I have my master’s degree in nonprofit leadership and management (MNLM) from Arizona State University, and I am actively working toward my Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential. The CFRE is the only globally recognized fundraising certification that demonstrates a deep commitment to ethical best practice philanthropic fundraising. This points-based system tallies an applicant’s education, professional practice, and professional performance in fundraising. (As of November 2024 I have 112.3 points out of the needed 171 to sit the exam.) 

Additionally, I am in the process of founding my own nonprofit organization, and I have served as the executive director of another for several years. In total, I have secured almost $1M in funding for my clients since 2021. I not only have experience wearing all the hats of a nonprofit professional (event planner, marketer, volunteer coordinator, development manager, program developer, board member, etc.), I have what it takes to get nonprofits funded.

We can’t work together just yet; in order to submit grants you need to have an IRS Letter of Determination designating 501(c)(3) status. If you need assistance obtaining this, I am happy to help!

Yes! I offer a founding package for people looking to start a nonprofit organization. It’s called This Is It, and you can read more about those services here.

Ideally, you’ll have a strong, active board of directors, an approved operating budget, the ability to pull clean financial statements (such as a statement of activity, statement of cash flows, and statement of financial position), a 990 or 990EZ form from the following year, and programs that have demonstrated clear, measurable results and well defined objectives. A lot of this comes from being in operation for at least 1-2 years prior to submitting a grant request. While it is possible to submit a grant request in your founding year, funding may be more difficult to obtain.

I work with all kinds of organizations! From nonprofits just starting out to bureaucratic operations, I love working with all kinds of service providers, educators, and advocacy groups. Please note that at this time I do not work with religious organizations. Additionally, I do not work with any organization that discriminates on account of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender, or any other characteristic that is protected by law. I reserve the right to refuse service to any organization.

Absolutely. I’m a one-stop shop for all aspects of securing a grant that’s not just writing the actual grant including but not limited to creating prospect lists of grant opportunities, vetting funders based on your mission, relationship cultivation and managing introductions, aligning programs to funders’ giving priorities, program and budget development, strategic planning, writing and editing, submitting, reporting, and compliance.

No, and this is actually extremely unethical. Grant writers should not be paid out of a grant award as funding should exist in a nonprofit’s budget for that grant writer to be paid in a timely manner for their work. Grant requests must be submitted with a budget and to pay a grant writer from those awarded funds takes away from the promised services. Funders are additionally far less likely to approve a grant request if they see some of their funding will go to a grant writer. 100% of awarded grants are for your nonprofit to keep, as they should be.

The first rule of grant writing is a tough one… NOTHING is a guarantee. There are factors both in and out of our control when it comes to submitting an application, thus I cannot guarantee that a request will be successful. However, I can prepare us for success as much as possible by expertly managing the factors in our control such as aligning your funding needs with the right opportunities, relationship building and cultivation with funders, crafting a heartfelt and professional proposal and submitting it in a timely manner, and overseeing the appropriate follow up.

Other factors–how many proposals a funder receives in a grant cycle, how much money is available to award, etc.– sway a decision but are outside our control, thus I can’t guarantee any grant proposal will be approved. But I guarantee our grants we submit together will be the absolute best foot forward for your organization. And unapproved grants aren’t endings - they are the beginnings of new relationships and new future opportunities.