About 10 years ago I was participating in #grantchat (an hour-long grant discussion on Twitter most Tuesdays at noon Eastern) when that week’s particular topic was centered around high-tech grant tools. Everyone was sharing helpful…
Browsing CategoryGrant Writing Tips and Best Practices
The Number One Productivity Tool for You
Even in these strange and scary times, the giant back-to-school supply bins in my local big box store make me smile. It’s the siren call of all those blank pages, pristine pencil leads, and unsullied…
Winning More Grants Is Not an Either/Or Proposition
Are you a plotter or pantser? This is an oft-discussed question between writers of fiction, attendees of writing conferences, and people who while away the hours listening to podcasts about writing. (Dear reader, I include…
Even Professionals Need to Go Back to the Grant Basics
AKA Amanda and the horrible, no good, very bad grant writing week I have been a grant professional for 20 years, and for the past six years taught an introduction to grant writing course to…
Keep Asking: Lessons in Not Holding Back
On this week’s episode of the Fundraising HayDay Podcast (Season 4, Episode 14), Kimberly and I had the great fortune to chat with Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers of the popular podcast, Pantsuit Politics….
Five Ways Social Media Has Helped Me Grow as a Grant Professional
What’s your take on social media? Between doom scrolling, cyber bullying, and the time suck, it certainly has its low points. But on the flip side, it can connect friends and family, provide information, and…
The Dollars are in the Details: Win More Grants with On-Site Research
Are you a grant professional who spends hours alone in front of your monitors weaving words, data, budget numbers, and a cornucopia of requested documentation into grant after grant, day after day? Or are you…
Don’t Chase the Money: Do Your Grant Prospect Research
Picture this: Sicily. 1942. Just kidding, I do love me some Golden Girls, but this is a grant blog post. Let’s try again. Picture this: your boss hands you a federal grant proposal….
The Unicorn of Illinois: A Streamlined, State-Wide Grant System
In 2019 I attended my first National Grant Management Association Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. If federal grant management is one of your duties, then this is the conference for you. I submitted a workshop…
What Diets Taught Me About Collaborative Grants and Fundraising
I have struggled to maintain a healthy weight for years. My goals have nothing to do with the wasp-waisted curves filtered through Instagram posts. Keeping my body healthy for long-term is more my speed, and…