"I got more in these three hours than I did from a three-day seminar in an university's arts management program." --seminar participant

Services

Workshops and Seminars

It's not unusual for volunteers to be asked to prepare grant proposals, especially in supporting organizations made up of parents or other supporters. My grant writing seminars can train a number of volunteers (or professionals new to grant writing) quickly and efficiently. Seminars can be structured to fit into larger programs, such as daylong fundraising workshops or multi-purpose conventions. Seminars I offer include:

Basics of Research: Put your natural curiosity to work to identify the most likely funders of your programs, including individuals, foundations, corporations, and government agencies. Learn the differences among search engines and fee-for-use online databases. (1 - 1.5 hours)

Proposal Writing: Good writing skills are just the beginning. You also need to know what to include in a proposal and what techniques can be used to show your program at its best. The differences between proposals for corporations and foundations are also discussed. Longer seminars allow for detailed analysis of real proposals supplied by participants. (1 to 3 hours)

Budgets: A well prepared budget demonstrates to the potential funder that you really understand what it takes to accomplish your goals and lets them know just how their money will be spent. Learn about indirect costs, salary allocations, and how to make the income section as convicing as the expenses. This seminar will help you answer funders' questions rather than provoking new ones. (2 hours)

Grant Writing Overview: Everything you need to know about grant writing in a nutshell. Handouts and examples facilitate independent study post-seminar. (1.5 hours)

Here are a few unsolicited comments from participants in my seminars:

  • I thought your presentation was truly fantastic. I go to plenty of these seminars. My rule of thumb is if I can get one good page of notes out of it, it's a good meeting. I took five pages of notes! You were most generous with your knowledge and very astute advice.

  • It was a pleasure attending your presentation last night on grant proposal budgets. It was deeply informative.

    • My workshops have been sponsored by Arts Council of Rockland, New York Foundation for the Arts, Nonprofit Leadership League, Queens Council on the Arts, and Westchester Arts Council.