Grant Misperceptions 101
As a grant professional, I realize that the majority of people outside of my industry are blissfully unaware of all the intricacies, challenges and difficulties that come with being a grant writer. You have competing deadlines, federal guidance updates and changes, and steep learning curves pertaining to grantee organizations and their programs. The preparation of […]
Summer is Here! 10 Ways to Enjoy the Downtime
The sun is shining, the weather is warm, and you likely have gone (or plan to go) on vacation. Summer is the perfect time for renewal of one’s spirit, energy and focus. It is also the perfect time to relax. I know that a lot of my clients are planning vacations, so there has been […]
Fiscal Year Planning: The Who, What, Why, Where and How
Many nonprofits are starting to think about the next year already since their fiscal years begin July 1st. I know this is a ton of work between updating budgets, board retreats and meetings, strategic plan updates, and a host of other activities. However, this is a necessary evil and I’ll try to provide a roadmap […]
Grants Management 101 (Part 4)
My son used to watch the series “Bob the Builder” when he was fascinated/obsessed with construction vehicles. Bob always had a plan and also had all the tools he needed to get the job done. As professionals in the nonprofit and grants community, we have to use almost every tool in our arsenal (and take […]
Grants Management 101 (Part 3): Resource Capacity
The ingredients to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies are fairly straightforward – flour, butter, sugar, baking powder, milk, chocolate chips, and few other items. You mix then together, bake, and then you get a delicious treat. Well, what happens when you do not have flour and you ran out of chocolate chips? You […]
Grants Management 101 (Part 2): Monitoring and Oversight
Let’s say you are a grantee and in order to execute your programs, you need to include partners in order to meet your outcomes and they help execute your deliverables. However, these are not just any partners, these are commonly referred to as subrecipients. Many organizations need subrecipients, as they themselves do not have the […]
Grants Management 101 (Part 1)
Lately I have received multiple requests to support organizations with post-award support. While the specifics differ between organizations, the general story is the same. An organization experiences a substantive uptick in the number of grant awards received, or are the recipient of one or more large grant awards (generally federally funded). While this support speaks […]
3 Options for Organizational Renewal
Next week I take my son to his new school for his 2016-2017 kindergarten orientation. First of all, where did those five years go, and how did my baby grow up so fast? This is always the parental lament as their children age. As my son starts a new chapter, this made me think about […]
Embracing Technology if You’re not Savvy
So, you are at a workshop and the PowerPoint presentation is unable to load. Another situation is that you are at your computer and the document you spent 30 minutes drafting does not save. Frustrating, to say the least! Like it or not, technology is here to stay, and keeps changing in scope and functionality. […]
Performance-based Budgeting – What does it mean?
Does this sound familiar? Your fiscal year end is quickly approaching so you and your team members (could be comprised of development staff, finance staff and/or program staff) work together to prepare your budget in time to be approved by the board. Is there a strategic approach that you use or is this done through […]
