Grants

Building a good relationship with funders is as important today as it has always been, but how do you build any sort of camaraderie if phone and face-to-face contact seem to be “out” and text and email are “in”? The answer, I believe, is simply learning how to communicate well.

Sometimes, no matter how many trainings you take, no matter how many articles you read, no matter how many times you polish your proposal, you simply aren’t successful in your grantwriting efforts. In short, you’ve tossed the boomerang out there, but it just won’t come back.

It’s true, when we are nervous, we tend to ramble. Asking for a contribution makes most people nervous, which causes rambling. And together, we have the perfect storm to make the most common fundraising mistake: talking too much.

A rural public district hospital in the Tri-Cities area of Washington found its capital campaign stalled. This campaign conducted 10 years ago was important. It was launched to expand and improve the hospital’s emergency department to better meet the needs of its growing community.

In today’s philanthropic climate, an important key to unlocking the grantmaker’s door is to become bold in your thinking. Encouraging leadership to embrace new ways to fulfill your organization’s mission is a major step in that direction.

During #GrantWeek, Cynthia Adams will share her insights on various topics in grantseeking, from finding grant opportunities to building grantmaker relationships. Cynthia has been dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations identify and secure the funding they need to do their good work for well over 40 years.

During #GrantWeek, Ellen C. Mowrer will discuss the current state of grantseeking. She is president and chief operating officer at GrantStation.com.

During #GrantWeek, Alice Ruhnke will share her tips for writing a stellar grant proposal. She is founder and chief operating officer of The Grant Advantage and has a passion for all things grant writing.

During #GrantWeek, Amy K. Emery will share her insights on the data visualization design process, so you can transform your spreadsheets into stories. Ann is a sought-after speaker who equips organizations around the globe to use their data more effectively.

During #GrantWeek, Lori L. Jacobwith will share the downsides of "talking too much" in fundraising. Named one of America's Top 25 Fundraising Experts, Lori L. Jacobwith of Ignited Fundraising is an internationally-recognized master storyteller and fundraising culture change expert.