This book takes a very different approach to the whole challenge of procuring grants. Rather than focusing on the steps that go into writing a proposal, author Golden puts the emphasis (and appropriately so!) on building a strong foundation that is concerned with doing everything possible to get the needed funding - how to conduct effective prospect research, opening the right doors, making your first conversation count, the proposal meeting with a prospective funder, etc. Finally, in Chapter 7 the attention turns to "Preparing and Submitting Your Grant Proposal." However, by that time the point has been made - procuring funding for your project is a lot more than just preparing a written proposal. Personal experiences are shared to help clarify points, along with lots of good ideas and examples on how to successfully gain support for your project.

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Product Description

Susan Golden provides not just another book on proposal writing, but one which provides a realistic view of proposal writing with practical step-by-step guidance towards success -- useful for both novice and experienced grantwriters.
?Patricia F. Lewis, ACFR, president and CEO, National Society of Fund Raising Executives

Drawing on more than 20 years of experience with more than 100 organizations, Golden arms fundraisers with the grantsmanship skills they need to successfully navigate the grantmaking process. From conducting effective prospect research and making initial conversations count to preparing, submitting, and following up on grant proposals, Susan Golden offers a focused, step-by-step method for reliably achieving success in any fund raising activity.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #352409 in Books
• Published on: 1997-02-12
• Released on: 1997-01-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

From Booklist
Directed at local nonprofits, such as a rape crisis center and a dance company, Golden's fund-raising advice differs from standard counsel on grant proposal writing. After 20 years in the development business in Cleveland, she believes creating that thick document is a time waster and the lowest priority on a leader's task list. A better place to start is to systematically consider how foundations and governments make grants: some respond to emergencies, some to a chronically unmet need, and some to ongoing requirements, such as operating expenses. Golden gives a pep talk--replete with aphorisms from Mao Tse-tung and Che Guevara (neither noted for sympathy with capitalist philanthropy)--on thoroughly preparing oneself and one's organization for the initial contacts and meetings, and for sustaining the personal relationships made thereby for the future health of the nonprofit. Her practical guide is capped by addresses of 190 public and special private libraries that the Foundation Center in Washington, D.C., routinely stocks with its materials. Gilbert Taylor

Review
"Susan Golden provides not just another book on proposal writing, but one which provides a realistic view of proposal writing with practical step-by-step guidance towards success -- useful for both novice and experienced grantwriters." (Patricia F. Lewis, ACFR, president and CEO, National Society of Fund Raising Executives)

"Secrets of Successful Grantsmanship identifies the key element of fundraising -- relationships. In a high-tech world, organizations that raise money must be high-touch -- relationships are the best way: focused, disciplined, and persistent." (Anita D. Joseph, director, Association Financial Development, YMCA of the USA)

"Success in fundraising is not about how money was given, it is about raising friends and building relationships between the community that needs services and the organizations that provide them. Susan Golden offers the same guarantee for success with grantmakers -- make them your friends and build lasting relationships." (James M. Greenfield, ACFRE, FAHP, senior vice president, Development and Community Relations, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian)

"The presentation in this book is unusually clear and direct -- it asks all the right questions and provides understandable real world answers." (Bruce A. Loessin, vice president, Development, Case Western Reserve University)

"Armed with the step-by-step approach of Secrets of Successful Grantsmanship, you will not only significantly improve your success rate as a grantwriter, but you will also learn how to avoid wasting time on 'long shots.'" (Kenneth W. McLaughlin, president and CEO, Greater Cleveland YMCA)

"In an era when organizations focus on short term results, Secrets of Successful Grantsmanship highlights for the practicing professional the application of 'The Relationship' (advocacy) plan of action versus 'The Transaction' (get the grant and go) mentality. Golden frames the process with skill and practical understanding." (Jon Labahn, principal and senior consultant, Strategic Resources Management, Ltd.)

From the Inside Flap
Competition for grants has escalated dramatically, bringing with it a barrage of how-to instruction manuals discussing the fine points of proposal writing. In this book, Susan Golden argues that grantseekers need to go well beyond strong ideas and beautifully written proposals in today's fundraising arena. Her innovative approach is based on the simple truth that people, not proposals, secure grants. By investing time, energy, and resources into building and maintaining solid relationships with grantmakers, grantseekers can gain the edge in the increasingly competitive quest for philanthropic funds. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience with more than 100 organizations, Golden arms fundraisers with the "guerrilla" grantsmanship skills they need to successfully navigate the grantmaking process: from avoiding common pitfalls such as perfunctory budget preparation to implementing critical, yet little-taught advocacy techniques. Golden's "relationship model" of fundraising offers the grantseeker proven strategies — selecting promising opportunities, sizing up the odds, and bringing to bear the proper resources, at the proper time, in the proper way — that don't require mastering any new jargon, high-tech equipment, or complicated procedures.Secrets of Successful Grantsmanship will not only equip grantseekers with ways to identify and exploit promising opportunities, but also help them recognize those that hold little real promise. From conducting effective prospect research and making initial conversations count to preparing, submitting, and following up on grant proposals, Susan Golden offers a focused, step-by-step method for reliably achieving success in any fund raising activity.

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Customer Reviews

An outstanding resource
This is an outstanding resource -- an excellent and comprehensive introduction for non-profit administrators who want to learn more about fundraising, but also a fresh perspective for professional grantseekers.