Thrive in Five with Thrive Community Partners

What are your ideas to THRIVE? Share!

Sarah challenges nonprofits to stop “grant chasing,” calling it exhausting, inconsistent, and harmful to building capacity, and instead adopt a funding strategy based on organizational priorities and three-year goals. She explains that a strategy works backward to identify aligned funding sources, the right sequence, and needed lead time, helping teams move from reactive deadline-hopping to planning. Framing grant writing as relationship-building, she compares applying for mismatched grants to a bad first date that won’t lead to a second, emphasizing that alignment with both funder priorities and your own strategy matters. With a strategy in place, organizations can stop pursuing poor-fit opportunities, build funder relationships before an RFP drops, and strengthen proposals without constantly reinventing their narrative.

"It's a Brand New Day"

"It's a Brand New Day"

Learn to Thrive! 

thrivecommunitypartners.com

What are your ideas to THRIVE? Share!

Renee shares why the “we’re too small” narrative is one of the most damaging beliefs rural communities can hold, arguing that small-town closeness is actually a powerful relationship infrastructure that larger cities try to recreate at great cost. She explains that rural communities can move quickly because key people already know and trust each other—mayors, superintendents, economic developers, and major employers can get in the same room within a week without layers of bureaucracy. While acknowledging the everyday reality that small towns make quick errands difficult because everyone knows everyone, she emphasizes that this connectivity becomes invaluable when projects or grant deadlines demand fast coordination. Renee challenges listeners to focus on leveraging this existing asset, reminding them that community size is not a limitation but an advantage.

"It's a Brand New Day"

"It's a Brand New Day"

Learn to Thrive! 

thrivecommunitypartners.com

What are your ideas to THRIVE? Share!

Sarah explains that grant proposals are rarely rejected because of poor writing, but instead for three common reasons: misalignment between the project and the funder’s priorities, weak community evidence that the problem is real and the organization is credible, and a lack of a clear implementation path showing how the work will happen after funding. She advises spending an hour before writing to confirm true alignment, demonstrate that the community is experiencing the stated problem, and outline a practical plan for execution and sustainability beyond the funding period. Addressing these issues makes the writing more effective, helps proposals come together faster, and increases the chances of winning grants.

"It's a Brand New Day"

"It's a Brand New Day"

Learn to Thrive! 

thrivecommunitypartners.com

What are your ideas to THRIVE? Share!

In this episode of Thrive in Five, Renee explains a common mistake communities make: investing heavily in planning, visioning, and strategic frameworks while skipping an honest conversation about capacity—who will do the work, with what resources, and on top of what else. She shares how small staffs often take on more initiatives without stopping old ones, and how plans fall apart when unexpected absences occur. Renee argues that a plan without a realistic capacity assessment is a wish list, not a strategy. Before the next planning process, she urges leaders to ask three questions: what can we truly commit to and sustain six months from now, who will own the work after the consultant leaves, and what are we willing to stop doing to make room.

"It's a Brand New Day"

"It's a Brand New Day"

Learn to Thrive! 

thrivecommunitypartners.com

What are your ideas to THRIVE? Share!

Welcome to Thrive in Five, a new podcast from Thrive Community Partners featuring Sarah Stephens Krupp + Renee Smith.

If you're a community leader, economic developer, chamber professional, nonprofit executive, entrepreneur, or someone working to strengthen your community, you're in the right place.

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, your hosts share one practical idea in five minutes or less to help you build stronger organizations, stronger partnerships, and stronger communities.

Drawing from decades of experience in community development, strategic planning, entrepreneurship, grant strategy, leadership, and organizational capacity, each episode offers real-world insights you can put into action immediately.

In this trailer, you'll meet Sarah and Renee, learn why they created Thrive in Five, and get a preview of what's ahead.

Subscribe today and join us as we build, sustain, and grow thriving communities—one conversation at a time.

Learn to Thrive! 

thrivecommunitypartners.com