Articles by CharityChannel Members
CharityChannel members who have years of experience in their field may apply to join a Contributor's Panel. Once accepted to a panel by the panel's editor, the member will work with the editor to determine article topics and to prepare an article that is ready for publication. With tens of thousands of colleagues in the CharityChannel professional community, this is a key opportunity to give back to your profession by sharing your hard-won expertise and wisdom.
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Should I Stay or Should I Go? Contributed by:
Shelley UvaThursday, June 23, 2011 (1 years 326 days ago)
Fundraising is a career in which people can change jobs frequently; and, usually, it is not held against them. Years ago, when I began my professional career, it was not uncommon to meet people who had been with the same organization and sometimes, even in the same position, for their entire careers.
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What Do Your Email Messages Say About You and Your Professionalism? Contributed by:
Shelley UvaWednesday, April 20, 2011 (2 years 25 days ago)
We’ve all had those days. Your phone won’t stop ringing and your in-box is overflowing with emails – but don’t get me started on the emails. They just keep coming – one after another – and each one meaner and nastier than the one before.
Email is such an interesting phenomenon.
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The Good, the Bad and the Job Interview Contributed by:
Shelley UvaWednesday, March 17, 2010 (3 years 59 days ago)
Some people think interviewing for a job is similar to dating. Since I’ve been married for 35 years, I can’t remember what dating is like. But if my recent job interview experience actually resembles dating in any way, I worry for the future of our species.
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Major Gifts: Answer to All My Problems or Major Delusion? Contributed by:
Shelley UvaWednesday, July 01, 2009 (3 years 318 days ago)
If you are currently looking for a development job, you have probably noticed that almost every job advertised these days seems to focus on major gifts. The reason for this is simple. During the past 10 months, the stock market has gone down precipitously and, as a result, many foundations have lost a significant portion of their funds. Many of them are no longer taking on new projects, and a significant number are either cutting back on projects they are already funding or declining to renew grants. As foundation money remains difficult to secure, greater numbers of nonprofits are turning to major gifts as their best hope.
Twenty years ago, the next big thing in fundraising was marketing. Today it is major gifts.
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Major Gifts: Answer to All My Problems or Major Delusion? Contributed by:
Shelley UvaWednesday, July 01, 2009 (3 years 318 days ago)
If you are currently looking for a development job, you have probably noticed that almost every job advertised these days seems to focus on major gifts. The reason for this is simple. During the past 10 months, the stock market has gone down precipitously and, as a result, many foundations have lost a significant portion of their funds. Many of them are no longer taking on new projects, and a significant number are either cutting back on projects they are already funding or declining to renew grants. As foundation money remains difficult to secure, greater numbers of nonprofits are turning to major gifts as their best hope. Twenty years ago, the next big thing in fundraising was marketing. Today it is major gifts.
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Should We Be Writing this Proposal? Contributed by:
Shelley UvaWednesday, June 17, 2009 (3 years 332 days ago)
These are challenging times for fundraisers. The recent severe economic downturn, Ponzi schemes, and the general tightening of even the most expensive belts means that it is more difficult to raise money now than it has been in decades. So, what is a fundraiser to do? As a development professional, particularly if your specialty is institutional fundraising, you may find yourself pressured to send out greater numbers of proposals than ever before even though the return on this effort may be quite minimal.
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No Magic Wands Contributed by:
Shelley UvaWednesday, April 29, 2009 (4 years 16 days ago)
These are dark and difficult times for fundraisers. In October 2008, the stock market began to die, and along with it went the investment accounts not only of numerous non-profits, but also of many of the foundations and individual donors those non-profits counted on for support. During the past eight months, every fundraiser I know has seen the sorry results. If you have approached a new foundation in the past few months, chances are you have been told that, in effect, there is no room at the inn for you. Most foundations are not taking on new projects, and many are reducing their support for projects they are funding. It’s ugly out there, and the economic indicators are not encouraging.
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When They Just Won't Listen Contributed by:
Shelley UvaWednesday, December 06, 2006 (6 years 161 days ago)
You've just been hired as the grant writer or foundations relations expert or major gifts officer or development associate for a fabulous university, museum, hospital, or social service agency. You're sitting in your first meeting with your superiors in the development office and some of the people you will need to work with to raise programming funds. These people may be professors or doctors or social workers. Whoever they are, they are the people who make the programs work. You need to work with them to do your job, but what happens when personalities clash? When you disagree with the fundraising strategy that is being adopted? When egos get out of control?
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Learning New Skills Contributed by:
Shelley UvaWednesday, January 11, 2006 (7 years 125 days ago)
Almost all of us are capable of learning the new skills we need to do our jobs, but many of us have to get over one giant hurdle first -- the "Oh no, I can't do this, I don't want to do this, I never did it this way before, I'm too old to learn this, it's not my job" hurdle.
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Why I Hate Events Contributed by:
Shelley UvaWednesday, January 26, 2005 (8 years 110 days ago)
My first fundraising job was as a grantwriter at a large university. This university hosted a number of fundraising events during the year, ranging from small receptions to large dinner galas, but as a grantwriter, I was not really part of the Events Team. Or so I thought.
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Why Writing is NOT a Collaborative Art Contributed by:
Shelley UvaWednesday, June 23, 2004 (8 years 327 days ago)
The best writing is always writing created by one person because good writing is characterized by an individual vision and style. This vision and style combine to form what often is called a voice. A writer's voice is the thing that makes the writer choose certain words and phrases and combinations of both. It is a distinctive voice that makes good writing more than just a collection of words.
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Writing for the Web Contributed by:
Shelley UvaTuesday, March 23, 2004 (9 years 54 days ago)
Today almost every non-profit organization maintains a website. Non-profits use their websites to share information about their programs and services and, in many cases, to solicit donations. Often, a non-profit website is a combination brochure and direct-mail letter. Some non-profit websites are very simple; others are incredibly elaborate, but all non-profit websites contain one basic element in common: writing.
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To Importune or Not Contributed by:
Shelley UvaTuesday, November 18, 2003 (9 years 180 days ago)
Good writing skills are essential in many occupations, including fundraising. While the best-written solicitation letter or proposal may not be the deciding factor involved in obtaining a grant, few things will turn off a foundation officer or individual donor more quickly than materials that are poorly written, sloppy or just plain boring. Fiction writing is an art, which may or may not be possible to teach, but development writing is a craft, and it can be taught.
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What to Do When You Are a One-Man (or Woman) Band Contributed by:
Shelley UvaTuesday, August 26, 2003 (9 years 264 days ago)
The fact is that many of us work in one-person development offices. In my case, the organization I work with actually never had a development officer before me. So, I practically began from scratch. That means, for example, that before I could write a direct mail letter, get it printed, develop a mailing list or send out any letters, I had to register my organization with the post office in order to get a bulk mail permit, attend a required bulk mail class and get an indicia made for use on envelopes.
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The Importance of Grant Reporting Contributed by:
Shelley UvaThursday, January 30, 2003 (10 years 107 days ago)
As a grant writer, your first priority is writing proposals that get your organization grants. Once you have received a grant, you may feel pretty good about yourself, but it's important to remember that your work is not yet done. Almost all funders ask their grant recipients to submit reports on the funding they have provided, and chances are, writing these reports is going to be part of your job.
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How to Use a Freelance Writer Contributed by:
Shelley UvaMonday, October 28, 2002 (10 years 201 days ago)
My first job in fundraising was with a very large university. The development office employed three grant proposal writers and an editor. Later on, I worked as a freelance grant proposal writer for 18 years, and I was pleased to discover that many non-profits did not employ in-house writers. These organizations relied upon freelance writers to get out their proposals, newsletters, brochures, etc.
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Publish or Perish or Both Contributed by:
Shelley UvaTuesday, July 23, 2002 (10 years 298 days ago)
Somewhere out there just beyond the horizon, there is a non-profit organization in which each individual in the office has a specific job to do and there is no overlap. Grant proposal writers write grants. Researchers conduct research. Communications specialists prepare newsletters and brochures. On this side of the horizon, however, it is far more common to find one person responsible for all of these activities.
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What to Do When You Need to Report Bad News to Your Funders Contributed by:
Shelley UvaTuesday, May 28, 2002 (10 years 354 days ago)
If it hasn't happened to you yet, it will someday, so better be prepared. The "it" to which I am referring is the need to report bad news to funders. Although some foundations do not require written reports, a significant number of funders have made regular reporting a condition of their support. The report may cover three months or six months or the entire grant period.
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Tips for New Grant Writers Contributed by:
Shelley UvaTuesday, March 12, 2002 (11 years 66 days ago)
Some of you may have come to the career of grant writer in a more focused way. Maybe you took a course in grant writing. Maybe you had some other job at a non-profit and grant writing has just been handed over to you. However you got here, my first bit of advice to you as a new grant writer is to remember that even if you have never had any prior experience with grant writing, you surely know at least what writing is, and grant writing, first and foremost, is writing.