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Hi : Can you believe 2014 is almost over? The year-end brings
with it the special giving season, holidays, friends, and reflection on the year that was and the year ahead.
As usual, you'll find a wealth of new resources in this newsletter -- from video and audio recordings, to Ask Dalya Q & A, to my year-round gift to you of Recommended Resources on my website. And, of course, look for a few cold weather tips in the Green Scene.
You'll also want to sign up for the large free online event for the New Year: The Fundraising
Summit (January 5-9). Details appear below. Have a very Joyous Holiday Season! See you in January!
 Dalya Massachi(Feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues who may be interested.)
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A few months ago, the Grant Professionals Association’s Heart of America chapter invited me to be the plenary speaker at their regional conference in Kansas City, MO. I was honored and pleased to present to such a respected group!
I spoke about the Top 6 Ways Grantwriters Are Strategic Leaders (whether they know it or not). During my presentation, we discussed:
- How to
make sure everyone is on the same page (with the same purposes)
- What questions to ask to get the information you need
- Examples of strategizing with staff – before, during, or after the grant award
I enjoyed seeing people take notes, participate in group exercises, laugh at my jokes (!), and take away ideas they could really use.
Watch the 40-minute presentation (in a few segments) right HERE.
(FYI, if your group needs a speaker or trainer just go HERE.)
I teamed up with Opportunity Knocks to offer this practical, interactive webinar.
Do you want to position your work as cutting-edge and worthy of new support? Do you want to become a respected thought leader in your field? In the marketplace of ideas, those who write well are seen as the “experts” at much more than putting words on a page.
If you want your writing to more fully
express your passion, or tell your story in a fresher and more compelling way, this webinar is for you!
Join us as we explore how to craft polished pieces that will help you reach a whole new level of effectiveness. You will leave inspired and equipped with powerful techniques you can begin using immediately – for yourself and your staff.
During the webinar, we did a live demonstration of writing coaching.
Get the
recording and an e-copy of my award-winning book, "Writing to Make a Difference: 25 Powerful Techniques to Boost Your Community Impact" HERE.
Looking for a new way to attract and engage prospective
donors and supporters? Today’s audiences bypass much of the hype of traditional advertising. Instead, they want relevant and useful content that they can act on right away. Are you offering them that?
Content-rich e-books can showcase your expertise while building your brand’s credibility and market reach. An e-book is an excellent way to deliver content directly to your target audience. Not only will you build visibility, but you will also carve
out a niche as an ‘author’-ity in your field.
Vital components of your content marketing strategy, e-books know no bounds and can be recycled across all of your communication channels (online and offline). You’ll make a winning impression when you can say: “We wrote the book on that topic!”
Takeaways: - Top 4 myths about today’s e-book publishing scene
- Advice on how to write your e-book for the most
impact
- Introduction to independent publishing (what to expect and how to get started)
- Complimentary resources for taking the next step (downloads)
Get the recording from my partner, FrontStream, HERE!
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1) Top 12 Traits of a Good Grantwriter
I’ve heard from many people who either want to up their game as a grantwriter, or are thinking about entering the field. If you’re thinking along these same lines, ask yourself if you have the 12
characteristics it takes to shine.
2) Thank You Letters that Donors Love (with Special Guest Paul Jolly)
A thank you letter can be either an administrative exercise or a powerful way to
connect with your donors. If it is done right, it will increase the likelihood that donors will continue to give, and say yes when you invite them to get more involved. On this podcast we discussed 6 jobs that a thank you letter does, as well as several attributes of a good thank you letter. We also reviewed 5 samples and pointed out strengths and weaknesses.
Find both of these Writing Wednesdays recordings in the ARCHIVE!
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THE FUNDRAISING SUMMIT : Jan 5-9, 2015
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I am honored to be part of The Fundraising Summit, a free online event between January 5 and 9, 2015!
Join me and an expected audience of 80,000 from around the world for 5 days of insight, instruction, and inspiration from over 40 of the world’s best speakers. Learn new ways to tackle your most pressing problems. Learn best practices from the best in national and international
fundraising.
Sessions are free, but only for 24 hours.
You don't have to fly halfway around the world to hear the best speakers on fundraising. They are going to be online at The Fundraising Summit. Registration is free. Their advice is priceless.
My session, “Top Tips for Great Grant Proposals,” will be free on January 5, 2015.
Here are a few of the 40 other amazing presenters you’ll hear:
- Marcy Heim: Three Massive Mistakes
that Even Smart Fundraisers Make in Raising Major Gifts
- Jay Love: What Every Fundraiser Can Do to Stop Falling Retention Rates
- Sherry Truhlar: Steps to a Better Auction
- Harry Freedman: How to Run a Profitable Special Event
- Pamela Grow: The Power of Thank You
- Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE: Raise More Money from Your Business Community
- Gail Perry, CFRE: Teach Your Board to Open the Door to
Major Gifts (without Being Pushy)
- Marc Pitman: How to Fundraise as a CEO (and Learn to Love It)
- Sandy Rees, CFRE: How to Raise Funds as a New Non-Profit
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GRANTWRITER'S FASTTRACK COACHING PROGRAM: FEB 2 - MARCH 12, 2015
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This distance learning community will shorten your grantwriting learning curve and help you win grants faster! The Grantwriter's FastTrack Coaching Program offers a unique 6-week opportunity to develop or refresh your grantwriting skills. We'll
cover the topics that YOU most want to learn about, as they relate to the craft and business of grantwriting to foundations and corporations.
The Program includes group training, thorough feedback on 2 of your proposal drafts, individual "laser" coaching, group Q & A, and written materials: all to help you improve at least one grant proposal in real time and tweak many others for months to come.
You'll also earn up to 7 Continuing Education credits through CFRE International!
This online program is designed for you if... - You have grantwriting responsibilities as a nonprofit development or program staff member, volunteer, or board member
- You are a beginning/intermediate grantwriter
- You have strong writing skills and want to explore the world of grantwriting
If you or your organization is ready to invest in boosting your grantwriting capacity, you owe it to yourself to check out the FastTrack
Program.
~ Limited to 6 friendly folks! ~
Listen to these recent participants: “The FastTrack Program was a very educational and hands-on experience. It was a great introduction to the grantwriting world with some in-depth conversations,
as well. Especially valuable to me was being able to write an actual grant proposal, as I had the support of the class and direct feedback on my writing.” – Neema Jyothiprakash “The FastTrack Program was immensely helpful in learning what funders want to see and hear and how to best convey our work to them. Especially valuable were the edits and comments from both participants and the instructor.” – Dominique Navarro
Early Bird Rate thru 1/23/15: $527 $477 (payment plans available) Get more info today right HERE. (If 3 or more people from your organization are interested in the FastTrack Program, we can run
a custom series just for you!)
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You will find more than 100 books and websites, each categorized and
briefly annotated, that will help with your Writing to Make a Difference. Just a few of the topics covered:
- General writing advice
- Branding
- Engaging your specific readers
- Spotlighting your mission
- Storytelling
- Writing with reader diversity in mind
- Writer’s block
- Clarity
- Conciseness
- And of course, the picky grammatical details!
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Q: A funder we’re interested in says on their website that they strongly suggest emailing instead of calling. So I sent an email with some questions, such as a range to ask for and if we should apply for program-related or operating funds for the first time. I haven't heard back from them yet. Do you suggest I
email them again after about 2 weeks, or just go for it and plan to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI)?
A: I like the questions you asked in your email! Assuming there is
an open deadline, I recommend waiting 2 weeks to get their response. If you don’t hear from them, go ahead and send a follow-up email. In it, mention that perhaps they did not receive your earlier message and you would like to ensure that your Letter of Intent would be appropriate. If you still don't get a response, go ahead and send in your best guess about how your LOI should be written.
Q: Would you recommend including a picture or two in a proposal depicting "the need"? Our organization works on adaptation to environmental concerns. We could send photos of wildfires burning homes and forests in California. What do you think?
A: Generally speaking, pictures are not welcome by funders in proposals because of the bulk. In your particular case, I also think funders have seen enough pictures of wildfires in the news, and don't need further explanation. Overall, keep your communications concise and don’t repeat information that is already well-known.
Q: What happens if 2 or more grant applications come through for the same program?
A: That is an enviable situation to be in! Assuming that the total amount awarded is more than the program’s total budget, you should re-assess your needs. Can you do more of the same program with a
larger budget? Would you rather save the funds for the next fiscal year? Or would you prefer to use the extra funds for another program or for general operating support? Once you know your ideal plan, explain your situation to the funder(s) and try to negotiate a good alternate use of the grant. The main thing is to always maintain transparency by letting your funders know if you have any plans to use their funds in ways other than those described in your proposal. Chances are, the funders will
be pleased to hear of your so-called predicament.
Good news! These questions are exactly the kind we answer in the Grantwriter's FastTrack Coaching Program. You will also get to engage in a mock grantmaker-grantseeker conversation where you can ask these questions (and many more you'll learn about), in preparation for the real thing.
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Like many changemakers, I am concerned about our planet's climate crisis. This feature shares some eco-tips provided by my friend and green business consultant, Shel Horowitz.
Here are a few energy-saving ideas for these cold winter months:
1. Get an energy audit from your local electric company. Power
companies are under instructions to encourage conservation, so they typically do energy audits for free or for a $10 or $20 fee.
2. Put your hand over an electrical outlet on an outside wall on a cold night and you’ll feel the rush of frigid air! Insulate your electrical outlets, switches, and phone jacks on outside walls. If your energy auditor didn’t give them to you, most hardware stores sell inexpensive foam outlet and phone jack insulation pads;
just unscrew the face plate, slip the foam pad on, and put the face plate back.
3. If you’re not using exterior-wall outlets, slip in outlet protectors. You’ll find these in the child safety section of your hardware store, and they block a lot of heat loss.
4. Caulk your windows. A $3 to $5 box of rope caulk will probably last two or three years—even longer if, come spring when you remove the caulk, you store
it in an airtight plastic bag for reuse. Any place you feel a draft, fill the crack with rope caulk.
PS: Find me (Writing for Community Success) in the National Green Pages under "writing
services."
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