Grant Writer Certificate
Fundraising is an essential part of any sustainable nonprofit organization. Success depends on the ability to effectively nurture a community of supporters, forge positive donor relationships, plan effective fundraising events and compose persuasive grant proposals. Students will learn how to develop a fundraising strategy for their organization and specifically write effective grant proposals. Students will develop a proposal conveyed in a clear and compelling manner with realistic objectives, a well-structured workplan, timeline and budget. Students will also learn how to submit reports to funders and close out grants in a professional manner.
Program Objectives
- Define your organization’s mission, values, and community
- Describe the differences between unrestricted and restricted funds
- Write a compelling evidence-based needs statement
- Describe how the activities of marketing and fundraising are linked
- Identify your organization’s stakeholders
- Identify various revenue sources for a nonprofit organization
- Identify the timeline considerations of grant writing
- Describe the various types of grant-making foundations
- Describe the elements of a grant proposal
- Write the organization’s overview and program description
- Develop a program budget (for the grant)
- Describe the accountability process for submitting reports and closing our grants
Professor
Jim Gepperth, M.P.A. owns and manages a small business in North Olmsted, Ohio. He is a former program director of a large non-profit charity organization serving northeast Ohio and has 22-year experience as a manager in the non-profit sector.
Jim holds a Master degree in Public Administration from the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Studies at Cleveland State University. He has experience teaching Political Science, Public Administration and Business courses at the college level, as well as training and lecturing as a consultant. Jim continues to be involved with a variety of charity organizations throughout northern Ohio. In his spare time, Jim enjoys reading biographies, watching sci-fi movies and cheering for Cleveland sports teams.
Online Support (IT) and Moodle Navigation
All members of the Lakewood University community who use the University’s computing, information or communication resources must act responsibly. Support is accessible by calling 1-800-517-0857 option 2 or by emailing info@lakewood.edu
Books and Resources
Grant Writing and Fundraising Tool Kit for Human Services by Jill C. Dustin
Evaluation Method
Graded work will receive a numeric score reflecting the quality of performance.
Course Requirement Summary
- Assignments - Total of 600 Points
- Tests – Total of 300 Points
- Forums – 320 Points
- Final Writing Project - 150 Points
- Final Exam – 50 Points
Grading Scale
Graded work will receive a numeric score reflecting the quality of performance as given above in evaluation methods. The maximum number of points a student may earn is 1420. To determine the final grade, the student's earned points are divided by 1420.
Your overall course grade will be determined according to the following scale:
A = (90% -100%)
B = (80% - 89%)
C = (70% - 79%)
D = (60% - 69%)
F < (Below 60%)
Assignment and Discussion Forum Post Rubrics
Writing Assignment Grading Rubric
|
Points |
Excellent |
Good |
Poor |
Very Poor |
No Response |
|
Original Posting ____/10 |
Writing assignment was well thought out, coherent, and thoughtfully organized with all parts of the questions addressed along with appropriate grammar and spelling |
Writing was clear and relatively well organized and responded to many/most of the key points with a few mistakes in regard to grammar and spelling |
Writing was somewhat confusing and not well organized and had little or no focus on the subject matter with significant grammar and spelling errors |
Writing is confusing and hard to follow with no organization while missing the point of the assignment entirely |
No Assignment |
|
Total Points ____/10 |
Additional Comments: |
Discussion Question Grading Rubric
|
Points |
Excellent Pass |
Good Pass |
Poor Fail |
No Response Fail |
|
Original Posting PASS/FAIL |
Original post reflected good focus to the discussion with well thought out ideas and appropriate grammar and spelling |
Original post responded to the topic in a general fashion but failed to organize them well and had a few mistakes in regard to grammar and spelling |
Responded with little or no focus to the discussion and contained short, irrelevant and/or confusing commentary with significant grammar and spelling errors |
No posting |
|
Reply to fellow student PASS/FAIL |
Response to fellow student reflected good focus to the post with well thought out ideas and appropriate grammar and spelling |
Response to fellow student in a general fashion but failed to organize them well and had a few mistakes in regard to grammar and spelling |
Little or no focus to the post and contained short, irrelevant and/or confusing commentary with significant grammar and spelling errors |
No posting |
|
Total Points PASS/FAIL |
Additional Comments: |
Academic Integrity/ Plagiarism
Cheating (dishonestly taking the knowledge of another person whether on a test or an assignment and presenting it as your work) and plagiarism (to take and pass off as one's own the ideas or writing of another) are a serious issue. While it is legitimate to talk to others about your assignments and incorporate suggestions, do not let others "write" your assignments in the name of peer review or "borrow" sections or whole assignments written by others. We do get ideas from life experiences and what we read but be careful that you interpret these ideas and make them your own.
I am aware that many types of assignments are available on the internet and will check these sources when there is legitimate suspicion.
Penalty is a zero on the assignment. In cases where there is a major or continuous breach of trust, further discipline, such as an "F" in the course, may be necessary.
The major consequence of any form of cheating is damage to your character and the result of trust and respect.
Disability Accommodations
Students who have a disability and wish to request an academic accommodation should contact Jim Gepperth, the Disabilities Services Coordinator and Academic Dean. The student can request an accommodation at any time although it is encouraged to do so early in the enrollment process. The student should complete an accommodation request form which begins a conversation between the school and the student regarding the nature of their disability and an accommodation that would help the student succeed in their program. The school may request documentation regarding the disability to address the accommodation request effectively. The school will communicate to the student the type of accommodation arranged. This process typically follows a team approach, bringing together persons from the academic department (including the instructor) and personnel from other departments as necessary. Additional information on disability accommodations may be found in the Lakewood University Catalog.
Disability Services Email: disabilityservices@lakewood.edu
Supplemental Texts
You can use the following resources to assist you with proper source citation.
American Psychological Association Style Guide- https://www.mylakewoodu.com/pluginfile.php/118179/mod_resource/content/1/APA%20Style%20Guide%207th%20edition.pdf
The Purdue OWL website is also a helpful resource for students. Here is a link to the OWL website: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html
Library
Mary O'Dell is the Librarian on staff at Lakewood University
She is available by appointment. You can make an appointment with her by emailing her at modell@lakewood.edu or call at 1-800-517-0857 X 730
You may also schedule a meeting at this link: https://my.setmore.com/calendar#monthly/r3a761583354923270/01032020
She can assist you with navigating LIRN, research, citations etc.
Support
Each student at Lakewood University is assigned a Success Coach. Your Success Coach exists to assist you with academic and supportive services as you navigate your program. They will reach out to you, often, to check-in. Please use the resources they offer.
Student Services is available to assist with technical questions regarding Lakewood University and all services available to you.
1-800-517-0857 option 2
info@lakewood.edu
studentservices@lakewood.edu
Career Services
Students are offered Career Services at any point as they journey their academics at Lakewood University.
1-800-517-0857 option 2
careerservices@lakewood.edu
Objectives
- Identify and choose a correct funding scheme.
- Develop a realistic schedule for the proposal writing effort.
- Convey grant purpose/need research idea into a few sentences.
- Develop and write the proposal text in a style that aligns with industry best practices.
- Design effective graphics.
- Present research track record and CV aligning with industry best practices.
- Develop a realistic work plan and budget.
Lessons
- In this lesson, you'll learn the different types of grant proposal formats for corporations, foundations, and state and federal government agencies. This lesson is important because you'll discover who reviews your proposals at each type of funder, what format the proposal review staff expect to receive, and how and why decisions to fund or reject grant proposals are made.
Read Syllabus
Read Chapters 1 & 2
Power Points
Complete Assignment “The funding scheme and your goal”
Complete Forum “Formatting… why does it matter?”
Test Chapter 1
Lesson Evaluation
- This lesson will teach you how to carefully research the funding agencies so you can match your grant funding needs to their interests. You’ll learn how to find and use Internet research sites to identify multiple funders for grant proposal projects. And you'll learn how to spot the funder/project matches that result in a 90 percent or higher funding success rate.
Read Chapter 3
Power Point
Complete Assignment “How to research your funder”
Complete Forum “Making a schedule”
Test Chapter 2
Lesson Evaluation
- In this lesson, we'll focus on how to prepare the first section of the grant proposal narrative-the research and major accomplishments section. You’ll learn how to sift through organizational documents and write useful information that will answer the dozens of questions that grant reviewers ask when reading your narrative. Most importantly, you'll learn how to avoid the mistakes that can cause your grant proposal to lose points during the initial stages of the funder’s review process.
Read Chapter 4
Power Point
Complete Assignment “Critical Grant Thinking”
Complete Forum “Your research idea is so small”
Test Chapter 4
Lesson Evaluation
- This lesson will teach you how to develop a current programs and activities section narrative template. You’ll also learn where to find the type of information a grant reviewer needs in this section of your grant proposal. And you'll learn how to stay on your toes to answer all of the questions that funders ask when they read this section of your grant proposals.
Read Chapter 5
Power Point
Complete Forum “Professional Writing?”
Complete Assignment “Programs and Activities”
Test Chapter 5
Lesson Evaluation
- In this lesson, you will learn how to write accurate and magnetizing copy for the target population served section of your grant proposals. You’ll also learn how to conduct extensive research on your target population and how to order, organize, and write the information for this critical section of your grant proposals.
Read Chapter 6
Power Point
Complete Forum “Designing you”
Complete Assignment “Design the picture of what you need”
Complete Assignment “Researching the target”
Test Chapter 6
Lesson Evaluation
- This lesson will teach you how to find the most current information on your organization’s partners in the community, region, and nation. You’ll also learn how to identify potential partners when your organization has few or no partners. Most importantly, you'll learn how to organize and present your partnership information in an appealing format for funders.
Read Chapter 7
Complete Forum “Current partners”
Power Point
Complete Assignment “Presenting in the best light”
Test Chapter 7
Lesson Evaluation
- In this lesson, you'll learn how to understand the needs statement section from the funder’s viewpoint. You'll also learn the type of information to collect on the target population and your organization in order to glean language for this section.
Read Chapter 8
Complete Forum “The funder’s view”
Complete Assignment “Structuring the budget”
Power Point
Test Chapter 8
Lesson Evaluation
- This is perhaps the most important of all our lessons. You are halfway through the main writing sections for your grant proposal narrative and gaining more confidence in your skills. This lesson will teach you how to show the funder that you have a well-thought-out plan for spending grant monies. You'll learn how to look at the program design section from the funder’s viewpoint, how to collect the right information, and how to spot poorly written narrative in this section.
Read Chapter 9
Power Point
Complete Forum “The work plan… where’s the schedule?”
Complete Assignment “Submitting the work”
Test Chapter 9
Lesson Evaluation
- In this lesson, you will learn to understand the thinking patterns of grant funders when they read the management plan section. You’ll also learn how to avoid the most common types of errors made by other grant writers when writing this section, and how to cull the right information from your program staff or administrators.
Read Chapter 10
Power Point
Complete Forum “The cost of doing business”
Complete Assignment “Presenting”
Test Over Chapter 10
Lesson Evaluation
- This lesson will teach you how to look at the evaluation plan section from the funder's perspective. You'll also learn how to steer clear of the age-old errors that other grant writers make when planning and writing this section. From learning where to find the information needed to write an award-winning evaluation plan to learning the common terms that funders look for in this section, Lesson 10 hits the target.
Read Chapter 11
Power Point
Complete Forum “Final Thoughts?”
Complete Assignment “Submit the full grant proposal”
Test Chapter 10
Lesson Evaluation