AFP ICON: Insights from AFP Cleveland Chair Matt Carter and Grants Plus Senior Advisors Abby Curtin Teare and Kelly Howard

Thousands of nonprofit fundraisers gathered in New Orleans for 2023 #AFPICON hosted by thee Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP Global) . The world's largest fundraising conference brings together nonprofit organization staff, leadership, and their consultants, including from Grants Plus .

Among our Grants Plus staff who attended is Matt Carter, GPC , a grant seeking expert with decades of experience who also serves as President of Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Cleveland Chapter .

On the plane ride home from the conference, Matt caught up with his GP colleagues, Senior Advisor for Research Abby Curtin Teare and Senior Advisor for Writing Kelly Howard , to glean insights from the experience, including takeaways from the session they delivered at AFPICON: Manage Up! Techniques for Driving Cross-Team Efficiency in Grant Seeking. Read on!

Matt: Why were you most excited to attend AFP ICON 2023?

Kelly: I was most excited to learn from other professionals about messaging techniques they are using with individual and corporate donors. An idea I really latched on to is finding the “value proposition” when writing to donor/funder audiences. In other words, asking “What does this organization/program/initiative bring to the table and what's in it for donors/funders to invest?” This comes from a business/corporate mindset but is a good technique for fundraisers to draw strong alignment between an organization's work and the funder's interests and priorities. I'll use this technique to improve grant narratives for my nonprofit clients.

Matt: What's a takeaway that you would want to share with the nonprofit leaders you advise?

Kelly: If it feels like it is harder to secure gifts than it was in the past, it’s because it is! Fundraising has gotten more challenging across the board because giving trends have changed, and we need to consider how we can shift our approaches and perspectives to adjust to those changing trends. For example, individual donors are increasingly engaging in direct giving to people in need instead of giving to nonprofits – a shift that began when the tax laws changed in 2018.

Abby: I would add the reminder that you are not alone in your successes, challenges, or fears! Working in a nonprofit can be an isolating experience, and I think it’s always helpful to be reminded that there are other people facing the same obstacles.

Matt: What did you learn that shifted your own perspective?

Abby: I was struck that every city, region, or country has its own unique nonprofit culture. That specific local context influences each nonprofit and nonprofit employee’s outcomes and experiences. Some experiences are universal, but it’s always important to recognize the nuances that exist from place to place. 

Kelly: For far too long, fundraising has focused on wealthy donors and their potential for large gifts. That focus has created a culture that permeates inequity in our sector. Achieving equity in philanthropy begins by changing the mindset that philanthropy and wealth are synonymous.

Matt: Who is someone you met who you're most excited to continue following on LinkedIn?

Kelly: I met B.Michael McFarland Chief Development Officer at HomeFirst Services of Santa Clara County. With a background in performance, he likens fundraising to acting – using classic acting techniques of Focusing, Listening, Thinking, and Reacting to engage in more effective fundraising. I was also excited to meet Philip Deng from Grantable and hear his perspective on how #AI has the potential to make us more efficient in our grant writing work.

Abby: Emily Marcason-Tolmie, M.A., M.F.A. an expert in #prospectresearch, management, and analytics at Skidmore College . Her presentation on how to transform run-of-the-mill donor data into visualizations that tell a story was both inspiring and chock-full of practical applications and tips.

Matt: Congratulations on presenting such a successful workshop at AFP ICON! What was the best question you received from participants and how did you answer?

Abby: Someone asked: "When applying to a funder with various priorities, how do you decide what program to request funds for?" We offered a few suggestions:

1. Talk with the funder and ask for their input. A conversation is always the best first step in the grant seeking process whenever possible.
2. Assess the financial needs of each program and go for the one with greatest need. Applying for grants takes a lot of time, planning, and effort, so prioritize your most important, biggest funding needs.
3. Evaluate which program has the best outcomes. Your funder wants to see impact! So focus your requests where you can make the strongest case for support.

Kelly: Another person asked: "When working on a grant application, what can you do when a colleague or a client doesn’t provide the information you’ve requested in a timely manner?"

My advice:

1. First, revisit your request. Was it too complicated? Can you simplify what you are asking for so it's easier for them to respond?
2. Next, meet them where they are. You may need to adjust your approach for each person. Someone might respond best to sitting down face-to-face (or virtually) while someone else might prefer to think about their answer and communicate via email.
3. Recruit them to be your ally. Give someone a reasonable internal deadline based on the funder’s deadline and your own workflow. Communicate the funder's deadline so they have context for your timing request. Enlist them to help you be successful. Gently explain that if they can’t meet the internal deadline, then you will not be able to move forward with the project because a proposal thrown together at the last minute will not be high-quality, and therefore will not be competitive.

Matt: Finally, what is the most important tip or takeaway you hope someone remembers from your session?

Kelly: "Grant writing" is about so much more than just #writing! Preparing grant proposals requires knowing how to successfully manage people, knowledge, and time. I hope attendees left feeling empowered to use the techniques we shared to reclaim power in situations where they may not have a lot of control. I also hope they feel better equipped to influence their colleagues and clients to be more engaged in the #grant process by helping them clearly understand their roles and impact in getting a high-quality grant proposal or report completed on time.

Follow Grants Plus for grant seeking insights and tips from Matt, Abby, Kelly and the rest of their team!