Fundraising HayDay

Capacity Building: A Funder's Perspective

It’s rare to find a funder fully invested in nonprofits - not just funding their work, but also investing in their growth and development. The Tracy Family Foundation is “growing a legacy of generosity to help communities thrive and families flourish.” They not only fund traditional capacity building training, but offer specific trainings and workshops for their grantees related to helping organizations grow their leadership, management, programs/strategies, financial health, and external evaluation abilities.

 

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GrantGuru

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SHOW NOTES:

Tracy Family Foundation (TFF)

 

TFF’s Capacity Building Programming

 

 

WHERE TO FIND OUR GUEST:

Callie Niederhauser

Program Manager, Youth & Communications

Callie Niederhauser | LinkedIn

 

Sara Reuschel

Program Manager, Capacity Building

Sara Reuschel | LinkedIn

Getting the Information You Need: How to Gather Grant Content from Co-Workers, Clients, and Partners

If you’re a grant professional, you need information from other people. Grant proposals require data, stories, documents, and so much more. It’s never a solo sport. But getting the information you need to put together a quality proposal is sometimes the hardest part of the job.

 

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SHOW NOTES:

Fundraising HayDay Podcast Episode referenced:

S7, E19 – How To: Letters of Support

Beyond Nonprofits: Organizations Transforming Communities

When we talk about nonprofits, most of us assume we mean the 501(c)3 varieties. But that’s not the only mechanism available to organizations looking to build a better world. Let’s dive into the many organizations and groups doing community-centered work, often right alongside nonprofits.

 

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GrantGuru

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Grant Writing is Fundraising

Fundraising and Grant Writing – people often think they are two different things. But the truth is simple: grant writing is one aspect of fundraising, along with things like individual donors, major gifts, special events, and more. Let’s talk best practices so all fundraising works in tandem.

 

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GrantGuru

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Building Successful Funder Relationships

Spoiler alert: grant writing is so much more than writing. Building and maintaining funder relationships is a big part of your role as a grant and/or nonprofit professional. We’re joined by Carolyn Caldwell to talk about how to best build such relationships.

 

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GrantGuru

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SHOW NOTES:

 

WHERE TO FIND OUR GUEST:

Carolyn Caldwell, Founder and Lead Instructor at Unlock-Grants

Why Commission Based Fees are Unethical for Grant Writers

Can I just charge you a percentage of the grant once it gets awarded? If you’ve worked long enough as a consultant, you’ve gotten that question at least once. Today we’re sharing why that is against the grant professional code of ethics, and how to handle the conversation when it comes up.

 

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GrantGuru

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SHOW NOTES:

Grant Professionals Association Code of Ethics

Grant Professionals Association

 

Association of Fundraising Professionals Code of Ethical Standards

Code of Ethical Standards | Association of Fundraising Professionals

Navigating Grant Writing as an Employee

When you are an employee charged with fundraising through grant proposal development, what are your roles and responsibilities? Your position in the org chart, who you report to, and your role as a leader all affect your ability to build a grants team and a successful grant program. We’re sharing insights on what works best, how to educate up, and more.

 

JOIN THE FUNDRAISING HAYDAY COMMUNITY:

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CHECK OUT TODAY’S SPONSOR:

GrantGuru

Use discount code HAYDAY963 for 20% off your subscription

 

SHOW NOTES:

S8, E17 Podcast Episode:

Educating Up! - HayDay Services

Navigating Banned Words in Federal Grants

What is a grant proposal other than a string of words that describe, show, influence, educate, and move mountains? In 2025 we started to see a dramatic shift in language found in executive orders, grant guidelines, and more. Are some words really banned? And if so, how do we move forward as writers?

 

JOIN THE FUNDRAISING HAYDAY COMMUNITY:

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CHECK OUT TODAY’S SPONSOR:

GrantGuru

Use discount code HAYDAY963 for 20% off your subscription

 

SHOW NOTES:

Head Start Article:

Head Start centers told to avoid list of words in funding requests : NPR

 

Amanda’s Blog Post about Language:

We’re Storytellers; You Can’t Steal Our Language - HayDay Services

The State of Federal Grants, Part 2: Implications & Moving Forward

In part 2 of the state of federal grants, we’re focusing on the implications of 2025 and how we can move forward. Tremendous cuts to federal research, disruption of essential human services, and a halt to services for at-risk individuals hit communities hard. It’s not just money lost but needed services. It’s time to have frank conversations about how we can move forward in 2026 and beyond.

 

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CHECK OUT TODAY’S SPONSOR:

GrantGuru

Use discount code HAYDAY963 for 20% off your subscription

The State of Federal Grants, Part 1: What Went Wrong

When it comes to federal grant funding, a lot went wrong in 2025. We’re kicking off a two-part series, with this episode focusing on how we got here. Policy shifts and administrative changes transformed federal grant making seemingly overnight, but many of these changes weren’t spontaneous. The Office of Management and Budget, Project 2025, and the Department of Government Efficiency all had a role to play.

 

JOIN THE FUNDRAISING HAYDAY COMMUNITY:

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CHECK OUT TODAY’S SPONSOR:

GrantGuru

Use discount code HAYDAY963 for 20% off your subscription

 

SHOW NOTES:

The Guardian

“Trump move to pause federal loans and grants rooted in Project 2025”

 

Education Week

“Project 2025 Would Dramatically Cut Federal Funds for Schools. Then What?”

 

The Educators Room

“U.S. Department of Education Faces Major Overhaul Under Conservative Plan, Project 2025”

 

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren

“Subject-by-Subject Breakdown of Trump’s Project 2025”

 

Internet Archive

“Project 2025 Mandate for Leadership”

 

Project 2025

“Mandate or Leadership: The Conservative Promise”

 

Ther Heritage Foundation

“Project 2025”