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!
Get that Grant: A series of virtual classes presented by the Center for Nonprofit Studies.
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!
When it comes to writing a competitive grant application, many nonprofit professionals wonder: “How much data will be needed?”
The answer depends on the funder’s guidelines; but it is always a good idea to be ready to tell your story with data.
October’s Data Institute 2020 hosted by Good Measure and produced by Mission Capital, effectively helped nonprofit professionals see how insights, trends and other data can help increase social impact.
Here are some of the tips I shared as a presenter at this virtual conference. I hope you find them useful in your social impact work.
This month, the Data Institute 2020 hosted by Good Measure and produced by Mission Capital, effectively helped nonprofit professionals see how insights, trends and other data can help increase social impact.
I was thrilled to present a mini-session as part of this virtual conference, with tips that focused on using data as part of your grant proposals. If you’d like to learn more about using data to tell the story of your organization’s social impact, visit the Data Institute’s web site for links to resources.
Susannah Erler presenting at the Data Institute 2020 virtual conference.
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!
Having a compass can help with direction-finding and making decisions about any journey. One of the key tasks for any grant professional is to have a strategy for getting to the “destination”: a winning proposal! To help with these goals, on March 5th, 2020, I’ll be making a presentation called ‘The Grant Writer’s Compass and Discovering Hidden Resources.’
The Grant Writer’s Compass and Discovering Hidden Resources
There are three elements that all Grant Writers should have a firm grasp of as they seek funding: knowledge of your organization; knowledge of your funder; knowledge of yourself (your job).
We’ll cover the ways to gather info on and communicate these elements efficiently and effectively to take your grant writing achievements to the next level. Susannah will share tips, secrets and resources she has developed in her decades as a successful grant writer. We will also have an opportunity for interaction and shared learning; and as an extra bonus, all who participate will be entered in to win a $10 Gift Card from a local coffee shop.
‘The Grant Writer’s Compass’ will be presented at the Austin Chapter of the Grant Professionals Association on March 5, 2020 from 12 to 1p. Link to RSVP: https://bit.ly/2uR2LNI
Susannah Erler, CFRE, took a 21-year career in public radio (starting at Austin’s KUT Radio) and morphed it into her current calling as a self-described Nonprofit Geek. She earned her master’s degree in Business with an Arts Administration (Nonprofit) specialization and is a Mission Capital Certified Interim Executive Director. As a grant writer, Susannah has obtained over $12 million in project funds for nonprofit organizations and educational institutions such as Austin Community College.
Creativity is a word Susannah loves: she has played her violin in several rock bands, she made a documentary about her favorite restaurant (Tamale House #3) and loves to tweet about nonprofits (handle: @GreaterGoodGeek ). Susannah grew up in Austin (but ask her about some of the other places she has lived too) and helps nonprofits in her role as Director of Greater Good Strategies. If you are going to SXSW EDU 2020 she would be delighted if you would attend the panel she is moderating: “Get that Grant! Tips and Trends from Philanthropists.”
Educators! Do you have innovative
project ideas, but are not sure how to get funding? Do you ever wish you could hear
grant information directly from funders?
Get that Grant: Tips and Trends from Philanthropists – a panel at SXSW EDU 2020
This presentation will help education practitioners, administrators and nonprofits who are searching for project funding. The panelists will demystify the grant funding process. These grant-givers will describe what makes a successful project and how to make your grant request shine. You’ll learn what innovations today’s education funders are looking for, how to propose your project ideas and what you need to do to Get that Grant!
Their perspective and information will prove to be indispensable to grant-seekers. The scheduled panelists:
Do you have an idea for the next innovation in education and wonder if it could win a grant? A panel is being proposed for SXSW EDU 2020 that would help education practitioners, administrators and nonprofits who are searching for project funding.
The proposed panel is titled Get that Grant: Tips and Trends from Philanthropists. And we need you, the public, to show your support for this idea during the community voting period (Aug. 5 – Aug. 23, 2019). Please go to panelpicker.sxsw.com , log in and vote-up and comment on this proposal if you’d like to see it at the next SXSW EDU.
One very exciting bit of news is three very strong and knowledgeable philanthropists have already committed to participating! Their perspective and information will prove to be indispensable to grant-seekers. The grantmakers who have committed are:
The Moody Foundation. Bernice Torregrossa, Regional Grants Director, Central & Grants Analyst;
These philanthropists will demystify the grant funding process during this proposed panel. They will describe what makes a successful project and how to make your grant request shine. You’ll learn what innovations today’s education funders are looking for, how to propose your project ideas and what you need to do to Get that Grant!
Please take a look at the video describing the details; and vote and comment here. Thank you very much, and we hope to see you at SXSW EDU.
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.
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.
Bernice Torregrossa, Grants Analyst and Regional Grants Director for The Moody Foundation speaks to nonprofit professionals at the Texas Grants Resource Center
On August 23, 2018, The Moody Foundation‘s Bernice Torregrossa, Grants Analyst and Regional Grants Director for Central Texas, spoke at theTexas Grants Resource Center. She described the philanthropic work of the Foundation, gave information about the guidelines for applying and answered questions from the nonprofit professionals in the audience.
The Moody Foundation is a Texas funder that supports the arts, education, environment, health, and social services. The Foundation accepts inquiry letters on an ongoing basis from Texas-based nonprofits. Over the years, the Moody Foundation has made more than $1.2 billion in grants throughout the state.
greater good geek 