A big thank you to Anna Jaworski, Executive Director of Hearts Unite the Globe, for sharing her expertise with the TechSoup Connect Austin community in our recent session on podcasting for nonprofits. She offered thoughtful, practical guidance on how nonprofits can use podcasting strategically to advance the organization’s mission.
If you’re exploring new ways to amplify your organization’s voice and build stronger connections with supporters, this presentation is full of helpful insights. Watch the full recording below and be sure to sign up for emails from the Austin Chapter of TechSoup Connect for announcements of future presentations.
Grant writing is both an art and a strategy! In my recent presentation for the Austin Chapter of TechSoup Connect, I shared key insights from my years of experience in securing funding for nonprofits. Whether you’re new to grant writing or looking to refine your approach, this session covers essential tactics to align your nonprofit’s mission with funders’ priorities—helping you stand out in a competitive landscape. Watch the full presentation here.
It is one of the biggest ‘grant writing secrets’: your chances of obtaining funding increase significantly when you find the right funding opportunity. Don’t spin your wheels; make sure you’re applying to grant funders that align with your nonprofit organization. Here is a presentation I recently shared with attendees of the Austin Chapter of TechSoup Connect. I invite you to check out this video for steps and strategies for effective grant prospecting.
Nonprofit Professionals – join us for an upcoming online event: Funder Focus: The City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Funding Programs
Event Details: 🗓 Date: April 25th, 2024 ⏰ Time: Noon Central Time (one hour long)📍 Location: Online (Link provided upon registration). Learn more here.
About the Event: Sign up to learn about The City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Funding Programs: Thrive, Elevate and Nexus. These programs support the arts and prioritize equity through a combination of seed funding, broad sector support, and targeted investment. We will be joined by members of the COA Economic Development Department’s Cultural Funding team. Be sure to bring your questions to share during the audience Q & A segment.
How to Register: Ready to be a part of this transformative conversation? Simply click here to secure your spot today! Registration is free for this virtual event.
Spread the Word: Know someone who would be interested in this event? Share this invitation with your friends, colleagues, and networks to help us reach as many change-makers as possible!
Learning and networking are just a couple of the advantages to being a part of a community. Here is a chance for Nonprofit Professionals to learn and grow: join the Austin Nonprofit Meetup group!
This group provides learning opportunities and chances to connect with other Nonprofit Professionals. It also has a Facebook group extension for more conversations! And it is all free. Also since much of the activity is online – you don’t even need to be in Austin to participate.
Check out this link to learn more about the Austin Nonprofit Meetup group. And hop over to the Austin Nonprofit Meetup Facebook group to join the conversation. See you there!
Somehow the notion of having a QR Code feels so…”big time.” Yet, here we are. Greater Good Strategies (GGS) is pleased to announce: We have a QR Code!
Big shout out to Philanthroforce – provider of the QR code. Philanthroforce “matches the right nonprofit to the right consultant.” And Greater Good Strategies (Susannah Erler) is listed on this platform. Check it out!
Oh, and here is another fun and easy way to check it out! An awesome QR Code! (So psyched. Further evidence that we’re nonprofit geeks).
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.”
greater good geek 