PLEASE NOTE: The live version of this full series is sold out, but you may purchase recordings of the series (see below) or register for individual sessions (see session title links).
The changes in the fundraising landscape have created a need for new skill sets, especially in small- to mid-sized organizations where a few staff must wear many hats and might have to take on new responsibilities quickly. To support the skill and fundraising capacity of nonprofits, Common Good Vermont is excited about partnering with experienced trainers in the field to put on this new, highly requested Grant Series. This series consists of four virtual hands-on workshops that take a deeper dive into the main three parts of grant management (grant seeking, grant writing, and grant reporting) and a final session on grantor relationship building.
March 5 - Grant Seeking: Creating a Grant Pipeline
Have you ever wondered how to begin searching for grants?
This webinar will provide a framework for your nonprofit to consider when beginning the search for grants and discuss the following questions to consider:
- private grants or public grants?
- project based or for operational expenses?
The role of relationship building and organizational structures needed to be ‘ready’ for grants. Participants will be exposed to tools for grant decision making and how to create and maintain a simple grant pipeline.
March 8 - Grant Writing: Everything you Need to Write More Compelling Grant Proposals (SOLD OUT)
Learn how to write grants that get funded!
This workshop will provide concrete, practical guidance for preparing successful grant proposals. Using plenty of examples and active learning opportunities, we’ll discuss strategies to fully meet common grant application requirements, the importance of proposal appearance, and how to avoid common errors that keep many proposals from getting funded. Participants are welcome to come with actual proposal ideas.
We’ll cover:
- Basic tenets of proposal writing
- Developing compelling and measurable goals, objectives, and outcomes
- Making your case with data and stories
- How to set up a simple budget for a grant application
- Create evergreen content that you can reuse
March 12 - Grant Reporting: Building an Ecosystem for Success (SOLD OUT)
Grant reporting, across multiple funding types, is intended to keep your funders up to date on the impact their funding has generated and to evidence that your organization is complying with all the terms of a funding agreement. Ongoing funding can rely on accurate and on-time reporting. While reporting frequency and complexity can vary widely by funder and funding type, the degrees to which an organization has set foundational cross-team planning and communication practices will influence the accuracy and ease at which grant reporting requirements can be met. Many organizations find themselves facing internal alignment, role clarity, and planning challenges that manifest themselves when grant reporting dates draw near, making reporting requirements feel unrealistically daunting.
This session aims to help organizations understand how to implement efficient and accurate grant reporting, including the benefits of systematizing their grant seeking, acceptance, and tracking practices so that staff are aligned and proactively implementing programming and collecting data according to the obligations that come along with certain funding types. By building foundational systems before seeking funding opportunities, an organization can save themselves from having to spend significant time scrambling to compile information as reporting deadlines draw near, or worse, failing to meet their reporting requirements and jeopardizing funding relationships.
Through both presentation and interactive group work, we will explore:
- Varying types of grant sources and more common reporting requirements
- Key operations systems to have in place to build the role clarity and cross-team alignment necessary to maintain grant compliance
- Resources to consider when building data collection and record maintenance systems, including especially helpful staff skill sets
March 15 - Asking Without Anxiety
Asking without Anxiety is designed to support you in gaining confidence, being more prepared, and feeling less anxious in funder conversations.
This workshop is for executive directors, development directors, nonprofit staff, or board members who want to gain confidence in reaching out to donors and having meaningful interactions either online or in person. In this lively three-hour workshop, you will learn tips and tricks for taming your anxiety in donor conversations and practice how to reach out to your donors to more fully engage them in the life of your organization.
- Receive a customizable training manual that gives you the tools and scripts you need to invite your donors to meetings and ask them to support your organization.
- Learn how to relax in your donor visits by using the Connecting Conversations Model.
- Practice participating in meaningful conversations with your donors.
- Increase your skills and confidence to make your donor meetings successful.
This is an interactive session. Come ready to participate with your screen on. When you sign up, you will receive some pre-work to do that will take you approximately 1 hour to complete.
Asking without Anxiety is designed to support you in gaining confidence, being more prepared, and feeling less anxious in donor conversations. You will learn how to build relationships with donors in meaningful ways by developing your authentic curiosity and “fundraising listening skills” to help match your mission with your donors’ philanthropic goals. As part of your workshop, you will practice making a donor ask in a small supportive group.
Purchase Full Series Recordings
Be sure to type "North Carolina Center for Nonprofits" in the box asking for referring state nonprofit association.