Grant Writing Simplified

Join me on the Fast Track to Grant Writer: www.teresahuff.com/vip

Streamlining Systems for Nonprofit Success

Can you believe we're already nearing the end of summer? As we charge ahead into the second half of 2023, now is a great time to pause and evaluate whether your nonprofit's systems are working optimally for you.

A while back, we talked about my favorite tech tools and the importance of systems for grant strategy. With the development of AI and emerging technology, it's more important than ever to understand the strategy behind your systems so you can use them most effectively.

Today, let's dive deeper into other critical systems to consider as a nonprofit.

If you feel your organization could use some fine-tuning in these areas, no worries! Reach out anytime to schedule an advisory session - we can shore things up to end the year strong and kick off 2024 organized and ready. For a comprehensive guide to crafting effective systems, be sure to check out my Fast Track to Grant Writer VIP Program.

Key Systems for Nonprofit Success

Over the years, I've used many different systems to streamline my grant writing business. Even though I now focus on coaching and strategy, having robust systems in place remains crucial. Some key areas for nonprofits to track include:

• Digital and paper file organization
• Password management (I love LastPass!)
• Calendar with recurring task reminders
• Note-taking and action items
• Contact management
• Donor updates
• Budget and finances
• Internal communications
• Strategic planning
• Fundraising and grants
• Program data collection and reporting
• Mapping big goals into daily tasks

Are Your Systems Serving You?

While well-designed systems are invaluable, let's keep it real - we all have off days! The key is not getting stuck in reactionary mode and knowing which systems are truly mission-critical.

Can Automating Help Your Nonprofit Work?

Look for signs like:

• Dropped balls or missed deadlines
• Repetitive administrative tasks
• Re-explaining processes frequently
• Missing key data for grant applications

This indicates it may be time to optimize your systems! Identifying areas to automate can free up time and energy for your most important work.

The time invested now will pay dividends as we progress through 2023 and beyond. Reach out any time to strategize streamlining systems tailored for your nonprofit's needs. Here's to a smooth and successful second half of the year!

To read today's full episode: Streamline Systems for Nonprofit Success To watch and share my TEDx Talk, The Real ROI of Grant Writing.

Challenge Question:

What is one system or workflow you can evaluate this month to help streamline your nonprofit's operations? I'd love to hear about your organization, so shoot me an email!

Resources Mentioned:

• LastPass Secure Passwords
• Episode 21: Tips for Successful Grant Writing & Federal Grant Project Management: Interview with Brandi VanAntwerp, CoxHealth Foundation Grants Administrator
• Episode 52: Business Building: The Tech Tools I Use Most in My Grant Writing Business
• Episode 62: Pro Tips to Step Up Your Nonprofit Grant Strategy with Systems
• Go to MyEasyGrant.com to find, cultivate, and apply to relevant foundations using Easy Grant by Sparrow Nonprofit Solutions.
• Watch and share my TEDx Talk: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

Connect with Teresa Huff:

Website: www.teresahuff.com

Watch the TEDx: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

Take the Quiz: Do you have what it takes to be a grant writer?

Social:

• LinkedIn Community
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• YouTube

Get on the Fast Track to Grant Writer:

www.teresahuff.com/vip

Join me on the Fast Track to Grant Writer: www.teresahuff.com/vip

Mid-Year Check-In It's hard to believe the summer is half over already! Where did the year go? I don't know about you, but I'm a goal-setter, so mid-year is a good time to check in on my progress. Like most years, I've had a lot of unexpected things come up. It's a process of learning to roll with the changes and adjust as I go.

As I evaluate how to move forward for the rest of this year, I thought it would be a good time to share a few tips I've learned to help you reach your goals.

Make Progress with Micro-Habits

One method of goal-setting is to set up micro-habits. Rather than setting ourselves up for failure with a huge goal we likely won't reach, where can we create micro-habits to set ourselves up for a nearly 100% win? Those have a surprisingly compounding effect.

Micro-habits are small actions that help lead us towards our goals. They're easy to accomplish consistently and have a compounding effect.

7 Steps for Setting Micro-Habits for Success

1. Assess Your Progress: Look at your goals from the beginning of the year. Are you on track? Have you accomplished what you hoped for by now? Don't be too hard on yourself if your progress isn't exactly where you expected it to be. Instead, use this time to evaluate, adjust, and adapt.
2. Be Flexible Choose to adapt when life throws unexpected things at you. Keep pushing forward and don't give up.
3. Be Deliberate When unexpected opportunities or hurdles come, deliberately decide where these things fit in the bigger picture. Be sure to pace yourself and take a rest when you need to.
4. Be Intentional Be intentional when choosing your micro-habit. Consider the larger goal of who or what you want to become and identify a habit that will help you get there. Define and visualize where you want to be in the next month, three months, or by the end of the year.
5. Be Strategic Identify areas where consistent action will have a meaningful impact on your larger objectives. Then integrate micro-habits into your existing daily routine by choosing a trigger. A trigger is a specific time or event in your day that serves as a reminder to do the new habit.
6. Be Accountable Setting goals, micro-habits, and triggers is only half the battle. We all need accountability to stay on track. If you need an accountability partner, shoot me an email.
7. Stay Clear on Your Vision Make sure your bigger purpose is clear. Why are you doing this? What will this move you closer to? That will help you stay motivated and on track.

The key is to set a trigger and stick to it, because it takes about a month for a behavior to become a routine. By setting deliberate micro-habits strategically aligned with our bigger picture, we can actively work towards becoming better versions of ourselves each day. And you don't have to do it alone; I'm here to support you.

Keep pushing forward; you've got this!

To read today's full episode: Mid-Year Goal Check: Assess Your Progress and Set Micro-Habits for Success To watch and share my TEDx Talk, The Real ROI of Grant Writing.

Challenge Question:

What micro-habit will you commit to every day for the next 30 days?

Resources Mentioned:

• Other Grant Writing Simplified podcasts to help you reach your goals:
  • Leadership Lessons from a Green Beret: How to Lead for Success
  • Master of One: The Role of Excellence in Our Work
  • 5 Easy Grant Writing Tips to Build Strategic, Lasting Relationships
• Go to MyEasyGrant.com to find, cultivate, and apply to relevant foundations using Easy Grant by Sparrow Nonprofit Solutions.
• Watch and share my TEDx Talk: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

Connect with Teresa Huff:

Website: www.teresahuff.com

Watch the TEDx: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

Take the Quiz: Do you have what it takes to be a grant writer?

Social:

• LinkedIn Community
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• YouTube

Get on the Fast Track to Grant Writer:

www.teresahuff.com/vip

Join me on the Fast Track to Grant Writer: www.teresahuff.com/vip

ROI for Foodies

I enjoy watching some of the Food Network challenges because it's fun to discover new baking ideas. While watching an episode last week, I noticed another reason the competitions are so much fun to watch.

Grant writers and Food Network competitors go through a similar process in hopes of winning money. To win the prize, we all have to show the judges how they will get a Return on Investment - or in the case of nonprofits, a Return on Impact - by investing in us.

In my TEDx talk, I explain how the key to writing a winning grant is to show the grant funder the Return on Impact (ROI) they'll get. Funders aren't looking for a return on investment like a for-profit business. Instead, grantmakers want to give grants to organizations they know will make an impact on the community, just like the judges on the Food Network want to invest in chefs that will contribute to the baking community and represent the Food Network well.

9 Ways Food Network Challenges are Like Grant Writing:

1. The judges provide clear instructions and a goal before the competition begins.
2. The competitors can be creative, but they still have to stay within defined parameters.
3. The competitors have to make a reduction to eliminate any fluff or distractions. (Check out Episode 16 for examples of how to do this in grant writing!)
4. The challenge always includes a tight deadline, so competitors have to practice and be prepared to thrive under pressure.
5. Competitors must adapt quickly when mistakes and unexpected hurdles occur.
6. Judges love a good story, as long as it is relevant and concise.
7. Participants must present a complete, finished product.
8. Most competitors won't win the prize, but they don't give up on their dream.
9. Before the participants do anything, they sketch out their vision and devise a strategy to transform that dream to reality.

Many competitors skip the vision and strategy and go straight for writing the grant, but this should actually be the first thing both grant writers and Food Network competitors do. Without a vision and goal, there's no direction, only chaos and confusion.

Conclusion

Your ROI isn't just a formula for how to position the grant for funders. It's also a vision for your organization. It's your nonprofit's lighthouse. The return you want to give your funders is the same as the impact you want to have on your community, it's the reason you do this work every day; it's what keeps you anchored so you don't drift from your mission.

To read today's full episode: 9 Ways Food Network Challenges Mirror the Grant Writing Process To watch and share my TEDx Talk, The Real ROI of Grant Writing.

Challenge Question:

Which Food Network lesson do you need to implement or improve upon in your work?

Resources Mentioned:

• Grant Writing Simplified Episode 16: How to Write Tight
• Storytelling Series:
  • Episode 58: Are You Telling Your Nonprofit Story? How Coffee Mugs Are Like Grant Writing.
  • Episode 59: How to Tell Your Nonprofit Story Through Video.
  • Episode 60: 5 Questions for a More Compelling Nonprofit Story.
  • Episode 64: Using Data to Tell Nonprofit Stories: 6 Tips to Flex Your Grant Writing Muscles.
• Go to MyEasyGrant.com to find, cultivate, and apply to relevant foundations using Easy Grant by Sparrow Nonprofit Solutions.
• Watch and share my TEDx Talk: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

Connect with Teresa Huff:

Website: www.teresahuff.com

Watch the TEDx: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

Take the Quiz: Do you have what it takes to be a grant writer?

Social:

• LinkedIn Community
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• YouTube

Get on the Fast Track to Grant Writer:

www.teresahuff.com/vip

Join me on the Fast Track to Grant Writer: www.teresahuff.com/vip

The Link Between Competition and a Scarcity Mindset

Competition is at the heart of every grant application, and a scarcity mindset can come from a position of competition. Many nonprofits work on a very limited budget, so the struggle with a scarcity mindset is common. After all, you wouldn't be applying for grants if you already had the money, right?

Nonprofits applying for the same grant are likely providing parallel services to a similar demographic, so the unfortunate reality is that organizations fighting for the same cause are competing with one another for funds and therefore, feeding the sector-wide scarcity mindset.

In today's podcast, retired Army Colonel Dr. Vincent Lindenmeyer helps us think creatively to work collaboratively with otherwise competing organizations so both teams can overcome the scarcity mindset and get more done.

What Collaboration and Grant Funding Look Like Together

During his 26 years in the US Army, Vince specialized in engineering, logistics management, and strategic studies, so he knows what creative collaboration looks like. He now applies his knowledge and experience to the nonprofit sector. As principal of Beacon 4sight Group, Vince helps women, veterans, minorities, persons with disabilities, and the formerly incarcerated start nonprofits and businesses to create economic growth for equality and justice.

Many of Vince's clients begin with little more than a dream, but he helps them get their nonprofit started in 90 days. He knows the power of creative collaboration to overcome scarcity. Like-minded organizations need to share resources, time, and talent to create in-kind partnerships based on trading complimentary skills and backgrounds.

7 Empowering Benefits of Working Collaboratively

Wonderful things can happen when organizations work together:

1. Extra personnel Everyone gets more done when you have more hands on deck working toward the same goals.
2. Share tips and tricks Share knowledge to solve problems and work more efficiently.
3. Stronger bottom line Struggling nonprofits become stronger by giving and receiving resources and expertise.
4. Larger network Collaboration breeds collaboration, so when you partner with an organization, you will also get to work with their connections.
5. Stay in your lane Collaboration means sharing complementary skills to boost each other's weaknesses so you can focus on your strengths.
6. Increased visibility and community awareness When you get more done together, both organizations get a piece of the spotlight to bring awareness to both your cause and your brand.
7. Celebrate your wins together Collaboration means having more to celebrate and more people to celebrate with!

If we truly want to make things better and improve our mission, then we have to cooperate. It's not about us. It's not about the scarcity. It's so much more.

We have to work together. We have to ask ourselves how we can give back to the community and improve each other's mission, whether or not it comes back directly to us.

To read today's full episode: 7 Reasons Working Collaboratively Helps Your Team Get More Done To watch and share my TEDx Talk, The Real ROI of Grant Writing.

Challenge Question: Where do you see a scarcity in your nonprofit? Can you identify another organization with whom to collaborate to turn the scarcity into abundance?

Meet Dr. Vince Lindenmeyer (from https://beacon4today.com/resources/)

Dr. Vince Lindenmeyer, Colonel, US Army (Retired), is a Principal of the Beacon 4sight Group that helps women, veterans, minorities, persons with disabilities, and the formerly incarcerated start nonprofits and businesses to create economic growth for equality and justice. Colonel Lindenmeyer served a 26-year career with overseas tours to Korea, Egypt, Qatar, and Iraq, earning the Bronze Star Medal. As an educator, Dr. Lindenmeyer has taught face-to-face and distance learning over the past 20-years. He earned a BS in Systems Engineering (West Point, United States Military Academy), master's degrees (three) in Logistics Management, M.Ed., an MA in Strategic Studies, and a Ph.D. in Education.

Connect with Vince

• Beacon4Today.com
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn

Resources Mentioned:

• Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets, written by Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead, and Kevin Maney
• "Iron" Mike Steadman - Ironbound Thrive Initiative - Free Business Coaching for Young Urban Entrepreneurs
• A Course in Miracles, written by Foundation For Inner Peace
• The Basics of a Course in Miracles Audible, written and narrated by Marianne Williamson, published by Better Listen
• Northeast Louisiana Arts Council
• Watch and share my TEDx Talk: The Real ROI of Grant Writing
• Go to MyEasyGrant.com to find, cultivate, and apply to relevant foundations using Easy Grant by Sparrow Nonprofit Solutions.

Connect with Teresa Huff:

Website: www.teresahuff.com

Watch the TEDx: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

Take the Quiz: Do you have what it takes to be a grant writer?

Social:

• LinkedIn Community
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• YouTube

Get on the Fast Track to Grant Writer:

www.teresahuff.com/vip

Join me on the Fast Track to Grant Writer: www.teresahuff.com/vip

Ask Not What the Funder Can Do for You…

In our last episode, we talked about how your nonprofit can stay relevant to funders, in the community, and as a grant writer. Today we're going to talk about how to write stronger grant proposals and build relationships with funders by aligning the relevance of your program to their mission.

I talked about relevance in my TEDx Talk, "The Real ROI of Grant Writing." Funders need to know they will get a Return on Impact for investing in your nonprofit. This means you need to convince the funder that your nonprofit is Relevant, Optimized, and Interacting in meaningful ways. If you haven't already, you can watch my TEDx talk on YouTube.

How Strategic Positioning Can Help Build Your ROI

Grant writers look for grants that will help the nonprofit reach their organizational goals. Of course funders have goals too, but their goals are not necessarily related to the success of your organization.

A funder's mission is to serve the community in a specific way. For a nonprofit, strategic positioning is about writing a grant proposal from the funder's priorities. The funder wants to know how investing in your nonprofit will help them accomplish their goals, not yours.

To convince the funder they will get the most return on impact by investing in your nonprofit, show them how your organization is relevant to their goals. They need to see how your program will help the external community, even if it's building your internal capacity.

You can do that by strategically positioning the grant to show how your nonprofit aligns with their goals.

5 Tips to Align Your Program with a Funder's Goals

Oswald Chambers wrote, "Life serves back in the coin you pay." Let's keep that in mind in the context of our grant writing work. Look at the bigger picture, the overall context in which your organization has an impact, and consider how you are serving and giving to the community. Then write the grant from a position of service.

Five ways to show how your organization serves the funder's mission:

1. Present your value exchange as a gift
2. Offer something that is meaningful to them
3. Ensure your goals align
4. Explain how your program will help them accomplish their goals
5. Help them envision the end results

To read today's full episode: 5 Easy Grant Writing Tips to Build Strategic, Lasting Relationships To watch and share my TEDx Talk, The Real ROI of Grant Writing.

Challenge Question: How will you position your grant proposal from an attitude of service?

ResourcesMentioned:

• Go to MyEasyGrant.com to find, cultivate, and apply to relevant foundations using Easy Grant by Sparrow Nonprofit Solutions.
• Watch and share my TEDx Talk: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

Connect with Teresa Huff:

Website: www.teresahuff.com

Watch the TEDx: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

Take the Quiz: Do you have what it takes to be a grant writer?

Social:

• LinkedIn Community
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• YouTube

Get on the Fast Track to Grant Writer:

www.teresahuff.com/vip

Are you thinking about a career in grant writing, but don't know where to start?

I have a passion to train and equip grant writers with the skills they need to be successful because I had an amazing mentor who helped me get started. In today's episode of Grant Writing Simplified, I had a blast talking shop with my friend and fellow grant writing mentor, Holly Rustic. After nearly twenty years as a grant writing consultant, Holly has dedicated herself to teaching a tribe of grant writers to drive positive change for nonprofits while having an abundant lifestyle.

In this episode, we talk about the top questions we hear from new grant writers. You'll benefit from our combined forty years of grant writing experience and get answers to your top freelance grant writing questions.

Grab a pen and notepad because you're about to get loads of actionable guidance and practical advice as Holly and I share everything we wish we had known when we started grant writing, such as:

• Where do I start?

• What kind of experience do I need?

• Should I write for free?

• How do I negotiate prices and rate increases?

• How can I avoid misunderstandings with clients?

• How do I present my value as a grant writer to potential clients?

• What is a Master Grant Template and how will it help you make the world a better place?

…And much more!

To read today's full episode: Expert Answers to Your Top Questions on How to Become a Grant Writer

To watch and share my TEDx Talk, The Real ROI of Grant Writing.

What skills can you learn, develop, or adapt to grant writing? Make a list, choose one skill, and decide what you will do to move forward.

Holly has nearly two decades of experience helping nonprofit organizations and grant writers (and volunteers, board members, and everyday people!) get funding. She has learned a lot over the years and has dedicated herself to teaching a tribe of grant writers to drive positive change for nonprofits while having an abundant lifestyle.

• GrantWritingandFunding.com

• YouTube

• Facebook

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

• Nonprofit Consulting Conference Online

• The Beginner's Guide to Grant Writing: Tips, Tools, & Templates to Write Winning Grants

• Go to MyEasyGrant.com to find, cultivate, and apply to relevant foundations using Easy Grant by Sparrow Nonprofit Solutions.

• Watch and share my TEDx Talk: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

Connect with Teresa Huff:

Website: www.teresahuff.com

Watch the TEDx: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

Take the Quiz: Do you have what it takes to be a grant writer?

Social:

• LinkedIn Community

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

• Pinterest

• YouTube

Get on the Fast Track to Grant Writer:

www.teresahuff.com/vip

In my recent TEDx Talk, I talked about the Real ROI of Grant Writing. In the business world, ROI means Return on Investment, but it's a different mindset in the world of grants. We're talking about a Return on Impact. In today's podcast episode, I'll tell you more about the R in the ROI of grant writing and how knowing this can save you frustration and time so you can write more proposals.

Funders need to know they will get a Return on Impact for investing in your nonprofit. This means you need to convince the funder that your nonprofit is Relevant, Optimized, and Interacting in meaningful ways.

ROI of Grant Writing:

• Relevant

• Optimized

• Interacting

One question I wish more nonprofits would consider is, "How do I know if my organization is relevant?" I recommend the following five steps to determine if and how your organization is relevant to the community, the funders, and the grants you are applying for:

1. Determine if organization is truly relevant in the community. Take a critical look at your mission and goals to evaluate if you are serving a real need in the community. Make sure you have the statistics and testimonials to back up your mission statement. If necessary, go back and define your goals more closely.

1. Analyze if your organization is relevant to the funder's mission and goals. Make sure you are applying to funders whose mission and goals align with yours. There are consequences to both your organization and the funder if you just chase the money.

Now that you've determined your organization is relevant in the community, and your mission is relevant to the funders, the next step is to find relevant grants.

1. Avoid irrelevant research. Research can be fun, but there are millions of grants and many ways to search. Don't get lost in the never-ending grant search rabbit trail. You don't need ALL the grants; you just need to find the good-fit grants.

To read today's full episode: Nonprofit ROI: 5 Tips to Stay Relevant to Funders and Win More Grants

To watch and share my TEDx Talk, The Real ROI of Grant Writing.

Challenge Question:

Do you need to narrow your focus? Are you clear on what that is?

• Go to MyEasyGrant.com to find, cultivate, and apply to relevant foundations using Easy Grant by Sparrow Nonprofit Solutions.

• Watch and share my TEDx Talk: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

Connect with Teresa Huff:

Website: www.teresahuff.com

Watch the TEDx: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

Take the Quiz: Do you have what it takes to be a grant writer?

Social:

• LinkedIn Community

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

• Pinterest

• YouTube

Get on the Fast Track to Grant Writer:

www.teresahuff.com/vip

Join me on the Fast Track to Grant Writer: www.teresahuff.com/vip

As a grant writer for about two decades and winning over $7M for my clients, I've learned that grant writing isn't magic, but there is a formula to increase your chances of winning grant. Today I'm sharing my secret sauce with you in my TEDx Talk! You can read the abbreviated version below or watch the full presentation (complete with pictures!) on YouTube.

Where NOT to Start with Grant Writing

Imagine you're at work when your boss walks by and says, "Hey, I need a favor. I'm supposed to help at the youth shelter fundraiser on Saturday and I can't make it. Can you step in for me?"

As a team player and fan of the youth program, you say, "You bet! Happy to."

Relieved, he says, "Thanks, you're the best!" On the way out, he adds, "Oh, by the way, it's a marathon. Just get some good running shoes and you'll be fine."

Wait - what? A marathon?

I don't know about you, but I'm sure not ready for a marathon on Saturday.

…Yet I hear the equivalent of this all the time in the nonprofit world.

People hear someone wants to start a nonprofit and say, "Oh, you should just get a grant for that!"

Or, "You need a new building? I've heard there's grant funding out there."

Grants aren't that simple. You don't "just" get a grant. Like training for a marathon, grants require preparation, strategy, and hard work. Successful grant writing takes consistent effort, uncovering misconceptions, and willingness to approach strategy through a new lens. We must look at grants as part of a much bigger process.

In business, we know investors are looking for a Return on Investment, or ROI. We put money in and calculate, "How much profit will I get back?"

In the nonprofit world, ROI is more about creating a Return On Impact. You won't get your investment of time, money, or resources back when you donate to a nonprofit. In the same way, grantmakers are looking forward. They want to know, "How much impact can we make through this work? How much of a ripple effect can we create by partnering together?"

Even better, by giving forward and investing in others, we do get a return back - by way of meaning, relationships, and fulfillment. That's why it's so important for us to band together to help nonprofits build this kind of ROI. A Return on Impact.

How do we go about showing Return on Impact? We do this through what I call the ROI Framework: Relevant, Optimize, and Interact. That's how we get the results that lead to impact.

Rather than simply writing more grants, let's move upstream to look at the bigger picture and see how each grant opportunity fits in as part of the whole puzzle. When we put grants into their proper context, that's when we can effectively build the nonprofit's ROI.

Relevant

Relevance is twofold in the context of building our ROI Framework:

1. Establish the relevance of our work to society.

2. Ensure our work's relevance to the grantmaker's mission.

First, we need contextual research to ensure the community need for this project:

• What statistics and data support this mission?

• Why is this work so critical?

Then we should consider the relevance to the grantmaker:

• Whose funding priorities best align with the nonprofit's mission?

• What community gaps does the nonprofit fill?

• How can they partner to meet those needs?

When thinking through this Relevance, we should consider the logical proof of ROI.

To read today's full epsiode: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

What can you do to increase your nonprofit's ROI?

Connect with Teresa Huff:

Website: www.teresahuff.com

Watch the TEDx: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

Take the Quiz: Do you have what it takes ot be a grant writer?

Social:

• LinkedIn Community
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• YouTube

Get on the Fast Track to Grant Writer:

www.teresahuff.com/vip

Join me on the Fast Track to Grant Writer: www.teresahuff.com/vip

The collective values and priorities of a society change with each generation. We express our values with our time and money, so those values then drive the economy through the demand for relevant products and services. With each economic shift, the value proposition and marketing methods adapt to the current priorities to provide the most perceived value.

As a nonprofit, you want to be on the peak of the value curve. During our discussion, Mark provided a journey of economic shifts through the history of America to help us understand where we are today and how nonprofits can take advantage of the current transformational economy to engage supporters.

Join us for a journey through history to discover how you can help your nonprofit grow using assets you already have on hand.

What is the Transformational Economy?

Civilizations start as tribes in the subsistence economy, where we get enough to meet our needs and live. The goal is to say, "I'm alive."

As tribes settle, we move to the commodity economy where we harvest commodities such as crops, wood, and mining to buy and trade. The goal is to say, "I'm productive."

As the value of commodities increases, people move into the product economy where we buy labor savings. So instead of making your own products, we buy products someone else made. The goal is to say, "I'm efficient." In the United States, we shifted to the product economy during the Industrial Revolution.

As the need for products is met, we shift to the service economy where we free up time by paying for services we previously did on our own.

Then we moved to the experience economy, where people wanted more than a service—they wanted a memorable service.

Now, we are living in a transformational economy, where people want more than interesting memories. They want authentic, meaningful experiences to make things better, whether it's improving themselves, their workplace, their family, their community, or the world.

This is what people are craving and paying for today, so rapidly growing companies are providing an opportunity for their customers to be better people through their products and services.

How the Transformational Economy Can Help a Nonprofit

The marketing efforts of nonprofits have operated on a service economy mindset, where we focus our recruitment messaging on the services we provide. But since we are in the business of transformation, it should feel natural to embrace the shift and showcase how a contributor makes the world a better place by supporting our cause.

However, amid this shift, nonprofit organizations face a larger struggle to be heard through the noise with minimal marketing dollars. So how does a nonprofit get and sustain supporters' attention long enough to appeal to their sense of purpose?

The Power of Story to Embrace the Transformational Economy

The most powerful and entertaining way to showcase transformation is through storytelling. Mark explained, "You can't sell transformation with features, advantages, and benefits. A person will not understand until they have been through the experience. How we do that is by telling a story of somebody who has been through the transformation. You have to tell it as a hero's journey."

To read today's full episode: What is a Transformational Economy, and How Can it Help a Nonprofit?

Challenge Question: What is a recent initiative you can search for stories of transformation?

Connect with Teresa Huff:

Website: www.teresahuff.com

Watch the TEDx: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

Take the Quiz: Do you have what it takes to be a grant writer?

Social:

• LinkedIn Community
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• YouTube

Get on the Fast Track to Grant Writer:

www.teresahuff.com/vip

I talk with a lot of nonprofits each week, and of course they all have one thing in common they need: more funding! That's why I like to bring in experts in other types of fundraising too. We need to understand the bigger picture of how the strategies fit together.

Today I'm talking with another nonprofit expert who is fantastic at what she does. Sherry Quam Taylor is good at shaking up the status quo and challenging people to think bigger, better, and with excellence to raise funds to serve your nonprofit fully.

Listen as Sherry and I do some myth-busting about fundraising. We also discuss advice on scaling nonprofits.

Sherry and I discuss the importance of bringing creativity to work. Design and creativity not only help us take care of ourselves, but they also help our organizations grow and build. This can insulate us from becoming stagnant.

The experience Sherry brought from the for-profit world to the nonprofit world helped her tremendously, and that transition helped her learn a lot by simply asking, "Why?" "Why can't we say that?" Why can't we spend that?" These questions challenged Sherry and the teams she worked with to look at "why" they were doing things a certain way, and build toward securing donors' best gifts.

Relationships take time. Rushing relationships does not build strong foundations. As board members, development teams, or even grant writers, relationships are at our heart.

Sherry also shares tools we can use to build those relationships, specifically with investment-level donors. First of all, we need to ask questions and listen with interest. Sherry suggests this gem, "How did you become so generous?"

As I share in my TEDx Talk, building relationships means being conversational and getting to know the person, not just the dollar. Slowing down and being relational with donors can lead them to their best gift. That process can take 12-24 months or more, and that's okay.

To read today's full episode: How Design, Creativity and Relationships Intersect With Budget Transparency

Challenge Question:

What five people can you start building relationships with now? Make that list today.

Meet Sherry Quam Taylor:

Sherry Quam Taylor works with business-minded Nonprofit CEOs who want to scale their organizations' budgets by 2-5X but need larger amounts of general-operating revenue to do so. The organizations Sherry works with want to reduce dependence on government, earned, or contracted revenue and increase unrestricted revenue from investment-level donors.

To achieve this, Sherry helps leaders align their organization's charitable revenue initiatives with their business, programmatic, and strategic growth opportunities. This is the step that most skip! It ensures the funding challenges are solved at the root of the issue and attracts investment-level donors that get this!

As a result of learning her methodology, Sherry's clients know how to fund their Strategic Plans and add 7-figures of gen-ops revenue to their bottom line. But, mostly, her CEOs can confidently know their development departments and board have transformed into high-ROI revenue generators, aligned their hours with dollars, and broken free from the limitations of transactional fundraising.

Sherry attributes the success of her business to her passion for modeling radical confidence to the future CEOs in her house - her two teenage daughters.

Connect with Sherry Quam Taylor:

• Website: Sherry Quam Taylor
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

Connect with Teresa Huff:

Website: www.teresahuff.com

Watch the TEDx: The Real ROI of Grant Writing

Take the Quiz: Do you have what it takes to be a grant writer?

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Get on the Fast Track to Grant Writer:

www.teresahuff.com/vip