Class Format: On-demand. This class was recorded from the live session. You will receive the same class materials as with the live class, and be able to play the recorded class over the Internet. You can replay the class or go over sections that you want to concentrate on. You may also exit the class and log back in later as many times as you wish for 90 days.

Class Description:

Perhaps you’ve been writing grant proposals for years but have somehow gotten bogged down, lost your spark, or fallen behind on meeting deadlines. Or you’re brand new, starting today, and have no idea where to begin. If you've been wondering how to get (re)inspired about your grant seeking, the answer may lie right under your nose -- in your office.

In this session, you’ll lay the groundwork for raising more grant money by examining your office setup, and its relationship to basics like what a grant really is and how you get one. You’ll learn to think about your office as a meeting place for information flowing in and out from a wide range of sources, and you’ll break this information down into three kinds and learn how to handle them. You’ll begin to think about how your office can physically reflect the reality of grant seeking in today’s climate. I won't hand you a bundle of tips and tricks; rather, I'll invite you to think about the ideal office for you and your situation. It will make your work flow more easily and naturally, and allow you to respond to the inevitable surprises and opportunities that arise.

First I’ll create a context for organizing your grant seeking office, because it’s not just about binders and office supplies (as fun as those can be). I’ll discuss some basic assumptions about grants, which may seem so basic you haven’t thought about them in a long time. But every one of them has some bearing on how you set up your office for successful grant seeking.

• What is the grant seeker’s job, really?
• What is the secret key to a winning proposal?
• What does the current grants landscape look like, and what does that have to do with how you set up your office?

Next I’ll talk about the 7 keys to your new grants office:

• Design a system you trust
• Use it
• Keep it simple, serving you
• Create structure
• Limit everything
• Reflect the reality of grant seeking
• Think about your office in a whole new way

Finally, I’ll deal specifically with 3 kinds of information every grant seeker needs to handle:

• Proposal Content
• Donor Information
• Strategy

I’ll wrap up by inspiring you to apply the principles that make a well-oiled grant seeking office work, getting more proposals out the door and more dollars in with minimal fuss and suffering. Rather than a legacy of binders, you'll create a principled system that reinforces good grant seeking practice -- a valuable foundation for your organization to grow on.

CEU

Participation in this class is applicable for 1.5 points in Category 1.B – Education of the CFRE International application for initial certification and/or recertification.

About the Instructor, Larissa Golden Brown

Larissa Golden Brown is a consultant and teacher, who focuses on helping grant seekers streamline their work and maximize grant dollars.  Since 1995, Larissa has helped nonprofits in the Pacific Northwest secure more than 300 grants for projects ranging from the very first staff at a new social service agency to a dramatic new building for Portland Opera.

Most recently, she's focused her grants consulting on arts, culture, and literacy, including work with the Portland Classical Chinese Garden, p:ear (an arts-based program for homeless youth), Portland Waldorf School, Portland Opera, and The Library Foundation.  She's conducted trainings for artists through the Regional Arts & Culture Council, and presented at various conferences and symposia including the NW Spring Symposium at Portland State University, and the American Association of Grant Professionals annual conference.  As a grant reviewer, Larissa has worked for the United States Department of Education.

Larissa served for five years on the board of Willamette Valley Development Officers, a professional resource organization with more than 700 members.  In addition to WVDO, Larissa is a charter member of the American Association of Grant Professionals.  Her volunteer work has included board service with Orlo, a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to exploring environmental issues through the arts; volunteer service as a grant reviewer for the United Way of the Columbia Willamette; and three years as a panelist for the Oregon Governor's Award for Community Partnerships. Larissa is co-author, along with her husband Martin John Brown, of Demystifying Grant Seeking: What You REALLY Need to Do to Get Grants (Jossey-Bass, 2001).