer your questions about ways to approach grant giving organizations. But this geek’s favorite tool at the RFL is the Foundation Directory Online Database. You can use it to search for the foundations that are most likely to give you grants. The RFL staff can coach you on the best way to use the Foundation Directory Online and their other free tools.

Greenlights

Greenlights’ mission is to strengthen nonprofits for extraordinary performance and impact. This 501(c)3 organization provides management consulting services, professional development, customized training, in-depth research and more. Visit their site for examples of what you can learn; but one example of a recent Greenlights research report is On the Verge: Value and Vulnerability of Austin’s Nonprofit Sector. This study reports the surprising facts that: Austin is home to nearly 6,000 nonprofits – but 72% have less than $100K in income – and less than 15% have ANY paid staff.

If you start building your knowledge of how to help a nonprofit organization succeed, then visit any or all of these resources – and tell them the Greater Good Geek sent you.

brain

Fill your brain with information about nonprofit organizations – Resources:

Center for Nonprofit Studies at Austin Community College (formerly known as Center for Community Based and Nonprofit Organizations – CCBNO): 5930 Middle Fiskville Rd, #414, Austin, TX 78752, (512) 223-7051; http://sites.austincc.edu/npo/

The Regional Foundation Library: At UT’s Community Engagement Center, 1009 East 11th St., Austin, TX. A call is recommended before visiting: (512) 475-7373′ http://ddce.utexas.edu/foundationlibrary/

Greenlights (formerly known as Greenlights for Nonprofit Success): 8303 N MoPac Expy Suite A201, Austin, Texas 78759, (512) 477-5955; http://www.greenlights.org/

Questions:

Have you used any of these resources? If so, what did you think? Are there other resources that you have found helpful?

Image Credits: S. Erler (first image); Internet Archive Book Images (second image).