A nonprofit organization is only as strong as its accounting team. Though grant writers and administrators spend most of their time developing relationships with funders and preparing outreach documents like Letters of Intent (LOIs) and proposals, the funding they locate would not be sustainable without an accountant to ensure all financial details are being recorded … Continue reading “Good vs Bad Accounting”

The first hard truth to know about funders is that most of them have no interest in you or your work. Effective nonprofits have relatively narrow missions and run efficient programs that fit the goals of those missions. Because most foundations have similarly narrow funding interests, this means that most foundations out there are not … Continue reading “Summer Series – Screening Funders”

The first six parts of this series on Grant Writing 101 went through the process of grant writing from finding a funder to writing a proposal. However, there will be times when it seems impossible to find funders accepting unsolicited inquiries who also align with your organization’s mission. Some topics inevitably receive more attention from … Continue reading “Summer Series – Creative Outreach Strategy”

What is your nonprofit’s story? This is the key question in crafting proposal narratives. Successful grant applicants must be impeccable in providing documentation of their financials and program successes, but that is just the bare minimum to get your foot in the door. When it comes down to a decision between your nonprofit and a … Continue reading “Summer Series – Crafting Proposal Narratives”

Some funders will not invite a nonprofit to submit a full proposal until they have reviewed its letter of inquiry (LOI) and determined that the nonprofit is a good fit. Others will provide a full proposal template on their website for open submissions. Some funders remain open year-round, while others have funding cycles that only … Continue reading “Summer Series – Proposal Writing Basics”

Grant writing is a process of sending a lot of inquiries and only hearing back from a few. Because of this, an important timesaving measure you can take as a nonprofit looking for grants is to develop flexible templates that can be used for many purposes. The most important template is a letter of inquiry … Continue reading “Summer Series – Inquiry Writing Basic”

Every funder has a different set of documents they require as part of the application process. Some will ask that you initially send just a simple LOI and will only send their full proposal once they have determined your organization is a good fit. Others will ask for a lot of documentation and program information … Continue reading “Summer Series – Documents”

The actual “writing” part of grant writing is important, but it is not the only place where time can easily get wasted. It often takes nonprofits longer to find grants to apply to than to write the proposals. Funder research is one of the most essential services that Grants Ink and similar firms provide to … Continue reading “Summer Series – Finding Funders”

This series of posts is designed to provide a simple guide to the basics of grant writing for those new to the process. It covers the promises and pitfalls of the grant writing process with a focus on cutting inefficiency. Whether your nonprofit opts to do your own grant writing in-house or to hire a … Continue reading “Summer Grant Writing Series”

From one writer to another… Hi, I’m Lorinda. Working as a grant writer and trainer for more than a decade, I’m an entrepreneur at heart with a passion for supporting other business owners in their quest for success. Community causes are always at the forefront of my mind, and my hope is to share years … Continue reading “Grant Writing Consultants – The Insider Edition”