Does “Fake It ‘Til We Make it” Really Work?
Isn’t there a famous quote that “The truth shall set you free?” Wouldn’t it be great to tell the truth all the time instead of masking our unpleasantries? I see this happen all the time when working on grant proposals. Organizations try to cover up a misuse of funds or embellish a program that might […]
Fundraising: 4 Ways We Can Reduce the Pressure
Let’s be brutally honest – fundraising is a pressure cooker. Get the funding or your organization cannot continue maintaining services (forgetting expansion). You might lose staff. You have board members who are breathing down your neck to ensure that you are meeting organizational priorities. It is no wonder that development professionals fizzle out and there […]
Does Independence Make Us Stronger?
We just celebrated the 4th of July and our nation’s independence. Independence can be a great thing, right? We want to be able to function independently as professionals, organizations, and we want our children to grow up to become independent as well. However, when does independence become a detriment to success? When do we […]
What Does Innovation REALLY Mean?
There are buzzwords that pop up every few years and that become part of the nonprofit/public sector lexicon. Evaluation. Evidence-based. Scalable model. Innovation. Innovation is an interesting word because it could mean so many different things. What makes a program or organization innovative? There is no common standard and should organizations be scrambling to do […]
Pay it Forward: The Next Generation of Public Sector Leaders
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, approximately 2.9 million students will be awarded associate’s and bachelors degree’s during the 2017-2018 school calendar year (more if you include graduate students). This is a time for celebration as these individuals have achieved a significant milestone. However, given the challenges that many people face entering a […]
What McDonald’s Can Teach Us About Grant Writing
McDonald’s was my favorite restaurant as a kid. I loved the French fries, burgers and getting a toy with my meal. I even had my birthday party at one location when I was eight (my friends and I enjoyed the play area). While my tastes have changed as I have gotten older, I always know […]
The Clock is Our Worst Enemy
For those who work in deadline driven environments, we are constantly trying to outpace our deadlines. There are so many factors that can impact our ability to complete high quality deliverables on time, within budget and meeting specific standards. Contrary to the Rolling Stones, time is not always on our side. So, what do we […]
Why Pretend to Be Something That You’re Not?
My daughter loves wearing different costumes (and not just for Halloween). She loves pretending to be a doctor, firefighter, princess, fairy, butterfly and even a mommy. This is why I think adults like Halloween too – you can pretend to be something you’re not (at least for one day) and get away with it! It […]
How Do We Get Past Our Fears?
I don’t like being scared, period. I can’t stand horror movies or thrillers. While I can avoid entertainment, I can’t avoid things that scare me in life. There are many unknowns and while we try to be prepared, we can’t always prepare for every scenario. How do we overcome our fears and become better equipped […]
Success Rate Isn’t the Best Indicator of Grant Success
I realize that from an outsider’s perspective, the success rate can appear to be a measurement of the grant writer’s aptitude and provide a tool to determine return on investment or job performance. However, I find this question misleading, and here’s why: Success rate does not provide any understanding of what the funder was […]
