Don't Let Grants Stress You Out
Growing up, my sister and I LOVED hearing stories from our parents’ childhoods. One story involved friendless siblings Scott and Laura. Dad said they would roam the neighborhood streets, holding hands, skipping, and chanting, “We ain’t got nobody to play with.” I can still repeat the chant today in the same sing-song voice, despite not hearing that story in decades. What made me think…
I was chatting with a colleague at an event and made a comment about “when I was a program officer” as part of my reasoning for the details of my reply. The colleague’s surprising response was, “I didn’t know you had been a program officer for a foundation!” Now, I am not implying that everyone should know everything about a colleague’s background, least alone mine….
For years, I kept my head down and did the work. I cranked out the grant applications. I followed the rules. I submitted reports on time. I sought permission, in writing, when changes were necessary for programs and budgets. I explained that grant money is not our money to my colleagues, bosses, and board members. I attended workshops. I built relationships with funders. Rinse and…
Researching grantmakers is an art that each individual grant professional creates a system for based on the variety of tools that they become comfortable with. Regardless of which tools you use to conduct your grant research, or whether you are focused more on government than foundation, or looking for funding to support one project or five, I find it helpful to approach grant research the…
It’s not the dog’s fault. The one that starts barking around 3 a.m. some nights and doesn’t stop until five or so. But still, I blame that dog barking just loud enough to invade my dreams. The piercing, rhythmic cry is not a warning to a wandering raccoon. Instead, it’s the canine equivalent of a bored or fretful child saying, “Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom…” …
We’re so excited to announce the 2021 Top Grant Writing Blogs to Follow It is the goal of DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services to assist nonprofit organizations with competitively researching, applying, and receiving grant funding to best serve our clients and have a significant impact in their communities, taking the stress out of grant writing. With this mission in mind, our team…
My most traumatic childhood memory is the day my sister almost drowned. We lived in Germany at the time, and some extended family was visiting from the U.S. My mom loaded up my younger sister and me, along with my aunt and cousins, for a day of shopping at many German pottery and glass-blowing sites. By about the fifth store, we kiddos were over it….
They’re everywhere. Whether you’re on staff at a nonprofit racing for those year-end donations, a grant writer chasing deadlines, or a consultant marketing yourself, there’s always a message, a video, an email, or a text that lists the top 10 things you must attend, buy, download, call, check off or find an intern to do or you’ll never succeed. But that’s not all there is…
So many of us found ourselves in this line of work because we wanted to help people (or animals or the environment), and we wanted to leave this world better than we found it. It is a noble cause and one I am proud to be a part of almost every day of my life. But that cause alone does not always make it fulfilling,…
Make FOMO work for you. First, I want to go on record as saying that chronic Fear Of Missing Out is not a healthy way to live your life. Rushing from meeting to meeting, scrolling through your social media feeds into the wee hours, or insisting that you can actually multitask a Zoom meeting, multiple deadlines, and Halloween cupcakes will not equal a happy life….