With grant writing coaching, you can make grant seeking improvement a regular part of your professional development. You can choose to work with your grant writing coach for any period of time, either one-on-one or alongside a team of colleagues. You will:
- Get expert feedback and individualized guidance on specific grant proposals
- Work on specific skill or knowledge gaps
- Boost your grant writing confidence
- Get your creative juices flowing
Many nonprofit networks and funders, such as Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, Center for Excellence in Nonprofits (with the support of an anonymous funder), and the National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health have all sponsored grant writing coaching sessions for their communities.
Individual nonprofits have also taken advantage of this rare opportunity for their team members to get one-on-one grant writing support.
How it Works
Following a brief intake survey about your particular needs, grant writing coaching begins with a pre-session review of your working draft. Then we convene via screen-share for a live session to review:
- The coach’s written and oral feedback, including edits and any additional thoughts or questions
- Strategies and resources to consider for future improvement
- Tips, tricks, and pitfalls to keep in mind moving forward
Your “homework” involves writing you’re already doing!
Grant writing coaching sessions are scheduled to ensure that you gather and maintain momentum, while having time to consider and integrate suggested improvements.
Results to Expect
For several years, my grant writing coaching clients have seen improvement in just a few sessions (some in as little as 1 session!). Here are some recent comments:
“Coaching was a great experience…I was able to review a grant proposal that was denied in a previous cycle…I applied for the same grant with my improved proposal and was funded for 2 years!”
“I found it easy and not intimidating to approach Dalya with my questions…And best of all, her strategy is really working. This year we secured support from new funders and we are thrilled to finally diversify our portfolio.”
“The skills and strategies I learned have definitely helped us get through the grantseeking process; it has also improved the quality of our grant responses. We have learned to think through what is truly being asked and made our answers more tailored to what funders want.”
“I [got] questions answered that pertained specifically to my organization and to my grants process. Dalya was able to provide me guidance that I sorely needed…I wish I had started my position with this knowledge!”
“This program has been a godsend! I was able to pass two different grant applications by Dalya and garner her valuable notes and ideas.”
“Dalya is an amazing resource. She provides useful and immediately usable insights. I have appreciated her ability to think big picture and at the detail level. “
“I was able to edit previous drafts of grants I had written prior to the program and was in awe of how much I HADN’T considered when preparing those (prior) grants…The knowledge I’ve gained through the coaching sessions opened my eyes.”
“Dalya’s coaching on prospecting will help us develop a plan on which funders are a good match. Her coaching on thinking like a funder will make our applications more readable and approachable to outsiders.”
“After coaching, I felt like diving right in and working on grants I had been putting off. I really appreciated the motivation!”
“Dalya was always welcoming and supportive. Her feedback was always on point.”
“We have had this project idea for a year and [working with Dalya] really helped prioritize the value of what we’re trying to do. I know that I’m going to get something out of every call, so it has made me actually set the time aside.”
“Dalya’s feedback was astute, professional, and extremely helpful. I would seek her counsel again. Highly recommend!”
“Dalya helped us to synthesize existing grants proposals to create a more compelling story. It was very helpful to hear what about our proposals stood out and what of our program work was not highlighted enough. Thank you, Dalya!”
“I deeply appreciated Dalya’s line-by-line critique of my Letter of Inquiry. Her expertise in both what funders are looking for and what makes them reject an application will enable us to submit a powerful proposal. Now we have a fighting chance to get those much-needed grants!”
“Dalya is well-versed in fundraising and grantwriting and I greatly appreciate her guidance in helping me think through both fundraising strategy and tactic.”
“I have been taking courses, webinars and going to lectures, conferences, and reading books – anything I could get my hands on – for over a year and a half now. I just got off the phone with Dalya and realized I have learned more from her in two days (actually, only 1 email and 1 phone call) than I have in all my training so far. I just feel relieved and so grateful to have found her.”
About Your Coach: Dalya Massachi, MA
A writer since learning to hold a pencil, Dalya specializes in building the capacity of nonprofit professionals and volunteers to use their writing to make a difference in their communities. Since 1997, she has raised millions of grant dollars for nonprofits of all sizes on a wide range of social and environment issues. Over the past 15+ years, she has trained and coached tens of thousands of participants across the U.S., using a friendly, light-hearted style to share top techniques and insights. She has worked with hundreds of nonprofit associations, foundations, and other organizations. (Full bio.)
Her most recent publications include:
- On-demand 5-course track entitled “Grant Writing and Management” (co-created with TechSoup, 2020)
- Writing to Make a Difference: 25 Powerful Techniques to Boost Your Community Impact (award-winning 2011 book)
- The co-written chapter on Fundraising in Do Good Well: Your Guide to Leadership, Action, and Social Innovation (2015)
- Many articles and blog posts
Pricing
All pricing is on sliding scale according to your organizational budget. You choose the number of sessions you’d like, and we’ll work with that. A starter package of 4 sessions will most likely begin to yield the results you are aiming for.
Not yet affiliated with an organization? One option is to offer pro bono grant writing for a nonprofit organization in exchange for their financial support of your coaching work with me.
Get in Touch
Want to schedule a FREE strategy session to discuss the details of how grant writing coaching could benefit you? Just complete this brief form and we’ll be on our way!
