Fundraising HayDay

Other Duties as Assigned: Writing Grants When It’s Not in Your Title

You have probably been there before. You already have a full-time job as a teacher, firefighter, major gifts manager, city clerk, accountant, volunteer coordinator, or "fill-in-the-blank job" here. One day your boss comes in and adds grant research and writing to your other duties as assigned. You don't even know where to begin, much less how to submit a completed grant proposal. Trust us when we say, you are not the only individual in this position. We're talking with Joy Day, the Mayor of Jonesboro, Georgia, a part-time elected official who took it upon herself to seek grants to improve the quality of life in her city. Her advice: let your desire for getting a project funded exceed your fear of the grant process.

Building More Inclusive Relationships with Stakeholders

As grant and fundraising professionals, we work with colleagues, boards, partners, other nonprofit agencies, funders, donors, and many other stakeholders. Our job is so much more than bringing in funding. If we are serious about building diversity, equity, and inclusion, we need to build better relationships with all our community stakeholders - making the funding world a better place for every recipient. Don't know how to start? We have a few tips. 

How To: Sustainability

It's the dreaded question most funders ask: how are you going to sustain this program when the grant is over? If we are being brutally honest, the answer is probably to write another grant. But we want to be funded, so a more comprehensive and multi-faceted answer is required. Learn all about the benefits of collaboration, fundraising, and more to create the best sustainability answer possible.

Good Enough Now

The work is piling up - grant deadlines, conference presentations, a new capital campaign, the next fundraising gala, and other duties as assigned. You feel like you're a jack of all trades, but a master of none. How do you get to the place where you feel good enough and are okay with that? Join our conversation with Jess Pettitt, author of Good Enough Now, as she shares how to "do the best we can with what we have some of the time."

Writing Tight for Character Counts

You know the drill. A funder asks a series of questions, then gives you anywhere from 100 to 1,000 CHARACTERS to answer each question. When you have a million things to share, but a very limited space to do so, how do you fit it all in? Today we're talking writing tight.

Fundraising Across the Pond

Sure, we all speak English, but are we talking about the same thing? Fundraising is not an exclusively American thing, so we are talking to our friend across the pond. David Burgess, and his firm Apollo Fundraising, provides consultancy, training, and support to arts and cultural organizations. Turns out, we have more in common than we think - and more to learn from one another in getting the job done well.

Grants Gone Wrong

It's the Fundraising HayDay annual episode that is ripped from the headlines. We are talking grant fraud stories and the consequences that happen when the rules are broken. We've got stories about a university professor and a local mayor. We're also following up on a story from last year's episode about the Tennessee state senator who was accused of using federal grant funds for personal gain. 

How To: Goals and Objectives

Most every grant proposal requires the creation of goal(s) and objective(s) to demonstrate the change your program will bring about during the grant period. If you have ever wondered how to come up with specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-oriented objectives, this is the episode for you. 

Expert Opinion: K-12 Education

It's not unusual to specialize in a specific field of the grant profession. So how do you determine which one fits your career? The best way is to learn as much as you can about the differences between them all. Today we are highlighting Olivia Smith-Daugherty and her work in K-12 education. She manages the grant needs of entire school system, serving students, teachers, and administrators. Could this be the grant specialty for you? 

Grant Productivity: Managing Your Workload

Whether you are a one-woman grant office, a consultant with a slew of sub-contractors, or a giant grant team, there are always a million tasks that must be accomplished in the grant profession. So how do you keep up with it all? It's the age-old question for grant pros around the world. Today we are talking with Allison Boyd of Boyd Grants. In 2021 she earned her clients $38 million, which helped transform the lives of 5.5 million people. She is the master of systems and scheduling to crank out the work. Join our conversation to learn how Allison manages her workload.