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 organization
Funder Focus: Spotlight on Texas Pride Impact Funds
🌈📢 Calling all Changemakers: Join Us for the next Funder Focus Event! 📢🌈
In partnership with the Center for Nonprofit Studies at Austin Community College, we are thrilled to announce an upcoming online event: Funder Focus: Spotlight on Texas Pride Impact Funds
Event Details: 🗓 Date: March 26th, 2024 ⏰ Time: Noon Central Time (one hour long)📍 Location: Online (Link provided upon registration). Learn more here.
About the Event: Join us as we delve into the inspiring work of Texas Pride Impact Funds (TPIF), a statewide LGBTQ+ community foundation dedicated to creating equitable opportunities and enriching the lives of LGBTQ+ Texans. Robert Salcido, Jr., Program Director will describe the work of the TPIF and give details about their next grant cycle.
Why Attend?
- Gain Knowledge: Expand your understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, advocacy strategies, and the power of grant funding in driving social change.
- Network: Connect with like-minded individuals, nonprofits, and leaders in the field who share your commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable society.
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!
See you at Funder Focus!
Meetup for Nonprofit Professionals
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!
Lessons from Funders
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
The Art of Finding Grant Opportunities
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
Grant Writing: A Focus on Data
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.
The Grant Writer’s Compass
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.’
Thank you to the Austin Chapter of the Grant Professionals Association for inviting me to share this information. The description of the presentation and a link to RSVP is below.
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.
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.”
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?
Well, at SXSW EDU 2020, there is a panel for you: Get that Grant: Tips and Trends from Philanthropists.
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:
- The Moody Foundation. Bernice Torregrossa, Senior Grants Officer;
- The Austin Community Foundation’s Hispanic Impact Fund. Estevan Delgado, Program Manager;
- The Trellis Foundation. Jenny Achilles, Director of Partnerships & Programs.
Click here for more info about SXSW EDU 2020, taking place in Austin March 9-12, 2020.
The Director of Greater Good Strategies (Susannah Erler) will be the moderator of this panel. We hope to see you there!
#SXSW #SXSWEDU #SXSWEDU2020 #EDUGrants
Women changemakers – let’s talk self-care
Some say your life’s purpose something you’d do for free. If that were true, why do so many feel burned out by purpose-driven work? Plus consider that the front-lines of these professions (nonprofits, NGOs, social impact, human services, advocacy…) are highly populated by women. Let’s talk about this! A meet-up is bring proposed for SXSW 2020 to do just that.
The proposed meet-up is titled Women changemakers – let’s talk self-care. 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. Here is a video about it:
Research that suggests 50% of nonprofit employees are either at or nearing burnout (Opportunity Knocks). So, as we do our work, should we keep this metaphor in mind: when there is a problem with the plane, put your own oxygen mask on first?
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 2020.
Philanthropists Offer Grant Tips
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;
- The Austin Community Foundation’s Hispanic Impact Fund. Estevan Delgado, Program Manager;
- The Trellis Foundation. Jenny Achilles, Director of Partnerships & Programs.
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.
Nonprofits: Get that Grant!
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
Amplify Your Nonprofit’s Online Donations
It seems every internet advancement produces a new way for nonprofits to spread the word about their work. Amplify Austin Day is one such way for nonprofits to describe their mission and reach potential supporters.
On January 4th, 2019 the Texas Grants Resource Center Nonprofit Networking and Learning Program presented “Amplify Austin – Your Questions Answered.” The speaker was Christine Herlin, Manager of Nonprofit & Customer Relations at I Live Here I Give Here which is a nonprofit that helps promote philanthropy in Central Texas and whose signature program is Amplify Austin Day.
Christine shared some great information about online giving, such as:
- 61% of donors worldwide prefer to give online;
- 75% of donors use social media as a primary news source;
- 90% of Amplify Austin’s donations from social media come through Facebook;
- 62% of millennials give online & are inspired by social.
Some additional tips as your nonprofit enters a giving campaign include: set your goals as a team, set measurable goals, and set goals that are bold, meaningful and attainable. In 2019, Amplify Austin Day will be from February 28th to March 1st.
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Data Source: I Live Here I Give Here, “Who Is I Live Here I Give Here”;
Image: Erler
greater good geek 