Development Planning
- Assess your organization’s business model
- Find new development opportunities
- Structure your development department’s budget, staffing, hiring, and long-term strategy
Grants Readiness Assessment
- Determine the probability of successfully winning a specific grant
- Estimate the staff and consultant resources needed to complete the proposal
- Determine resources needed for post-award grants management
- Conduct a risk/benefit analysis for a successful proposal
Prospect Research
- Grants prospect research
- Assessment and ranking of organizational priority alignment
- Recommendations for connecting with the grantmaking organization’s team
- Major gifts prospect research
Proposal Project Management
- Lead onerous grant application processes from start to finish
- Manage all aspects of proposal submission including narratives, budgets, supplementary documents, and online submissions
- Achieve buy-in from project partners
- Liaise with project partners to ensure project is completed by the deadline
Development Infrastructure
- Create processes and policies for your development department
- Identify donor and grants management and communications tools that are right for your organization
- Ensure organizational documents are up-to-date and accessible
- Set up a grants management system
- Conduct risk assessment
Staff Training
- Train junior staff members on grants and fundraising practices
- Lead informational presentations and trainings at staff meetings
- Provide on-the-spot guidance and advice
Board Development
- Initiate a Board development committee
- Lead informational presentations and trainings at Board meetings
- Workshop with Board to identify connections
Grant Writing
- Write letters of intent, proposal narratives, and concept papers
- Edit proposals and make recommendations for improving the narrative
- Determine objectives, activities, deliverables, and evaluation plans
- Align project narrative to the project budget and write budget narratives
- Develop logic models
Post-Award Process Planning
- Communicate award information to staff and Board
- Identify on-staff project manager and team and assess job description changes
- Set expectations for project roles and responsibilities
- Recruit and hire necessary staff to complete the project successfully
- Set up project check-ins
- Align grant budget with chart of accounts
Grant Reporting
- Work with program staff to submit high quality report narratives
- Work with finance staff on expense reports
- Find creative ways to communicate project impact
Funder Communications
- Craft outreach emails and phone scripts
- Develop ongoing communication for cultivation and stewardship
- Draft talking points for funder calls
- Design creative recognition strategies
- Create face-to-face touchpoint plans for events
Interim Services
- Fill the role of development director, grants director, or grants staff services
- Provide interim executive director services with a focus on retaining funder trust and investment
- Fill gaps for executive and staff roles when on parental leave or when position is temporarily vacant
Development Recruiting
- Identify the specific type of fundraiser your organization needs
- Write job descriptions
- Conduct talent search
- Structure interview process and ensure process is adhering to up-to-date DEI practices