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Courses for Teaching Professionals > A to Z Grantwriting
 A to Z Grant Writing is an invigorating and informative course that will equip you with the skills and tools you need to enter the exciting field of grant writing! You'll learn how to raise needed funds by discovering how and where to look for potential funders who are a good match for your organization. You'll also learn how to network and develop true partnerships with a variety of funders, how to organize a successful grant writing campaign, and how to put together a complete proposal package.
This course speaks mainly to nonprofit organizations, schools, religious institutions, and municipalities seeking grants from foundation, corporate, government, and individual donors. But many of the elements easily translate to the for-profit field and to individual artists, and material specifically designed for businesses and individuals is also included. No matter who you are or what level of experience you have, you'll find the A to Z of writing and submitting successful proposals here!
This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Linda Vallejo.
 Linda Vallejo is a practicing professional development officer and grant writer with twenty years experience and has taught the A to Z Grantwriting System for over seven years. She has developed and implemented successful grantwriting campaigns for multiple non-profit organizations including proposals for education, arts, environment, mental health, medical and community concerns.
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
Requirements:
Microsoft Word,Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader).
Syllabus:
All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.
| Week One |
| Wednesday - Lesson 01 |
Have you wondered what a grant writer does, what kinds of organizations and causes seek grants, and what types of grants are available? In this lesson, you'll find the answers to your questions, as well as tips for getting into the grant writing field and for finding funders.
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| Friday - Lesson 02 |
Many people are often surprised at how much research needs to go into finding a potential funder who is a good match for your program efforts! Finding funders takes a lot of time, effort, and planning, and this lesson will walk you through the information you need to gather and organize. You will gain an invaluable tool here—the Research Information Sheet (RIS)—which will help you keep your research focused and on track.
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| Week Two |
| Wednesday - Lesson 03 |
In today's lesson, you'll meet three real-world foundation and corporate funders: the Verizon Foundation, Wells Fargo, and the Ben & Jerry's Foundation. We'll walk through the application guidelines for each of them, which will help you get a feel for what to look for in a good match potential funder, how funders present their mission and goals, and what they expect in a complete proposal package. Remember, the more application guidelines you read and study, the better you'll be able to create a successful proposal package.
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| Friday - Lesson 04 |
Now that you have a feel for what kinds of information to gather in your search for good match potential funders, you need to know how to effectively organize it. We'll begin with a big-picture overview of the grant writing process, so you'll know where your research fits in each step of the way. Then you'll get some proven techniques and tools for organizing an efficient and smooth-running development department. A grant writing campaign means submitting an ongoing calendar of proposals to a wide variety of potential funders, and an organized office is the only way to accomplish this goal!
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| Week Three |
| Wednesday - Lesson 05 |
Developing community relationships is crucial to finding support for any worthy cause. So today we'll look at some creative how-tos of networking with community members, VIPs, and corporate, foundation, and government representatives to help you find contacts and support in your community. Then we'll lay the groundwork for making that crucial initial contact with a potential funder. This might be a bit nerve-racking at first, but with the proper preparation, it can be extremely rewarding.
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| Friday - Lesson 06 |
Research, relationship-building, phone contacts, organizing—does it all rest on the shoulders of one grant writer? Happily, the answer is no! Today you'll meet the development team members who implement the grant writing campaign and get some ideas for how to put a team of your own together. You'll also get acquainted with the collaborative partners who work side by side with you and your organization, and you'll discover how to put together a successful site visit.
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| Week Four |
| Wednesday - Lesson 07 |
It's so important to know how to present yourself, your organization, and your proposed program effectively. So in this lesson, we'll explore the elements of two all-important letters: the letter of inquiry and the letter of request. Most funders will want either one or both of these letters, so knowing how to write them is essential. You'll also learn how to ask for the right grant amount and how to overcome any fears you may have about asking for support.
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| Friday - Lesson 08 |
You'd be amazed at how many organizations go about their grant writing campaigns backwards! To spare you a great amount of extra work, stress, and unnecessary discouragement, we'll walk through a vital technique: the Rollover Concept. We'll also begin a detailed exploration of the elements of a Gold Medal Proposal Package, including your organization's history and background, mission statement, goals, major accomplishments, and many other documents and materials that potential funders require.
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| Week Five |
| Wednesday - Lesson 09 |
Picking up where we left off in Lesson 8, today you'll see how to write your need statement, proposed program paragraphs, measurable objectives, timeline, and evaluation plan. You'll also get a good idea of what kinds of financial documents and materials funders expect in complete proposal packages, including your organization projected income and expense budget, audited financial statement, proposed program budget and request, and future funding paragraphs.
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| Friday - Lesson 10 |
What happens to your proposal after you apply for a grant? If you've ever wondered about this, today you'll discover all the hoops it goes through once it reaches the program officer's desk. If your application should be declined, you'll see how to turn that into an opportunity for future success. And if your proposal should be accepted, you'll learn about the essential thank-you letter, how to put together the final report, and how to acknowledge and provide benefits to the funders supporting your program efforts. You'll also understand how crucial it is to diversify your funding base!
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| Week Six |
| Wednesday - Lesson 11 |
Today you'll learn about the A to Z of creating business (for-profit) and individual artist proposal packages. You'll also get some important tips and techniques for putting together proposals for government funding sources, which, as you can imagine, will be more complicated and much lengthier than proposals to foundations, corporations, or individual donors.
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| Friday - Lesson 12 |
In our last lesson together, you'll learn about the importance of presentation when it comes to your proposal package. And you'll also gain some insights into what your board of directors can do for you regarding fund raising, as well as get some ideas about how to get them motivated to do it!
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To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
Student Reviews:
"I'd just like to take a moment to express how well I think the lessons for this course are structured. Initially entering this course, I felt that the overall grantwriting process was somewhat unmanageable. However, with every lesson and each step further into the research process and creation of documentation tracking, I no longer felt overwhelmed with the thought of how to handle the process. Thank you."
"I enjoyed this course immensely, because it opened my eyes up to the amount of work you need to accomplish to receive grants for your organization. If you do the footwork first, you'll accomplish your goals. This course showed me how to do that."
"I enjoyed this course very much and I am very excited to start using my new skills. I also showed our current grant writer a new skill or two!"
"I feel this course has solved the mysteries of grant writing for me! I will definitely put my knowledge to practical use ASAP! Thank you for a straightforward and easy-to-understand presentation of information."
"I found a lot of material that is very informative. I liked the idea that I could print everything out and keep it for future use."
"I have already recommended this course to others. I value the experience level, knowledge base, and professionalism portrayed by the instructor. I believe that my chances of receiving grant awards have been increased due to information provided in this course."
"I have had some success with grant writing in the past, but I found this course INVALUABLE with helping me identify my areas of weakness. The system is terrific. Thank you."
"I want to thank you for such an informative and convenient course! I've learned so much and have recently accepted a postion working with a local non-profit group as a grant writer. We have many programs on the burner, so my work is cut out for me. Again, thank you!"
"Should have taken the course years ago when I was raising money for my wife's non-profit dental clinic."
"This course is a must for a Grant Writer at any point in their career! Such a wealth of information was given in this course - a true treasure chest!"
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
Recommended Courses:
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