About Me
Biography:	Liz Nilsen’s first professional job was writing thank-you notes to donors to a private school--a position that gave her a good leg up into the sector but fortunately soon morphed into more challenging responsibilities. Since then, she’s held a variety of positions with organizations large and small, primarily in the educational and family-serving sectors. Her proposal-writing successes range from an ice-cream cake for a bike-athon to an eight-figure grant for a statewide education initiative. Liz is currently the coordinator of the Southwest Pennsylvania STEM Network, a collaborative of K-12, higher and informal education, workforce development, industry and community-based organizations focused on expanding opportunities for the area’s young people in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers. Prior to her current position, Liz was (among other things) Director of Outreach and New Economy Program Development at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, the Executive Director of MedsHelp (providing access to affordable prescription drugs), and the Interim Executive Director of the Child Care Careers Institute. Liz was fortunate enough to also get to spend a year teaching high school math in Budapest, Hungary - an experience she highly recommends for clearing the head professionally mid-career!
About Me

No Members Found

CharityTalk Discuss any and all nonprofit-related topics 272 Members

Law of Tax Exempt Organizations Discuss U.S. tax-exempt organization law 184 Members

GFR Editorial Group Discussions and collaboration for GFR Contributors 137 Members

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.

[ View All Articles ]

Working with External Evaluators

Contributed by: Liz Nilsen

Wednesday, July 12, 2006 (6 years 308 days ago)

One of the most dreaded sections of any proposal, for the writer, is the "evaluation" section. Particularly for a new writer, it is often difficult to discern the funder's intent in requiring an evaluation plan. Some funders are satisfied with a fairly cursory description of the proposed evaluation process (and, in fact, the evaluation itself may be fairly cursory). Other funders require much more. One of the clearest tip-offs that a sophisticated evaluation is expected is the requirement (or recommendation) of an external evaluator. Even if not urged upon you, there are times when an external evaluator should be considered. In this article, we'll examine when it might be wise to seek such help, how to identify an evaluator, and how to shape the scope of work with the evaluator to meet the needs of your project and your funder.


Developing a Community Profile Book

Contributed by: Liz Nilsen

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 (7 years 223 days ago)

Private foundations, governmental agencies, corporate giving departments -- despite the differences between these kinds of funders, there are a few common themes. One of these is the common requirement of a "statement of need." Novice proposal writers often seriously hurt their chances for funding in the way that they respond to this requirement. One of the most common mistakes is....


The In's and Out's of Indirect Costs: Not Just For Accountants

Contributed by: Liz Nilsen

Wednesday, July 06, 2005 (7 years 314 days ago)

Having a good understanding of the concept of "indirect costs" can help both staff and board members better understand which costs can (and should) legitimately be requested in the context of a program proposal.

CharityChannel's WE REVIEW

CharityChannel members who have been admitted to the WE REVIEW Contributors Panel are eligible to receive recently-published books from a variety of publishers (and some self-publishers) to review. Reviews are not limited to books published by CharityChannel Press, the publishing project of the CharityChannel professional community. If you are interested in reviewing books, you are welcome to apply. Note that, even though WE REVIEW has been publishing reviews for over a decade, it has recently been reorganized and re-launched. We took the opportunity to remove prior reviews, since our focus is on newly published books.

[ View all book reviews ]

CharityChannel Press Books

CarityChannel Press is the publishing arm of CharityChannel. Many of the sector’s most experienced, knowledgeable practitioners are part of the CharityChannel professional community. Because of its unique role in the nonprofit sector, CharityChannel Press enjoys a rich pool of prospective authors from which to draw. In addition, the CharityChannel professional community, consisting of tens of thousands of practitioners, forms a natural initial market for the books as does the greater third sector itself. Interested in writing a book or manual?

[ Learn More ]

CharityChannel Press Blog for Authors and Editors

CharityChannel Press is the publishing project of the CharityChannel professional community. In this blogging feature, the authors and editors of our books and manuals share their thoughts, ideas, insights, and advice on topics of interest to busy practitioners. Reading their blogs is a great way to get to know them and to learn about their latest books and manuals. Be sure to jump in and add your comment to blog postings.

[ View all the blog postings ]