Grant Writing: The heart of GrantPathways’ consulting business is grant proposal writing. We work closely with our clients to develop strong grant proposal concepts and gather pertinent information that is needed for each grant proposal. Then, we take all of this information and write outstanding proposals for our clients. While some of our clients contact us with a specific grant proposal that they would like us to write, we typically inform our clients on a regular basis about grant opportunities for which they would otherwise not be aware. Our research strategies allow us to keep on top of what is happening in the grant world so we can then provide this information to our clients. GrantPathways works on both a retainer-based fee or on a grant by grant basis, depending upon the needs of each client.
Agency and Board Assessments: GrantPathways provides assessment consulting services to determine the effectiveness of our non-profit clients and their boards and to help assess the organizations’ readiness to compete for grants. We offer the following three types of assessment services.
- The first, entitled a Grant Readiness Assessment, uses a simple form that is filled out by an agency’s leadership by answering yes and no questions. This assessment gauges whether or not the agency has developed items and policies that are most critical to have in place when seeking grant funds. Some examples are board lists, personnel policies, two year budgets, audits, financial statements, etc. GrantPathways then prepares a detailed report outlining the areas in which the organization needs to improve to increase its chances for grant success. This assessment is required for all new GrantPathways clients who have had little or no grant winning experience.
- The second assessment is a Board Self-Assessment. With this assessment, GrantPathways provides a self-assessment to board members that consists of a self-rating tool that uses a rating scale in different focus areas along with three narrative responses. GrantPathways summarizes these assessments and creates a detailed report outlining the areas in which the board needs to improve along with a suggested plan to accomplish these improvements.
- The third assessment is a John Maxwell Leadership Assessment. Everything rises and falls on the leadership of your organization. This tool will help you to develop strong organizational and board leadership. This is a comprehensive 360º assessment based on The Five Levels of Leadership. The assessment lets you know how others are experiencing your leadership. It is built on a solid foundation of validated research that was conducted in conjunction with Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies. This on-line assessment takes just 10 minutes for your raters to rate you on 64 leadership attributes. The results are compiled into a full-color, easy-to-read report. The category scores are in the areas of Position, Permission, Production, People development, and Pinnacle.
IRS Form 1023 Preparation for 501c3 Application: GrantPathways provides expert counsel and IRS form preparation for agencies seeking to apply for 501c3 status with the IRS. Our staff leads you through the entire process and completes the detailed IRS form (Form 1023) for your agency.
Development of Outcomes Measurement Systems: Meaningful and measurable outcomes are at the heart of a successful grant proposal along with making good business sense for a non-profit. GrantPathways’ staff provides over 30 years of outcomes measurement knowledge to our clients. We will consult one on one with your staff to develop an outcomes measurement system that makes sense for your agency.
Grant Management Systems: While it is a time to rejoice when your agency receives grant funding, the award is just the beginning of successful grant development. In order to meet the requirements of most funders, your agency must be sure to have a system in place to measure your program’s effectiveness and be able to report your program results back to the funder. For small foundation grants, this can be as simple as an end of the year report. However, for many funders, especially all levels of government grants, you will be required to keep very accurate records and meet numerous reporting deadlines. GrantPathways’ staff provides consulting services to help your agency set up these systems. We will also work as the grant management arm of your agency to help you meet these deadlines and prepare all necessary reports.
Developing an Effective Volunteer Management Program: For most non-profits, volunteers are the hands and feet of the organization. Without them, many non-profits would crumble. Therefore, it is critical that an organization develop a structured program to recruit, train and keep volunteers. GrantPathways’ staff consults with our clients to develop strong volunteer programs that will benefit the organization for years to come. Volunteer programming is not only key to the success of a non-profit, but is also a key component to successful grant seeking. Funders often inquire about the use of volunteers in an organization as a way of measuring the effectiveness and capacity of an agency. Our staff will help your organization to develop a volunteer program that will help to sustain and grow your agency.
Developing Effective Boards: The board of a non-profit can literally make or break an organization. It is crucial that non-profit leaders and board members know how to develop and maintain an effective board of directors. GrantPathways’ staff consults with the leadership of our clients to help them develop and train strong boards. We will meet with your Executive Director and board leaders to identify and address weaknesses, build upon strengths and devise plans for future board development.
Coach and Proof: Grant Pathways is available to provide coaching as you write your grant applications and to review your finished product. This is a fee-based service and will depend upon the depth of the training and the type of grants sought.
Fundraising Event Analysis: GrantPathways has developed a unique tool to help our clients analyze the effectiveness of their fundraising events. This tool looks at a variety of issues such as return on investment, gross and net profits, benefits, and time factors to consult with our clients to analyze their fundraising events from a business perspective. This analysis is critical for non-profits to determine the successes of their events and to devise plans for improvement. This consultation service consists of both one-on-one, board and staff meetings.
Grant Writer Coaching: GrantPathways’ staff brings over 30 years of successful grant writing experience to our clients. We offer coaching for agency staff who are currently serving as the grant writer for their agency. This one-on-one service entails such topics as assisting writers to learn new research methodologies, develop more effective grant proposals, improve grant budgets, and work with program staff to get what you need.