Learning & Event Calendar

Members: $75
Nonmembers: $95
 
NDANO is pleased to partner with Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits to offer you this three-part webinar series.

This webinar series will take place Tuesdays, June 11-25, from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CT.

Session 1 - June 11
Building the “Total Value” Proposal Budget: A Step-By-Step Framework for Thinking Differently About What It Takes to Do the Work We Do

An A+ proposal budget provides an honest, complete, and clear picture of the total value of everything it takes to do your work successfully. It also stands as an invaluable management and evaluation tool when it comes to running the grant-funded program. So … how do we get there from here? That’s the question explored in this down-to-earth, myth-busting session.

Key Takeaways
• You’ll understand the importance of taking a "total value” approach to budget-building, to clearly and compellingly show the value of everything it takes to do our work successfully.
• You’ll learn why the form the grantmaker gives you is (almost always) the wrong tool for planning your budget … and what you can use instead
• You’ll have the chance to whip out your calculator and try your own hand at thinking through some of the “total-value” challenges in our real-life scenario - some are pretty tricky!
• You’ll get a behind-the-scenes view of how grantmakers evaluate your proposal budget – and what your budget tells them about your organization.
• And we’ll clear away the confusion around value of volunteer time, accounting for “match,” handling administrative/indirect costs, and other perennially perplexing budget issues.

BONUS: In this session, you’ll be introduced to GrantsMagic U’s exclusive Master Budget Planning Checklist and Worksheet, a powerful planning tool to help make sure you’re crafting a budget that is comprehensive, realistic, and bullet-proof—and that will work for you, your organization, and your grantmaking partners.

Session 2 - June 18
Power Writing for Grants...and More: Fast and Easy Tools for Writing That Gets the Results You Want

Clear, compelling writing is vital to all your on-the-job writing projects -- not just grant proposals. In this fast-paced hands-on workshop, you'll learn and practice simple, powerful techniques that will have you writing more clearly, quickly and confidently -- right away. Learn to present your message in a way that makes it as easy as possible for your reader to understand -- so you get the results you want.

Key Takeaways
• The big myths and misconceptions that could be sabotaging your writing without your even knowing it;
• Three fundamental strategies for writing so clearly your reader cannot possibly misunderstand your message;
• Key techniques and tools to help you organize your material for maximum impact;
• Ten steps for busting through the deadly 12-12-12 Scenario and bringing your writing to life;
• Figuring it out: Who are your readers, what do they need from you … and how do you make sure you deliver?
• Advice from the top writing pros on editing, proofreading, and revising.

Session 3 - June 25
Making Friends with Funders: What Grantmakers Want Every Grantseeker to Know...Before Submitting a Proposal!

Make no mistake about it: Grantseeking is a people-driven process. And key to your success is the grantmakers themselves - the people who make the decisions about awards from corporate, foundation, and government sources. But who are these people? How do we connect with them? And what do they want from us, anyway?

Being a grantmaker isn't as easy as you might think. In this lively session, Maryn Boess pulls from her own grantmaking experience (and that of dozens of other private and public program officers, reviewers and decision-makers) to give you a realistic, behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to create funder relationships that are authentic, high-integrity . . . and that work for you. Pull back the curtain on the realities of life as a grantmaker – and what your proposal is really up against “on the other side.” Learn what grantmakers love, what makes them grumpy—and how you can be sure you're delivering what they really, really want, every time!

Key Takeaways
• Know what grantmakers really want most of all in the whole wide world – as organizations and as individuals ...
• Know what it means to “think through the grantmaker’s eyes”
• Understand the reality of challenges that program officers and review teams face in their decision-making
• Know the “Four Keys to Persuasive Proposals” – and how each connects with the reader’s own personal sense of purpose
• Through a role-play exercise, learn by first-hand experience how a proposal makes a good or bad first impression in just a few seconds – and why
• Learn about the three Powerhouse Proposal Sections that must pull their own weight - and then some! - for your proposal to work
• Understand the principle of limited mental energy and how it applies to the choices we make in crafting our proposals

Sessions will be recorded and the recordings will be made available to all registered participants. Participants who are unable to attend one or more of the sessions will still have access to all course materials.

About the Presenter
Over her 25+-year nonprofit career, Maryn Boess has been an on-staff grantwriter; a grants consultant (winning $42 million for her clients over 10 years); a grants trainer; a grants reviewer, author, speaker, mentor and coach; and – since 2006 - even a grantmaker. This 3D background brings a unique insider's perspective to the practical, inspiring trainings on healthy, successful grantsmanship she shares with thousands of people each year through GrantsMagic U (Go.GrantsMagic.org). A true dual-citizen of the grants world, Maryn may be the only person who’s a member of both Grant Professionals Association (for grantseekers) - and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (for grantmakers).