The Impact Issue #14: Prospecting Smarter, Not Harder

Hi there,

We know you’ve been working hard to secure grants and build a better world.

But your time is precious, so let’s make sure you’re using it wisely.

We’re here to help you speed up the grant prospecting process and save valuable hours.

Because as the saying goes: “Prospect for Grants Smarter, Not Harder.”

Or something like that.

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Pitfalls and Pointers

Prospecting for grants is a complex and time-consuming endeavor (without the right help).

⚠️ Pitfall: Scouring the Internet for Hours, Coming Up with Diddly-Squat

❌ Here’s The Hard Way to find grants:

Google “Grants near me” and scour random directories.

Visit your local community org to peruse their quark board.

Make dozens of cold calls to companies and organizations.

Ask your Facebook friends if they know any wealthy benefactors.

💡 Pointer: Streamline Your Grant Search Process

✅ Here’s The Smart Way to find grants:

Use a streamlined grant search platform like Instrumentl.

Get:

- Task management capabilities.
- Advanced search and filter features.
- Detailed grant funding information and insights.

In the nonprofit world, we have enough balls to juggle.

Researching and managing an entire end-to-end grant lifecycle in one single platform?

That’s as smart as it gets.

See for yourself how many hours you can save with Instrumentl.

👉 Start your free 14-day trial!

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Tech You Should Know

What:

Notion is a workspace and app that helps you think, write, and plan. Use it for capturing thoughts or managing projects.

How Grant Writers Can Use It:

1. Streamline the Process: Create a master database to store your research materials, potential funders, and deadlines. Use tags and filters to categorize information. Then link Notion with other tools like Google Drive, Evernote, and Trello to integrate and centralize your workflow.
   
2. Master Team Collaboration: Set up shared workspaces for each grant proposal. Invite team members to contribute in real time, leave comments, and track changes. Assign tasks with due dates and priority reminders. This allows you to maintain version control and encourage collaborative input from stakeholders.
   
3. Develop Powerful Templates: Create and save templates for common grant writing components like needs assessments, project descriptions, and budget narratives. Customize these with specific prompts and guidelines tailored to grant types. You can even develop standardized reporting templates that can be reused for different funders.

Keep in Mind:

• Learning Curve: Notion’s extensive features can be overwhelming at first. Start with Notion’s pre-made templates and gradually customize them for your needs. Utilize Notion’s help center and community forums for tips and best practices.

Want more tips on how to choose the right technology for your nonprofit?

➡️ Watch our fireside chat on things to consider when choosing tech here!

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Expert Perspectives

🏆 Lovel VanArsdale: On Saving Time & Building Relationships

Lovel VanArsdale is no stranger to grant prospecting. After managing a $11.6 million federal grant for the State of Tennessee’s Office of eHealth, she retired from her 20-year tenure to pursue a new mission.

As the current Grant Administrator for Tucker’s House, a nonprofit that makes housing accessible for families of children with disabilities, Lovel shares a few tips for grantseekers.

Here’s her expert advice:

• Be Picky with Search Criteria: Use the advanced search feature in your grant database to filter out the best funders for you, faster.
• Look for ROI: Prioritize grants that offer a solid return on time invested. For example, I won’t pursue a $500 grant I think will take 5+ hours to apply for.
• Collaborate with Your Team: Your team members each have valuable professional networks. Lean into their connections when building funder relationships.
• Get Personal: Want responses from potential funders? Send a personalized letter through snail mail to increase response rates.

🤝 Learn how Lovel saved Tucker’s House 15+ hrs a week!

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🎁 A Gift for You

Annual operating budgets are a necessary ‘evil’ for every nonprofit. But creating one? Not exactly an easy-breezy task.

With a little planning and the right tools, a budget will help your team plan for the future, track expenses, and sustain key initiatives.

The goal? Get your budget sorted so you can focus on serving.

Pro Tip: List all your expected revenue sources, i.e., donations, grants, fundraising events, etc. Then categorize your expenses into fixed (like rent and salaries) and variable (like supplies and marketing). This will give you a clear picture of your financial situation.

To make this process easier, we’ve put together 7 Free Nonprofit Budget Templates!

These templates cover everything from organizational budgets to grant proposal budgets and more!

⬇️ Take the guesswork out of budgeting - Download your free templates!

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Opportunities Spotlight

The Standard's Corporate Giving Program

Who It’s For: Community based nonprofits focused on at least one of the four areas: Healthy Communities, Disability and Empowerment, Cultural Development or Education and Advancement.

Next Deadline: Rolling

Grant Amount: $500-25,000 with an average gift of $3,000

The Details:

• To be eligible for funding, an organization must be a charitable, nonprofit, tax-exempt organization as determined by Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service code.
• Organizations should align with at least one of our four focus areas: Healthy Communities, Disability and Empowerment, Cultural Development or Education and Advancement.

👉 Apply Here!

Park Foundation Grants: Media, Environment, & Animal Welfare

Who It’s For: Eligible organizations must be classified under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue.

Next Deadline: July 10, 2024 (Full Proposal)

Grant Amount: Unspecified Amount

The Details:

• Supports public interest media that raises awareness of critical environmental, political and social issues to promote a better informed citizenry in the U.S.
• Supports environmental efforts: ensure drinking water is clean, affordable, and accessible, protected and managed as a public necessity; and to challenge continued shale gas extraction and infrastructure expansion.
• Supports nationally-significant efforts to ensure the humane treatment, care and well-being of domestic animals and the protection and conservation of endangered wildlife and wildlife in captivity in the U.S.

👉 Apply Here!

🔍 Explore thousands of other grant opportunities now!

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Networking Nook

The opportunities that were originally shared in this issue of The Impact have since passed. To check out more recent and upcoming live events, go here.

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In Case You Missed It

📑 Article: How to Search for Grants Without Losing Hours of Your Life

Grant databases offer plenty of nonprofit funding opportunities, but there’s a problem. It takes a lot of time to find and apply for the right ones. Here’s a time-saving tip: use an advanced sorting and filtering tool to narrow down your matches and cut through the noise. Prioritize grant funding by sorting features like ‘New’ grants, urgent deadlines, or grant ‘Amount’.

👉 Get More Time-Saving Grant Tips!‍

📼 Video: Double Your Grants: 7 Funder Engagement Secrets for Funding Success

​​In this video workshop, you’ll learn how to get “in” with institutional funders to secure new funding. Understand funder POVs and how to align proposals with their priorities. Learn critical approaches to how you engage funders to maximize interest in your projects.

👉 Watch the Master Class!

🎙️ Podcast: Ep. 341: Overcoming Money Trauma in Nonprofit Consulting

‍On this episode of the Grant Writing & Funding Podcast, learn how to keep donors engaged, transform the donor journey, and take your consulting career to the next level with Rhea Wong.

👉 Listen to the Full Episode!

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Grantseekers: Don’t Lose Precious Time

The sun is shining and life is calling. We don’t want you to waste the summer away stuck at your desk, spending 15+ hours a week on grant research alone. Join over 3,500 nonprofits and grant writing professionals who use Instrumentl to find grants that fit their exact needs, in a fraction of the time. Because grantseeking should be this easy.

👉 Grant prospecting the smart way - claim your free 14-day trial!