Grant Writing Tips

By the time many organizations reach this stage of fundraising planning, they’ve already done a lot of hard work. Goals have been set. Activities have been chosen. Roles have been assigned. Now comes the step that turns effort into clarity: tracking progress and measuring success. For staff members, this step can feel intimidating—or even unnecessary—especially…

In our last newsletter, we focused on the importance of setting SMART fundraising goals — clear, measurable, and grounded in reality. That step is essential, but it’s only part of the work. Once you know what you need to raise, the next (and often trickier) question is, “How are we actually going to raise it?”…

In the last step of fundraising planning, we focused on reflection—looking honestly at what happened in the previous year and using it to inform the new year. That work typically results in a simple 1–2 page summary that outlines: This reflection phase is powerful because it grounds your planning in reality—not wishful thinking. But reflection…

Goal: Understand what worked, what didn’t, and where to focus your energy in 2026. 1. Gather All Relevant Data 💗 Collect the full picture before analyzing. 2. Create a Master List of Fundraising Activities 💗 Looking at the information you gathered, document everything that brought in revenue the previous year. List each activity separately so…