Grant Funding Masterclass for Nonprofits: From Applications to Outcomes

In today’s competitive landscape, many nonprofit leaders have come to recognize fund development planning as a primary responsibility. Creating an effective and impactful fund development plan, focused on both immediate and long-term revenue goals, doesn’t take a village, but it does require a strong and solid working relationship with the organization’s development team. This course will explore current trends in fundraising and provide participants with the tools to design and implement a fund development plan that increases financial stability and helps sustain, strengthen and grow their organizations.

Learning goals include the following:

1. Assess the organization’s priorities
2. Design a fund development strategy that reflects the immediate and long-term goals of the organization
3. Tailor your strategy in the post-pandemic era
4. Tailor your strategy during economic downturns
5. Learn how and why you should diversify fundraising efforts
6. Research and cultivate new funding prospects, both institutional (in private and public sectors) and individuals
7. Learn how to take the critical steps to ensure you have the support to successfully execute the organization’s fund development plans

Before the grant writing begins a program must be developed. The program planning stage is an opportunity to get creative and put thoughts and ideas on paper. In this hands-on session, utilizing best practices, the creative juices begin to flow. By creating a logic model, the program begins to take shape and through this visual aid, stakeholders will gain a better understanding of the big picture. The logic model can be the reality check a program manager needs to begin the implementation process.

Learning goals include the following:

1. Understand how to engage in a program planning process
2. Identify stakeholders to participate in program development
3. Learn to create logic models for your programs, link logic to proposed project activities and outputs.
4. Forecast and define solid outcomes.
5. Create a visual aide to use during the grant writing process

Effective grant-writing and well-organized grants-management programs are the lifeline of many nonprofit organizations. Securing a grant can be a “game-changer” for an organization. This highly interactive course will guide participants through the process of writing successful, persuasive grant proposals and what supporting documents to include. Participants will also learn key elements and steps that go into an effective grants-management program.

Learning goals include the following:

1. Read and understand Grant Applications, Requests for Proposal and Guidelines
2. Learn about all types of institutional requests from proposals to letters of inquiry
3. Write clear, convincing and high impact proposals for foundations, corporations and government funders
4. Work in collaboration with your program staff, executive director, chief financial officer, and other

Being awarded the contract is just the start. The key to success lies firmly in the next steps, program implementation and reporting. By developing a comprehensive workplan with solid goals and checks and balances, program management and staff can be held accountable and stay on track. The workplan becomes the blueprint for program implementation. Creating organizational strategies focused on record keeping, ensures accuracy at reporting time. By utilizing spreadsheets, a data collection system will be developed that can make report time stress-free.

Learning goals include the following:

1. Incorporate funder’s post award directives and contracts to shape the scope of work and budget.
2. Learn to create a viable work plan to ensure successful program implementation.
3. Manage projects and administer grant funds.
4. Comply with requirements for timely reporting and accounting.

Building relationships with funders is undeniably an essential priority for any nonprofit. In this course, participants will learn the research, planning, implementation and follow-up needed to grow and establish lasting relationships. We will explore relationship building with institutional as well as individual donors and why it’s so important to diversify one’s donor base.

Learning goals include the following:

1. Site visit planning and success
2. Explore relationship and giving cycles
3. Effective donor communications
4. Effective donor stewardship and moves management
5. Build relationships with institutional funders
6. Build relationships with individual donors