Last week I shared the first three sessions from the #LearnGrants Summit — the Retrospective, finding funders in unexpected places, and building a storytelling culture. If you missed it, you can catch up right here.

This week, we’re wrapping up with the final three sessions. These got into some deeper territory — how we handle setbacks, how we define long-term health for our organizations, and how we think about measuring what we do. 

Grab your coffee. 

This is good stuff.

Session 4

What to Do When You Don’t Get the Grant

Marc Smithers  · Grants Office, LLC

Nobody loves talking about rejection. But Marc’s session might have been the most universally needed one at the entire summit  because every single person in that room had felt the sting of a declined application.

Marc introduced a framework called Transition Theory to help leaders and their teams process rejection in a healthy, productive way. It has four parts:

  • Situation — What actually happened? Separate fact from feeling. Was this personal, or could there be other explanations? (Consider reaching out to the funder — you might get more insight than you expect.) Focus on what was within your control versus what wasn’t.
  • Self — Who are you and who is your organization in light of this? One rejection doesn’t define your mission, your value, or your potential.
  • Support — What team culture and relationships do you have to lean on? Rejection doesn’t just affect the grant writer — it lands on the whole team. How you respond together matters.
  • Strategies — What did this teach you? About your readiness, your program design, or the opportunity itself? How will you use those lessons without letting the rejection define what comes next?

Rejection is data. The organizations that grow are the ones that treat it that way.

💗 Love Note: After your next declined application, try running a quick Retro (yes, like Session 1!) using these four lenses. It shifts the energy from disappointment to direction.

Session 5

What “Sustainability” Actually Means for Your Nonprofit

Becky Jascoviak  ·  Collaboration Strategic Partners 

“Sustainability” gets thrown around a lot in the nonprofit sector. But what does it actually mean for your organization?

For nonprofits, sustainability isn’t just about having enough money to keep the lights on. “Sustainability is the ability for your programs to continue delivering outcomes consistently, ethically and adaptably.” Building the capacity for your programs to continue delivering impact over the long term.

To help leaders examine their organization’s sustainability, at the #LearnGrants Summit Rebecca Jascoviak introduced “The Sustainability Burrito Framework” which has 5 layers and offers key questions to ask:

1. Planet (i.e., the world your program operates within)

Does what you do help or hinder the environment/ecosystem?”

2. Programs (i.e., mission in action)

Are the goals, objectives, outcomes and outputs reasonable for your current stage?

3. Processes (i.e., systems, documentation, data tracking)

Are your processes and procedures documented? Are they equitable and adaptable?

4. People (i.e., staff, volunteers, leadership)

Do you have the right people in the right seats? Do you have enough staff? What about the pipeline — are there people in the pipeline?

5. Pillars (i.e., funding, tools, technology, partnerships)

Do your resources align with your needs? Do they create foundational support?

Sustainability is a strategy, not a funding line item.

💗 Love Note: Take a look at these 5 questions and begin the conversation with your team by answering one.

Session 6

Outputs vs. Outcomes: The Distinction That Changes Everything

Ellen Gugel · Grants & More

Ellen saved the best for last  or at least the most clarifying. She drew a simple but powerful line between two terms that nonprofits often use interchangeably:

Output = What you do.  |  Outcome = What you get.

The number of workshops you held? Output. The participants who reported increased confidence? Outcome. The meals you served? Output. The families who experienced food security for the first time? Outcome.

Today, most funders are increasingly asking for outcomes, not just activity counts. And the organizations that can speak clearly to both are the ones that stand out.

Ellen closed with a phrase that stuck with everyone in the room:

“No data without stories. No stories without data.”

Numbers give your stories credibility. Stories give your numbers meaning. The strongest grant applications — and the most trusted nonprofits — lead with both.

💗 Love Note: Pull up one of your current program descriptions. For each output you list, ask yourself: what changed for the people we served? That answer is your outcome and it’s what belongs in your next proposal.

That’s a wrap on the #LearnGrants Summit recap! 

Six sessions, six practical takeaways you can start using this week. I hope something in here sparked an idea or gave you language for something you’ve been feeling but couldn’t quite name.

As always, reply and let me know what resonated – kia@heartforthecommunityconsulting.com

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