Burrows Consulting Tried All the Grant Platforms. Here’s Why They Kept Coming Back to Instrumentl

Burrows Consulting, LLC is a distinguished grant writing consultancy in Indiana specializing in helping healthcare organizations navigate complex bureaucratic landscapes. 

Since Elizabeth Burrows founded her consultancy in 2014, her team has helped healthcare centers secure over $175,000,000. 

Behind this impact is an unyielding commitment to reshape rural healthcare accessibility. 

From Crohn's Disease to Healthcare Champion

Elizabeth’s passion for healthcare accessibility sprouted from difficult circumstances. After being diagnosed with Crohn's disease, Elizabeth shares that the level of care she received at the Mayo Clinic saved her life.

This kickstarted her vocation: to make high-quality healthcare the norm across America—especially rural America.

"I want everyone throughout rural America to have the same access to high-quality healthcare [I had]. I always say, ‘until my two daughters can access the same high-quality clinic that saved me right in our hometown in Indiana, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing.’”

Combining her fierce commitment to healthcare accessibility with concrete experience in starting and growing healthcare clinics, Elizabeth is perfectly positioned to make an impact. 

Leveraging New Funding for Healthcare Clinics During the Pandemic

Burrows Consulting helps Health Centers and Critical Access Hospitals sustain their missions through grants. In the past, the primary way they did this was by pursuing federal and state grants. This is because when running her own community clinic, Elizabeth had the most success with these grants.

“My forte had always been writing federal and state grants. That's what I knew. I had worked for the state of Indiana and a couple of different agencies…That is what my health center actually made its money from—it was over half of our budget.”

But in 2020, as the world reeled from the pandemic, Elizabeth’s team quickly shifted to connect their clients with the huge influx of relief funds and support going toward healthcare institutions.

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This spurred a realization for Elizabeth—restricting their grant search to only state and federal grants was leaving a lot of opportunity on the table. To better serve their clients, they needed to diversify their search.

Discovering Instrumentl as a Way to Diversify Funding for Clients

A common problem that nonprofits face when pursuing grants is that they grow comfortable with the same funders. They go back to the same wells again and again. 

This poses two risks for nonprofits: 

1. They become vulnerable when reliant on the same funding sources year after year, and
2. They miss out on the wealth of other grants available.

Elizabeth realized that her clients needed to diversify where they got funding. But finding new grants is an arduous process. In the past, her team had used word of mouth and Google. 

“I knew that I needed to start diversifying funding sources, but I never had a great method of researching and always found it to be a pain. We just [pursued] grants that we heard of through word of mouth or through an old-fashioned Google search.”

That’s where she discovered Instrumentl. Using Instrumentl, Elizabeth’s team gained access to a database of over 200,000 funders and 12,500+ active grant opportunities for nonprofits. Instrumentl is the most comprehensive source of funding opportunities for nonprofits and is always growing.

Elizabeth’s team started using Instrumentl so that her clients stopped missing out on grant opportunities and started expanding their missions through new funding sources. 

Pro Tip: When adding projects on Instrumentl,  provide as much detail as you can on your program area, telling Instrumentl about your fields of work. Instrumentl will then match you with the most relevant active funding opportunities. What’s more. each week, you'll get an email with new matching opportunities, so you don’t have to spend hours searching for them!

In addition to state and federal grants, her team found new opportunities like community foundations and corporate grants. They also gained access to unlisted opportunities as well. 

“Our team has [cumulatively] worked in the healthcare field for 50+ years, yet Instrumentl brought us grants we were unaware of, and it has resulted in funding different projects for our clients.”

Her team could now do in a couple of hours what used to take weeks. Instrumentl’s smart matching tool automatically matches her clients with relevant opportunities and sends weekly emails with the most up-to-date opportunities. 

“Instrumentl is emailing us saying, ‘Hey, this grant has been updated, this deadline's coming up.’ So Instrumentl’s really doing the hard work.”

Finding the Best Grant Management Tool for Her Team

Elizabeth is an astute business owner. She wanted to make sure she was finding the best opportunities for her clients and wasn’t going to select Instrumentl without exploring other options. 

So Instrumentl wasn’t the only grant management tool her team tested. But even when pitting them against one another, Instrumentl was the easiest to work with and offered the best opportunities.

“We tested three different search engines…and the only one my team kept using was Instrumentl. We were constantly finding more great opportunities for our clients. It was easier to use, had easier tracking, and had a great return on investment. So we discontinued the other platforms, and now 100% of our work is with Instrumentl.”

Pro Tip: You can centralize all of your grant work within Instrumentl. Manage all your grants — everything before your instrumentl subscription through to your current grant cycles. Keep track of which grants your team is researching, has planned, or is applying for. You can also manage the funding coming in from awarded grants.

Elizabeth's team uncovered more than just funding with Instrumentl. They explored new territories, unearthing support from previously uncharted foundations. Instrumentl's unique knack for tailoring grants to specific causes—be it HIV, obesity, or migrant worker concerns—showcased its adaptability to diverse client needs. As Elizabeth aptly put it, 

"Some of our [nonprofit] clients focus on HIV, some diabetes, some obesity rates, some migrant farm workers. Whatever their needs, [Instrumentl is] great because we can hone in and find specific grants for them."

Using Instrumentl to Keep Her Team Aligned and Her Clients Successful

For Elizabeth, Instrumentl wasn't merely a tool; it evolved into an indispensable collaborator. The time her team got back enabled them to focus more time on nurturing funder relationships and delivering more value to their clients. As Elizabeth succinctly expressed, 

"Instrumentl is doing the work for us."

Before Instrumentl, Elizabeth's research process involved a lot of sticky notes, Google searches, and digging through dense 990s. 

Now, all that information is at her fingertips. With Instrumentl, Elizabeth centralized her team’s grant management, making them more efficient and effective. It’s now integral to their process. Elizabeth acknowledged, 

"My team uses [Instrumentl] all the time. We have three members on it every single day."

On a typical day, her team will open Instrumentl, explore new opportunities, and start categorizing different grants based on client needs and geographical focus. As Elizabeth describes,

"We can [open Instrumentl and] start saying, ‘when are the busy deadlines? When do we need to plan ahead? Okay, this has a rolling deadline, so we can apply for that at any time. This other one has a quarterly deadline… [and so on].' Instrumentl helps us make sure we have everything planned out for timelines on when grants are due."

Burrows Consulting’s Best Practice for Using Instrumentl

Elizabeth’s team is making full use of Instrumentl. One of the key features they leverage daily is Instrumentl’s advanced funder insights. Instrumentl provides rich foundation profiles with links to their Form 990s. 

With a quick scan, her team can see specific grant programs, deadlines, how open they are to new grantees, the locations they give to, grant sizes, and the fields of work they support.

What once demanded considerable time and effort is now quick and simplified.

The depth of funder insights provided by Instrumentl empowers Elizabeth's team to make informed decisions. Understanding funders' past contributions and priorities guide their grant-seeking endeavors, increasing their chances of success. This nuanced approach helps them tailor proposals that resonate with each foundation's mission and objectives.

Elizabeth underscores Instrumentl's ease of use, emphasizing that it's as simple as "click click and it's done." The platform's seamless interface minimizes the learning curve, freeing up invaluable time for her team.

Quick Tips for Building Relationships With Funders

Elizabeth’s team has learned a thing or two about building relationships with potential funders for her clients. Here are some of her tips.

1. Engaging Stakeholders and Leveraging Personal Connections

Building relationships with funders involves engagement beyond the grant application process. Elizabeth emphasizes the importance of involving boards, staff, and volunteers in these efforts. Their collective involvement not only opens doors to opportunities but also showcases the organization's commitment and passion.

2. Tailored Responses and Customized Engagement

Burrows Consulting uses Instrumentl’s insights into funders' histories and preferences to craft very specific responses to funding opportunities. This personalized touch not only increases the likelihood of securing funding but also reflects the dedication of the consultancy to aligning with funders' missions.

3. Face-to-Face Networking and the Power of Personal Connections

In the world of relationship-building, Elizabeth offers a simple yet effective piece of advice: "Just show up." Attending dinners, fundraisers, and events allows for face-to-face networking, a valuable way to establish rapport and foster meaningful connections. As Elizabeth aptly puts it, "It's hard to turn down coffee." These personal interactions lay the groundwork for lasting relationships.

Professional Tips for Aspiring Nonprofit Consultants

Drawing from her extensive experience in the nonprofit sector, Elizabeth provides valuable insights for aspiring consultants aiming to excel in their roles:

1. Fearless Pursuit of Opportunities

Embrace a fearless attitude when pursuing opportunities. Elizabeth's journey started with pursuing grants at a young age, reflecting the notion that seizing opportunities, even when they seem daunting, can lead to significant growth.

2. Willingness to Meet Potential Clients

Never shy away from meeting potential clients. Elizabeth's approach highlights the importance of establishing connections, even in the initial stages. Every meeting holds the potential to shape a partnership that aligns with your consultancy's mission.

3. Leading from the Front

Even as Burrows Consulting scaled, Elizabeth emphasizes that she always initiates the first conversation. This proactive approach sets the tone for collaboration and ensures that every client receives personalized attention.

4. Infusing Passion and Purpose

Elizabeth underscores the significance of caring deeply about your consultancy's mission. Understanding your "why" and infusing your work with passion and purpose serves as a guiding force, propelling you toward impactful outcomes.

In essence, Elizabeth's experience serves as a roadmap for aspiring nonprofit consultants. It's a journey characterized by proactive engagement, fearlessness, and a deep-seated commitment to making a difference.

Through Instrumentl, Elizabeth Burrows' Consulting continues to redefine healthcare accessibility, unveiling new avenues and making a lasting impact in rural communities. We’re proud to support her in this mission. As Elizabeth reflects, 

“I wish I would have tried Instrumentl earlier. I'm excited about the great return on investment that my clients are getting from instrumentl, and I look forward to continuing using it for years to come.”