Grant Writer’s Blog

Grant Calendar vs. Program Budget: Aligning Your Timeline with Your Funding (Day 7)

in 30 Day Grant Readiness Challenge Grant Readiness on Share
Written by:
Grant Calendar vs. Program Budget: Aligning Your Timeline with Your Funding (Day 7)

Welcome to Day 7 of the 30-Day Grant Readiness Challenge! One of the most common mistakes in nonprofit financial planning is assuming that your budget and your grant calendar are the same thing. Although they are closely linked, they serve two very different purposes in your grant-seeking strategy. What Is a Program Budget? Your budget is your financial roadmap. It tells you exactly how much…

Read More

Read More

Preventing Grant Writer Burnout: The Importance of Strategic Rest (Day 6)

in 30 Day Grant Readiness Challenge Grant Readiness on Share
Written by:
Preventing Grant Writer Burnout: The Importance of Strategic Rest (Day 6)

Welcome to Day 6 of the 30-Day Grant Readiness Challenge! You’ve assessed your organization, checked your registrations, centralized your passwords, audited your attachments, and identified your team. That checklist represents a lot of heavy lifting for one week.   Day 1: Take the GRASP Tool Day 2: Centralize Government Registrations Day 3: Centralize Application Passwords Day 4: Check Your Grant Attachments Day 5: Assess &…

Read More

Read More

Building a Winning Grant Team: Roles, Structure, and Engagement (Day 5)

in 30 Day Grant Readiness Challenge Grant Readiness Grant Writing Tips and Best Practices Uncategorized on Share
Written by:
Building a Winning Grant Team: Roles, Structure, and Engagement (Day 5)

Welcome to Day 5 of the 30-Day Grant Readiness Challenge!   When you think of grant writing, do you picture a solo writer huddled over a keyboard at midnight? If so, now is the time to change that mental image.   Successful grant management isn’t a solo sport—it’s a team effort. Day 5 is about identifying your stakeholders and ensuring that everyone knows their role…

Read More

Read More

Common Grant Attachments Checklist: Essential Documents for Every Proposal (Day 4)

in 30 Day Grant Readiness Challenge Grant Readiness Grant Writing Tips and Best Practices on Share
Written by:
Common Grant Attachments Checklist: Essential Documents for Every Proposal (Day 4)

Welcome to Day 4 of the 30-Day Grant Readiness Challenge!   You’ve written a compelling narrative and built a perfect budget—but is your attachment package ready? Many grant applications are disqualified before they are even read because a required document was missing or outdated.   Today’s challenge is to build your Master Folder of Grant Attachments.   The Essential Checklist of Grant Attachments Most funders…

Read More

Read More

Grant Portal Password Management: Security & Institutional Memory (Day 3)

in 30 Day Grant Readiness Challenge Grant Readiness Grant Writing Tips and Best Practices on Share
Written by:
Grant Portal Password Management

Welcome to Day 3 of the 30-Day Grant Readiness Challenge! We want to avoid this scenario: A grant deadline is two hours away, and the only person with the login credentials for the foundation portal is on vacation (or worse, left the organization six months ago). Institutional memory is a cornerstone of grant readiness. Day 3 will help you ensure that your team has secure,…

Read More

Read More

Federal Grant Registrations for Nonprofits: SAM.gov, UEI, and Grants.gov (Day 2)

in 30 Day Grant Readiness Challenge DH Leonard Consulting News Grant Readiness Grant Writing Tips and Best Practices on Share
Written by:
Federal Grant Registrations for Nonprofits: SAM.gov, UEI, and Grants.gov (Day 2)

Welcome to Day 2 of the 30-Day Grant Readiness Challenge! Nothing is more frustrating than spending weeks creating a perfect narrative, only to have your submission rejected because of an expired registration. In the world of federal and state grant seeking, technical preparation and eligibility are just as important as your program’s impact. Today, we help you focus on centralizing and updating your government grant…

Read More

Read More

How to Assess Your Grant Readiness: Day 1 Challenge (GRASP Tool)

in 30 Day Grant Readiness Challenge DH Leonard Consulting News Grant Readiness Grant Writing Tips and Best Practices on Share
Written by:
Grant readiness assessment checklist for nonprofits

Welcome to Day 1 of the 30-Day Grant Readiness Challenge! Is your nonprofit truly ready to win funding? Many organizations believe they are “grant ready” simply because they need the money. The reality is that numerous factors contribute to grant readiness. It is a comprehensive, strategic state of being that impacts your research focus, your funder relationships, and your ultimate success rate.   Whether you…

Read More

Read More

Professional Development 2:2:2 Approach to Conferences

in Grant Writing Tips and Best Practices on Share
Written by:

Note from Diane: Unfortunately, Julie won’t be joining the GPA Conference in Atlanta in two weeks, but her advice and reflections on the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits conference has some great lessons learned and ideas for those of us headed to #gpaconf16!   Autumn is conference and workshop time for me. First, I always consider if I can attend the annual national Grant Professionals Association…

Read More

Read More

Three Books that Should be on Every Grant Professional’s Bookshelf

in Grant Writing Tips and Best Practices on Share
Written by:

As a Grant Professional, I am always looking for new tools and resources to add to my toolbox to help me continue to grow. I love reading blogs, attending webinars, and finding great books to expand my professional knowledge. (If you are looking for grant related webinars, check out those offered by Diane.) This past year I spent a lot of time preparing to take…

Read More

Read More

Grant Funding in Action: A Collaborative Rain Garden

in Grant Funding in Action (#grantswork) on Share
Written by:

*Note from Diane: Excited to have another “Grant Funding in Action” story to share with you from one of our team members!  The newest story is from Junior Consultant, Julie Johnson.   I had heard of rain gardens. I had an inkling that they helped the environment. I didn’t know any specifics. When my local food co-op store had a rain garden proposal for a…

Read More

Read More