2025 has been a year, and it’s only June. For those working in the nonprofit space, it’s time to unite our voices and lead with courage. Today we’re speaking with organizer Vanessa Priya Daniel about her recently published book, “Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning” so we can learn how to do just that. We’re talking work amongst generations, the work of movement organizations, and the five pieces of advice she has for women leaders. JOIN THE FUNDRAISING HAYDAY CO...
Jun 26, 2025•59 min•Season 8Ep. 13
Today’s guest said that her career culminated during the pandemic when she was working on her doctorate around nonprofits and organizational resilience during disruptive times. Dr. Brandi Rae Hicks has worked for and with United Way, Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, and many other organizations. These experiences have created a well-rounded grant professional who understands the power of diversifying your funds, relationships in the community, and all th...
Jun 12, 2025•51 min•Season 8Ep. 12
What’s the first step of the grant writing process? In what might be a shocking turn of events, it’s not grant writing. So many organizations skip the grant readiness step, and that is to their detriment. If your agency wants to find success in grant seeking and grant management, then you need to take the steps necessary to be ready for those processes. If you are unsure what all this entails, then this episode is for you. JOIN THE FUNDRAISING HAYDAY COMMUNITY: Become a member of the Patreon...
May 29, 2025•54 min•Season 8Ep. 11
Collaboration comes in so many shapes and sizes, especially when grant professionals are involved. You can sub-contract for consultants, develop a joint grant proposal, co-author journal articles, co-present workshops and webinars, and so much more. We’re joined by Dana Patterson and Melody Hernandez, two successful grant professionals in the Greater Bay Area, who have found many ways to happily collaborate – and they’re sharing their insights on what makes it successful. JOIN THE FUNDRAISING HA...
May 15, 2025•51 min•Season 8Ep. 10
Does your organization have an award or recognition program for your members? Did you ever consider using grants to fund those programs? Well, maybe you should. We are joined by David Lindeman, CFRE, GPC, Director of Grants & Development for the Society for Neuroscience. In his role he manages the organization’s award programs and grant funding, so it’s no wonder he decided to combine the two. JOIN THE FUNDRAISING HAYDAY COMMUNITY: Become a member of the Patreon SHOW NOTES: WHERE TO FIND OUR...
May 01, 2025•36 min•Season 8Ep. 9
Have you ever experienced imposter syndrome? Our cohosts have. Heck, many grant professionals have. We’re sharing our own experiences, the many types of imposter syndrome, and ways to reduce/eliminate the feeling. JOIN THE FUNDRAISING HAYDAY COMMUNITY: Become a member of the Patreon SHOW NOTES: “Is Imposter Syndrome Holding You Back from Living Your Best Life? Why you still feel like you’re faking when you’ve already made it” written by Arlin Cuncic on September 23, 2024 - Imposter Syndrome: The...
Apr 17, 2025•33 min•Season 8Ep. 8
Have you ever been treated as if you couldn’t do a job or a skill because you were too old or too young? Have people stereotyped you because of your generation? Or maybe it was your gender, race, or marital status that caused folks to make assumptions about you? For our guest, Maggie Dennis, she experienced ageism by a client, and she’s sharing her story, other examples, and the fallout of such experiences. JOIN THE FUNDRAISING HAYDAY COMMUNITY: Become a member of the Patreon WHERE TO FIND OUR G...
Apr 03, 2025•51 min•Season 8Ep. 7
In October 2024, the latest changes to the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (also known as 2 CFR Part 200 or Uniform Guidance) went into effect. Many changes were beneficial to grantees. And while this was recorded before the new administration started making drastic changes in the federal funding landscape, the Uniform Guidance as it stands is in effect until updated again. JOIN THE FUNDRAISIN...
Mar 20, 2025•52 min•Season 8Ep. 6
When communicating with anyone, language matters. Language is especially important when you serve as grant and/or fundraising professionals who use the written word to explain to funders the needs, successes, and goals of the communities we serve. It is vital we use inclusive language no matter who we are talking about. Joining the conversation is Morgan Carpenter, GPC, a grant writer who focuses on storytelling as a tool to build community awareness and support, as well as India Phoenix and Jam...
Mar 06, 2025•53 min•Season 8Ep. 5
Professional coaching can go a long way to improve your work, your team, and your organization. But what does it even mean? We’re talking with John Hall, motivational speaker and performance advisor, about the aspects of his program Coaching Up. At the center of it all is collaborative communication, connecting with people, teamwork, gifts and doubts, taking inventory, and gratitude. JOIN THE FUNDRAISING HAYDAY COMMUNITY: Become a member of the Patreon SHOW NOTES: WHERE TO FIND OUR GUESTS: John ...
Feb 20, 2025•34 min•Season 8Ep. 4
A great way to spread your wings, learn new skills, and gain leadership experience is to get involved with a professional organization. For grant and fundraising professionals, groups like the Grant Professionals Association (GPA), Association of Fundraising Professionals, and National Grant Management Association, are organizations that offer a wide variety of volunteer opportunities. During the 2024 GrantSummit we spoke with GPA leaders and volunteers. We’re hearing from folks representing nat...
Feb 06, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 8Ep. 3
If your organization is looking to meet community needs for the benefit of the public, whether it be infrastructure or programming, you can ask your federal elected officials to legislate that project so Congress will send money to fund it. If this sounds familiar, it is. Years ago, it was called earmarks or federal appropriations, but around 2011 this funding source went away (or did it?). Join our very informative conversation with Tonia Brown-Kinzel, GPC, CGMS, for a history lesson on this fu...
Jan 23, 2025•49 min•Season 8Ep. 2
As grant professionals, communication is the root of our work. Not only are we responsible for conveying information through the written word, but we must communicate with a variety of colleagues, subject matter experts, program directors, finance personnel, leaders, elected officials, funders, and more. We’re talking with Michelle Gladieux about the value and importance of communication, plus how we can be direct and vulnerable and diplomatic (through practice) to improve our communication skil...
Jan 09, 2025•43 min•Season 8Ep. 1
Amanda and Kimberly have a combined 50+ years of grant work. To say our cohosts have learned a few things along the way is an understatement. They are sharing their top 10 lessons learned along the way – maybe a few of them will resonate with you.
Dec 05, 2024•44 min•Season 7Ep. 24
For many grant professionals, the leap from working for an organization to starting your own grant and/or fundraising consultancy is a scary one. There are so many questions, from wondering if you should be an LLC or sole proprietor to what to charge and how to market your business. The Fundraising HayDay cohosts partnered with Allison Boyd , Owner of Boyd Grants , to create Morphology , an on-demand training to help you create a consultancy business that works for you. On the podcast, we are sh...
Nov 14, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 7Ep. 23
Foundation and corporate grants are a funding source for many nonprofit organizations, but since these funders are not required to have a website, your best source of information is their annual Form 990. On that document they are required to share information about their assets, board members, recent grantees, and a few details about how to submit an application (or not if they do not accept unsolicited applications). Sounds easy, right? Oh, if only it were so. Today, we’re discussing where to ...
Oct 31, 2024•43 min•Season 7Ep. 22
Have you ever worked at an organization where you were expected to bring in all the funding plus a million other things? Your title might be Development Director, Grants Administrator, Director of Fundraising, or anything along those lines. But that title alone doesn’t mean you have the time, skills, capacity, and energy to do all the things dumped in your lap. Multi-tasking is a total myth, so we’re here to breakdown how you can be a successful fundraiser while juggling everything else on your ...
Oct 17, 2024•50 min•Season 7Ep. 21
People come to the grant field from a variety of backgrounds and their work varies depending on their clients, focus, and experience. Dr. Janelle Harvey’s passion is nonprofits and ensuring they have the resources needed to thrive. She shares her insights on being mentored, working with faith-based organizations, her recent experience with the Milestone Circles program at the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, and so much more. Show Notes: Faith and Fundraising Podcast on Kingdom Purpose Radio - Kin...
Oct 03, 2024•33 min•Season 7Ep. 20
Many grant proposals allow, and sometimes require, letters of support. Whether you call them support letters, letters of endorsement, or commitment letters, this is a means for funders to see the wide range of “support” for your project or program. They can be gathered from individuals, nonprofits, government agencies, elected officials, businesses, school systems, civic organizations, and more. But getting quality letters in a timely manner isn’t always as simple as you think.
Sep 19, 2024•50 min•Season 7Ep. 19
The fastest road to burnout is overloading your staff. Boards, elected officials, executive directors, and other leaders must understand the capacity of time and resources necessary to develop and manage grant proposals. It is not a solo sport. So before chasing the dollars, ensure the right people with the right skills are on your agency’s grants team to ensure success and longevity of your grant funded programs.
Sep 05, 2024•40 min•Season 7Ep. 18
It’s a bonus episode! In January 2024, Kimberly and Amanda (your Fundraising HayDay cohosts) attended Courageous Leadership training led by Julie Boll. Over 8 weeks we each built and refined our calls to courage, affirmed our skills, and learned what courageous leadership looks like for us. Today, Julie is taking the reins and interviewing us about this process and the changes in our business and daily lives. Sometimes you need a little push to dream big, and Julie helped give us the nudges we n...
Aug 29, 2024•48 min
What two things are necessary for a sustainable nonprofit? Fundraising and administration. What two things are nonprofits often judged for spending money on? Fundraising and administration. Programs serve people, but you cannot have programs without funding and staff. Nonprofits need oversight. They require finance personnel, fundraisers, executive directors, and more. Too many organizations and people perpetuate the overhead myth – the notion that overhead costs (like administration and fundrai...
Aug 22, 2024•43 min•Season 7Ep. 17
Logic models: you either love them or hope you never have to create one. But the truth is, you should not be intimated by one. Simply put, it is a flowchart that highlights the important elements of your planned work and intended results related to a grant funding request. With a one-page diagram, you can easily outline the vital elements of a grant application and use it as a template to build your narrative. Show Notes: W.K. Kellogg Foundation Logic Model Development Guide...
Aug 08, 2024•38 min•Season 7Ep. 16
In 2023, today’s guest ( Laura Chynoweth ) penned the blog post “Disrupting the Development Hierarchy” in which she spells out why grant writing so often is found at the bottom. Laura , founder and CEO of Grant Fundraising Consultants , joined us to share those reasons and ways in which grant professionals can educate their colleagues and others about the true nature of grant work. The truth is, those who conduct prospect research, develop grant proposals, and manage grant awards play a vital ro...
Jul 25, 2024•46 min•Season 7Ep. 15
Each year, the Giving USA Foundation and the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IU Indianapolis releases the annual Giving USA Report. Their goal is to “advance philanthropy through research and education.” The results from the data collected and studies in 2023 were released by Giving USA on June 25, 2024. Our cohosts are highlighting charitable giving by source, types of recipient organizations to receive charitable giving, and why this matters to recipients. The overall...
Jul 11, 2024•35 min•Season 7Ep. 14
We often spend more time at work than anywhere else. But that doesn’t mean we are closest to our bosses and colleagues. So how does that work when you have things in your life that affect your work performance? Today we are joined by Melanie Palmer, GPC, CFRE and Leilani Ocasio of Melanie Palmer Consulting , where they share their personal inspirations for leading the "Vulnerability in Grants Work: Set Yourself (and Others) Free" workshop two years running at GrantSummit, a conference hosted by ...
Jun 27, 2024•46 min•Season 7Ep. 13
Grant funding can be used for travel, if the funder allows it. Your needs for travel expenses will vary from airline and hotel costs to reach a conference event to local mileage for traveling nurses to visit seniors in their homes. If federal funding is involved, there are some very specific rules about what you can and cannot do with travel funding. We’re talking about all those specifics to make sure you spend you grant funding appropriately.
Jun 13, 2024•42 min•Season 7Ep. 12
Have you started your own business? Are you thinking about it? Whether you plan to be a grant consultant, start a fundraising empire, or want to freelance here and there, it is important to think about your plans for maintaining or growing your business. We are joined by Kim Joyce, Founder & CEO of Kim Joyce & Associates. When she first started her business she had a handful of clients, and today she employees over 30 individuals. She’s got a lot to say about how it happened....
May 30, 2024•38 min•Season 7Ep. 11
Grant management is a vital part of the grant life cycle. If you cannot keep the funding awarded to your agency, you are lessening the chance of future funding. Today we’re walking you through the five main components of post-award work. Whether you are new to the grant world or an experienced grant manager, take a listen to make sure you’re covering all the basics.
May 16, 2024•49 min•Season 7Ep. 10
From small family foundations to large corporation foundations, many funders ask potential grantees to submit an LOI. Do they mean a Letter of Intent or Letter of Interest? Do they want one page or three? What topics do they expect you to cover? The simple answer: it depends. Our cohosts are sharing the ins and outs of all aspects of an LOI in this “how to” episode.
May 01, 2024•46 min•Season 7Ep. 6
