Grant Writing & Funding

Join the Free, Live Training, "Earn an Extra $10K in 90 Days Writing Grants at Home" on Tuesday, October 14th at 4 pm - 5:30 pm EST. Click here https://grantwritingandfunding.com/academy-webinar.This year is definitely a bit different when thinking for end of year fundraising. Let's be real.  But not doing fundraisers may not be an option (and shouldn't be) for your nonprofit, or the nonprofits that you serve.  Let's be real. People still want to give to your nonprofit. And some people may have some extra cash this year as they aren't traveling and doing all the normal holiday things. Other people may even realize the impact your nonprofit really has in the community and understand that you haven't been getting the funding you normally do. Therefore, I encourage you to do your fundraising events. But I also realize that you may not be able to do the good ole brick n' mortar (or live) ones that you usually do. So here are some great ideas for nonprofits to do some virtual fundraisers over this Thanksgiving or over the holidays in 2020 and beyond. 1. Build Relationships - Thank Your Current Donors Before you start asking for money, you want to make sure you first have given thanks. This is your time of year to also recognize those who have given in the past. So give a shout-out and nurture that relationship before you ask for another donation.  Ways to thank your donors:  Snail Mail! Send out a thank you card! We love snail mail right now! Recognize (and tag) donors on your social media accounts. We are all online more right now. Be sure to recognize people! For a list of 15 Creative Ways to Recognize Donors and Thank Them, you can listen to Podcast #33. 2. Virtual Turkey Trot Fun Run & Scavenger Hunt A fun way to earn some funding on Thanksgiving is to organize a Turkey Trot 2K, 5K, or 10K. But what about now? Virtual fun runs are all the rage right now. Adding a virtual scavenger hunt can be tons of fun (and way less work than organizing an in-person 5K, believe me).  I love Scavify. :) 3. Baking Competition This is a great way to add a variety of food for people right now. We are all tired of cooking and ordering and need some variety! Host a seasonal baking competition utilizing the top bakers in your community. Entry fees can be very nominal to try out samples of the baked goods. This competition will create a buzz about the baked goods and may not raise a lot of money, BUT to upsell you can create an online order form for people to order the winning baked goods! So, all of a sudden the pumpkin pie that won the competition, you can now sell pre-orders on your website! 4. Gift Baskets Create a gift basket, complete with your logo and a brochure about your organization, and go get corporate orders! Yes, corporations love giving out gift baskets to their clients and staff, but they also want something new and meaningful each year. If they order the gift basket from your organization, you can still include the typical cheese, fruits, and baked goods, but you can also add your swag and personal touch so everyone that receives the basket knows that their gift benefited a nonprofit! Tip: Take orders (paid orders) from corporates beforehand so you do not hold onto any unwanted inventory. 5. Holiday Virtual Trivia Night This is a fun alternative to an in-person trivia night. People want to have fun right now and this is a great way to still have people connect and have fun online. Have people register online with a certain monetary charge per team. Get some great donated prizes and find some snazzy holiday trivia questions! So those are 5 Great Virtual Fundraising Events for Thanksgiving! Favor, please? If you love this podcast, would you please do me a favor and leave a review on iTunes or your podcast listener? This helps others find the podcast and I read each and every review! If you have any questions, feel free to email holly@grantwritingandfunding.com I’d love to connect with you!

Join the Free, Live Training, "Earn an Extra $10K in 90 Days Writing Grants at Home" on Tuesday, October 14th at 4 pm - 5:30 pm EST. Click here https://grantwritingandfunding.com/academy-webinar.Has your nonprofit, or the nonprofits you work with, received any CARES Act Funding? If not, you will want to listen to this full podcast! This week Mr. Tim Butler comes on the Grant Writing & Funding Podcast to discuss how your nonprofit can tap into CARES Act Funding before this round is gone. Yes, certain stipulations have been made so that states and cities distribute their portion of CARES Act funding by a certain time. In some cases, it's as soon as November 15th, 2020. However, there will be some extensions, but it's better to jump in on this now rather than later. About Tim Butler: Long have the disparities in America existed between the haves and have nots. But Tim is here to close the gap and shrink that great divide. Tim Butler, Founder & Owner of Freelance Soul Professional Services, an unapologetically black male-owned grant writing and fundraising consulting firm. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Historic Black Wall Street), Tim specializes in working with individuals and entities from historically underrepresented communities and vulnerable populations (e.g. people of color, women, veterans, faith communities, LGBTQ+, those with disabilities, disadvantaged international organizations, etc.). Tim has secured over $1M for startups, nonprofits, and social entrepreneurs through grants and corporate sponsorship. He has written grants for clients yielding them a return on investment as high as 35:1 (for every $1.00 the client spent with me I returned to them $35.00)! Moreover, Tim has worked with startups and small nonprofits helping them to secure their first ever grants and teaching them systems that created consistent funding. He is a “Certified Nonprofit Professional” through the historic Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. Moreover, Tim is a “seasoned" Grant Writer who has been in the game for 15 years with a 93.75% success rate in my writing. He received his Community Development Certification from the Howard University Center for Urban Progress. While he is a licensed minister and evangelist with conservative Christian values, he also values diversity and inclusion and is passionate to give people a “seat at the table” who otherwise would never receive an invitation to the dinner. Tim's Services Include:  For-Profit Setup & Formation 501(c)(3) Setup & Formation Getting Organizations “Grant Ready” Grant Research & Writing Corporate Sponsorship Programming Consulting Board Training Grant Peer Reviewing & Editing Forever Grants “Knowledge is just having information. Wisdom is knowing how to use that information to get desired results” – Tim Butler Connect with Tim:  www.linkedin.com/in/freelancesoul Thanks for listening! Holly Rustick Expert Grant Writer & Bestselling Author https://www.grantwritingandfunding.com/

Join the Free, Live Training, "Earn an Extra $10K in 90 Days Writing Grants at Home" on Tuesday, October 14th at 4 pm - 5:30 pm EST. Click here https://grantwritingandfunding.com/academy-webinar.Oh yes. Those pesky grant writing qualms.  Here are the top questions that I get.  #1: How Do You Get Funding From Grants for General Operating Expenses? You can get funding for general operating expenses through 3 ways: Pursue specific grants that target general operating  Include a certain percentage of your general operating expenses within the direct categories of a grant project budget Include up to 10% of the grant amount in the indirect category in a grant budget #2: As a non-US grant seeker, is there funding available? Yes! There is absolutely funding available! You can get that through the following: There are certain U.S. federal grants that give specifically to nonprofits (both U.S. organizations based abroad and to non-U.S. nonprofits) Certain foundations give out money to nonprofits around the world (think Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) There are many international funding sources, such as EU organizations, UN organizations, foundations, Canadian funding, etc. #3: Do you recommend college courses for beginning grant writers? That depends. If you are in college already and want to get college credit toward a degree this could be great. However, if you are not in college nor seeking a degree, then I would recommend taking a grant writing course offered by a grant writer that is in the field.  Such as my 6-Week Live Grant Writing Course or DIY Grant Writing Course *wink-wink* But the fact is these courses can cost way less and take less time, but give you the real tips of how grant writers are actually winning grants! #4: What's the best approach when a foundation states they don't accept unsolicited applications? Develop a relationship. A way to side-step the gatekeeper is to go on LinkedIn and start a relationship with decision-makers at the foundations. But remember - don't go in blazing asking for money right away. Spend time liking their posts and making comments. Start sharing things with them that they may find interesting. And make sure they are a good fit. Does their mission statement align with your nonprofit's mission? #5: I am a freelance grant writer and my nonprofit client does not know how to guide me.  What questions should I ask to get information? Ooh, I love this one. So first off you need to: Give them a list requesting certain documents  Then have a Kick-off Grant Writing Meeting Include the Executive Director, Bookkeeper, Grant Coordinator, and possibly an expert Write down the deadlines and tasks for everyone Thanks for listening! Holly Rustick Expert Grant Writer & Bestselling Author https://www.grantwritingandfunding.com/

Join the Free, Live Training, "Earn an Extra $10K in 90 Days Writing Grants at Home" on Tuesday, October 14th at 4 pm - 5:30 pm EST. Click here https://grantwritingandfunding.com/academy-webinar.Anytime you’re trying to find the best-fit grants, it can be hard. Because in the beginning, everything’s new.  Things like figuring out the best grant search platform, knowing which grant programs are the best-fit, and knowing when to submit grant applications can be overwhelming. And you can see that as you grow, you come up against new challenges. Even if you have experience with grant writing already, you’re always looking for the 80/20.  You don’t have time to waste, so you want to find the 20% that’s going to produce 80% of the results. Well to know that you need to know what types of grants are out there. And there are 3 types of grants: ✔️ Federal ✔️ State Grants ✔️ Foundation We discuss all of these in the podcast today! ✨✨ Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com to get the proven G.R.A.N.T.S. formula to write winning grants ✨✨ Favor, please? If you love this podcast, would you please do me a favor and leave a review on iTunes or your podcast listener? This helps others find the podcast and I read each and every review! If you have any questions, feel free to email holly@grantwritingandfunding.com I’d love to connect with you! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzIfwJt0az9KKwKz1Uc8vg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollyrustick LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-rustick-0765b817/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grantwritingandfunding/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/grantwritingandfunding/ Thanks for listening! Holly Rustick Expert Grant Writer & Bestselling Author https://www.grantwritingandfunding.com/ ✨✨ Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com to get the proven G.R.A.N.T.S. formula to write winning grants ✨✨

Join the Free, Live Training, "Earn an Extra $10K in 90 Days Writing Grants at Home" on Tuesday, October 14th at 4 pm - 5:30 pm EST. Click here https://grantwritingandfunding.com/academy-webinar.In last week’s podcast, we talked about a process for creating award-winning grant applications. I shared how this is going to immediately help you simplify grant lingo, so you feel less overwhelmed in Episode 140: Grant Language Made Easy. So let’s get into the meat and potatoes of today’s video starting with these 5 Hacks to Write a Grant Proposal. Okay, so when starting to write a grant application the first thing you need to do is: #1) Get the Funding Opportunity Announcement or Request for Proposal I never start with a blank page because I copy and paste what it is in the FOA for the criteria directly into my Word document or Google doc. #2) Research the Needs To create a compelling case for a grant application, you need to provide statistics and facts. A flowery statement about how awful the situation might get some tears, but it will not get grants won. #3) Articulate the Goals & Narrow Your Objectives The goal or goals in a grant is the overarching outcome. This needs to be clear for both you and the funding source. If you don’t have a goal then it will be confusing for both of you. What is it you want to accomplish? What other community goals can you tie this into? It might be: “To create safe homes for survivors of human trafficking in our region.” This is important as it is the big picture. The objectives are then what you can do to reach your goal. These objectives also need to be SMART, which stands for: • Specific • Measurable • Achievable • Relevant • Timebound For example, an objective to reach your goal could be, “By the end of quarter one, to lease a 4-plex apartment building that will provide housing for 8 survivors of human trafficking.” What other objectives do you think would be needed to reach your broad goal: “To create safe homes for survivors of human trafficking in our region?” What about hiring services workers, buying housing consumables, linking to food pantries for food, workforce training, education services, etc. #4) About Your Organization You also want to include why the funding source should give you money. Include your board of directors or experience of the key employees to carry out the services of the project. You can also include any experience the nonprofit has of winning grants or securing donations. This shows that you have credibility in managing funds. #5) the Budget Of course, you also must provide a request for the actual money via a budget. It is not enough to say you need $500,000. You need to show how that money is broken down. I encourage you to include a spreadsheet (even if you copy and paste it into your Word doc). I encourage grant writers to use the main categories of the federal government to include the following: • Personnel • Fringe Benefits • Travel • Contracts/Consulting • Equipment • Supplies • Other • Indirect I know that is a lot of information in a very condensed time, so if you want to delve deeper into this and get a free downloadable, visit https://grantwritingandfunding.com/grant-writing-webinar/ to sign up for Holly’ Free Live Training: 3 Proven Steps to 10x Your Grant Writing Skills. Favor, please? If you love this podcast, would you please do me a favor and leave a review on iTunes or your podcast listener? This helps others find the podcast and I read each and every review! If you have any questions, feel free to email holly@grantwritingandfunding.com I’d love to connect with you! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzIfwJt0az9KKwKz1Uc8vg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollyrustick LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-rustick-0765b817/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grantwritingandfunding/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/grantwritingandfunding/ Thanks for listening! Holly Rustick Expert Grant Writer & Bestselling Author https://www.grantwritingandfunding.com/ ✨✨ Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com to get the proven G.R.A.N.T.S. formula to write winning grants ✨✨

Join the Free, Live Training, "Earn an Extra $10K in 90 Days Writing Grants at Home" on Tuesday, October 14th at 4 pm - 5:30 pm EST. Click here https://grantwritingandfunding.com/academy-webinar.As you may or may not know acronyms are grants best-friends. If you’ve heard the terms FOA, RFP, SAM, DUNS, or a number of other terms, then you are in the grant world. I once heard a grant writer speak an entire sentence using only acronyms. Ugh! If you are overwhelmed already, don’t worry, I’m going to start breaking it down right now! Let’s first dissect the main different types of grants and contracts. There are federal grants, state contracts, and foundation grants. Think of those like your three main hubs. Federal grants are monies allocated from the federal government. State and local government contracts often receive much of their funding from the federal government as they can promote economic efficiency due to localized knowledge to implement a program more efficiently and effectively than the federal government (i.e., pass-through funding). A foundation grant is a monetary assistance provided to individuals and small businesses by companies, citizens, government, and non-government organizations. The money awarded as a grant is meant to meet particular needs and is not required to be repaid. Which grants should your nonprofit go after? Well, the wide answer is all of them. Listen to the full podcast to hear the full breakdown! Favor, please? If you love this podcast, would you please do me a favor and leave a review on iTunes or your podcast listener? This helps others find the podcast and I read each and every review! If you have any questions, feel free to email holly@grantwritingandfunding.com I’d love to connect with you! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzIfwJt0az9KKwKz1Uc8vg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollyrustick LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-rustick-0765b817/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grantwritingandfunding/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/grantwritingandfunding/ Thanks for listening! Holly Rustick Expert Grant Writer & Bestselling Author https://www.grantwritingandfunding.com/

Join the Free, Live Training, "Earn an Extra $10K in 90 Days Writing Grants at Home" on Tuesday, October 14th at 4 pm - 5:30 pm EST. Click here https://grantwritingandfunding.com/academy-webinar.✨✨ Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com to get the proven G.R.A.N.T.S. formula to write winning grants ✨✨ Navigating the road of freelance grant writing can feel lonely and overwhelming at times.  That's why I was so excited when Tawanda Ellis reached out to me via a mutual friend, Dr. Beveraly Browning. I was inspired to hear about Tawanda's roadmap and success as a freelancer. Honestly, the people who follow a roadmap normally do end up in the same place of success as Tawanda. But the type of person who commits to this is few and far between. That's why I get so excited when talking to other freelance grant writers who have built a business out of their house and from their talents.  This lady has done precisely that, and I know you will be just as encouraged and inspired as I was! Plus, you can download Tawanda's downloadable, the "Write it Out Method." In this podcast and YouTube episode, we discuss: ✔️ How Tawanda got 25+ clients in less than 3 years with only word-of-mouth advertising ✔️ How she secured $2.8 million in grant funding ✔️ How she helps nonprofits come up with strategies ✔️ Why she started an additional business: MirrorMom360 ✔️ The reasoning behind her business names ✔️ The reflection time  ✔️ The 'Write It Out' Method ✔️ Who is Tawanda Ellis? Tawanda has a minority-owned business that trains government agencies, start-up nonprofits, and others with funding strategies. Tawanda is Owner & Principal Consultant of DNA 360 Consulting. She started DNA 360 Consulting because she loves helping nonprofit organizations make a bigger impact in their communities. Her goal is to help you, as an organization leader, develop stronger community programs and services, evaluate the impact your organization has on your community, and win more grants to fund your organization.  She’s worked with a variety of nonprofit, for-profit, and government organizations and with her team, collectively has decades of experience developing, managing, and evaluating programs and services. Her team has also helped nonprofits raise over $2.8M over the past three years alone.  Contact Tawanda Website: https://dna-360-consulting.jimdosite.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tawanda-ellis-83476a198/ Favor, please? If you love this podcast, would you please do me a favor and leave a review on iTunes or your podcast listener? This helps others find the podcast and I read each and every review! If you have any questions, feel free to email holly@grantwritingandfunding.com I’d love to connect with you! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzIfwJt0az9KKwKz1Uc8vg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollyrustick LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-rustick-0765b817/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grantwritingandfunding/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/grantwritingandfunding/ Thanks for listening! Holly Rustick Expert Grant Writer & Bestselling Author

Join the Free, Live Training, "Earn an Extra $10K in 90 Days Writing Grants at Home" on Tuesday, October 14th at 4 pm - 5:30 pm EST. Click here https://grantwritingandfunding.com/academy-webinar.✨✨ Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com to get the proven G.R.A.N.T.S. formula to write winning grants ✨✨ In this week's podcast, I have special guests, Shinedelight Enterprises! This is definitely for you if: ✨ You want your nonprofit to be ADA compliant ✨ You want more donors through digital marketing What we discuss: ✔️ Simple Tech Solutions to be ADA Compliant Online ✔️ How to Conduct Digital Marketing ✔️ Simple (and free) Online Hacks for Marketing ✔️ Ways to Attract Donors in 2020 ✔️ Case Studies on Nonprofit Digital Marketing Favor, please? If you love this podcast, would you please do me a favor and leave a review on iTunes or your podcast listener? This helps others find the podcast and I read each and every review! If you have any questions, feel free to email holly@grantwritingandfunding.com I’d love to connect with you! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzIfwJt0az9KKwKz1Uc8vg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollyrustick LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-rustick-0765b817/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grantwritingandfunding/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/grantwritingandfunding/ Thanks for listening! Holly Rustick Expert Grant Writer & Bestselling Author

Join the Free, Live Training, "Earn an Extra $10K in 90 Days Writing Grants at Home" on Tuesday, October 14th at 4 pm - 5:30 pm EST. Click here https://grantwritingandfunding.com/academy-webinar.✨✨ Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com/137 to join the Freelance Grant Writing Master Course ✨✨ There always comes a time when starting a business that stumps people. Creating the best name for your grant writing business is one of those times. Sometimes it completely throws people off the tracks that they never get back on and actually start their business. Don’t let this stop you! To help you navigate this process I have identified three different ways (and the pros and cons) to help you find the best name for you grant writing business. Using Your Name Pros:  It is more personalized  If you have a unique name it won’t be taken!  It works for the 80% connection of social media (I am commenting on other people’s post, not a business name).  It is easier to get started (you don’t need to spend months trying to figure it out) Cons:  If you have a common name, you will need to add a little more in, i.e. “Holly Rustick Grant Writing Consultancy”  If your name changes (get married, divorced, etc.) then your name shift can be difficult  If you decide to dissolve your business, then you may need to rebuild your social media and website branding  You can’t separate yourself from your business so easily Basic Company Name Pros:  It tells the story very quickly of what you do; i.e. Grant Writing & Funding  It is found more easily when people are searching online (i.e. someone looking for grant writing and my business pops up. They aren’t looking for my name, but for what I do). Cons:  A lot of the popular super basic domain names; i.e. www.grantwritingandfunding.com, are taken  It can feel a little sterile  Some people forget to personalize their branding because their business name is what they do and not who they are (i.e. they use stock photos and not pictures of themselves). Whimsical Name Pros:  It can be fun and exemplify your character  You might be passionate about the words Cons:  It can be too abstract that you won’t get noticed; “Wish Granted!” vs. “The Beginner’s Guide to Grant Writing.”  It can confuse your ideal client because they won’t know what you do  It can be cute to you, but hard to pronounce and doesn’t connect to other people Be sure to check out www.grantwritingandfunding.com for more info! Warmly, Holly

Join the Free, Live Training, "Earn an Extra $10K in 90 Days Writing Grants at Home" on Tuesday, October 14th at 4 pm - 5:30 pm EST. Click here https://grantwritingandfunding.com/academy-webinar.This episode is for you, if: ● You are tired of getting in your own way ● You are not confident in submitting a grant application ● You are not confident in securing nonprofit clients or partnerships What you will learn, is: ● You will gain confidence in approaching clients or funding sources ● You will learn how to believe in yourself in your business or nonprofit ● You will become the person you want to be What is impostor syndrome? You may have heard this term kicked around on social media, podcasts, books, and more. But it is real. According to Very Well Mind, Impostor syndrome is defined as “the experience of feeling like a phony—you feel as though at any moment you are going to be found out as a fraud—like you don't belong where you are, and you only got there through dumb luck.” Learn the five different types of impostor syndrome and how to overcome them in your nonprofit or freelance grant writing biz in this podcast! Check out www.grantwritingandfunding.com/136 for more info! If you have any questions, feel free to email holly@grantwritingandfunding.com I’d love to connect with you! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzIfwJt0az9KKwKz1Uc8vg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollyrustick LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-rustick-0765b817/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grantwritingandfunding/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/grantwritingandfunding/ Thanks for listening! Holly Rustick Expert Grant Writer & Bestselling Author Want to do me a favor? Please leave a review on this podcast!