Connecting With Your Audience Through Grant Writing With Teresa Huff

A nonprofit organization’s two biggest missions are to steadily increase funding and continuously maximize impact. Teresa Huff, Host of the Grant Writing Simplified Podcast, is here to share her expertise in growing nonprofits. She reveals the best strategies on how such organizations can effectively develop thousands or even millions in sustainable funding. Teresa shares her journey helping nonprofits around the world to succeed in their chosen mission and influence more people to join the cause. She also shares how nonprofit leaders can take their skills to the next level and how important it is to develop a sound and structured system. Tune in now!

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE

Connecting With Your Audience Through Grant Writing With Teresa Huff

GRANTS ARE ONLY ONE WAY IN WHICH A NON-PROFIT CAN OBTAIN FUNDS

Joining me every other week is your other esteemed co-host, Andy McDowell. Andy, good to see you.

We have an episode every single week. It’s the question of between the two of us who shows up. Anyway, welcome to the show. My name is Andy McDowell. The other half of the team that brings you guests every week that we hope through our conversation will bring what we call golden nuggets that you can take away and integrate into your life, into your business, and move you forward closer to a state of joy, happiness, and success every day of your life.

That’s why Zach and I are on this journey. I pause there for a second for emphasis, journey, so you don’t subscribe to us, you follow us. More about that later. We have got a great guest for you, and I’m going to sit back and get educated right along with you guys because we are bringing you an expert in the nonprofit business. I have some skills, talents, and expertise in some areas, but not much experience in nonprofits, so I’m going to be glued to the microphone as much as you, the readers are, so I can educate in about the nonprofit business.

Our guest is Teresa Huff, based out of Missouri, so coming out of the great Midwest when she needs to be. She’s a Kansas City Chiefs fan. If she’s getting the Super Bowl, we know what Jersey she will be wearing on Super Bowl Sunday. Let me read her bio or bring her in, and we’ll get going with the questions in the conversation. Teresa Huff is the host of the Grant Writing Simplified podcast. She’s a TEDx speaker and the go-to expert in the nonprofit strategy world.

She’s helped nonprofits triple their funding and maximize their impact. After winning over $7 million for schools and nonprofits, she now teaches nonprofits the strategies they need to develop millions in sustainable funding. Her podcast has been downloaded in over 100 countries, across 6 continents. Thousands of students worldwide have completed her online grant writing program. Teresa uses her Master’s in Education and over twenty years of experience in writing special ed and business to help nonprofit leaders take their skills to the next level.

She mentors grant writers through her interactive Fast Track to Grant Writer VIP Program, which is available for university-level credit. Make a note of that university-level credit. That being said, Teresa, welcome to the show. We appreciate your time with us. Can you give our audience the Reader’s Digest version of how you got into the nonprofit world? It looks to me like you are a master and so forth on the educational side, maybe you fell into it a bit. Tell us about your journey.

Thank you for having me. It’s an honor to be here and to be your first nonprofit expert on the show. You said you don’t have a lot of experience in nonprofit work, so maybe it’s time to change that. That trajectory here. Thank you both. As you said, I did not intend to get into nonprofit work or grant writing. It happened a little bit by accident, which I hear quite often with nonprofit people, and that’s partly why I started my course, some of my educational pieces, and the podcast, and why I got it approved for university credit because I would love to change that.

I would love to provide more resources and inspire the sector to have more resources so that people can deliberately get into nonprofit work as opposed to falling into it sideways or stumbling into it by accident and having to get up to speed. There’s value in that practical experience, but also good education that can shorten that learning curve. As you mentioned, I did start out as a Special Ed teacher and did that for a few years.

Grant Writing: There’s value in practical experience and good education that can shorten your learning curve.

When we started a family, I wanted to stay home with our kids, so I was looking for a way to bring in the income at first from home, but also a way to maybe use my degree or background in Education somehow. I had always enjoyed writing and was good at writing, but we didn’t have Google, so I couldn’t look things up online. We couldn’t google it back then. I heard of a lady who lived nearby that did grant writing and I asked if she would meet for coffee, so we talked. She graciously let me ask a million questions and was very patient with me.

By the end of our conversation, she said, “I’m looking to add a couple of people to my team if you are interested.” I jumped at the chance and worked with her for a couple of years. She was a fantastic mentor. She writes the big Federal grants, so it was jumping right into the deepest part of the ocean, but I learned a lot. When we moved away, I branched out on my own and started working with clients and consulting and evolved from there. It’s led to a lot of different opportunities.

Along the way, I shifted to more of the strategic advisory approach and also the teaching and education because looking back at the patterns of nonprofits I have worked with who are the most successful have certain key characteristics in common. That’s where my TEDx Talk stemmed, from identifying what are those core pieces that if nonprofits can get those right, they can be a lot more successful with grants, and also with their operations, in general, with their other fundraising and fulfilling their missions more fully.

That’s how it’s evolved over time. We will see where the trajectory’s going next, but it’s exciting and definitely an area I feel like, people need more education, resources, and inspiration. It is such fulfilling, but also meaningful and sometimes draining work to be on the front lines of a nonprofit. The more quality resources we can provide, the better.

It is such a fulfilling, meaningful, and sometimes draining work to be on the front lines of a nonprofit. The more quality resources we can provide, the better.

Like Andy and I, not having a ton of experience in the nonprofit space, you hear what you hear, see what you see. From your insider view of the world, as a nonprofit expert, what is the number one misconception about nonprofits and the leadership of nonprofits?

I hear a lot as you can imagine. Probably the biggest is that nonprofits should operate on a shoestring budget. Everybody should volunteer, and wear themselves out volunteering. We should do this bare bones as cheaply as possible, but fulfill these major world issues and these societal problems that we need to solve on basic, minimal funding. There’s this disconnect. Making an impact, doing good, and fulfilling these missions, takes funding and money. Having people understand, “We need to invest in our nonprofits. We need to provide quality resources, quality facilities, funding, staffing all the pieces, and operate them more like a business.”

In that, we need to think strategically. That’s a common misconception about nonprofits in general. For grants specifically, the most common I hear is, “Get a grant for that. Do you have a nonprofit or want to start a nonprofit? Get grants. I’m sure they are out there.” As my TEDx Talk, that’s the whole core. You don’t just get a grant. You have to do some very specific strategic steps to prepare. You don’t just build a house. You have got to collect the blueprints, find the land, prepare the ground, get the materials, and start building. You don’t build the second story and then figure out all the other pieces. Grants are the same way.

Is it a safe statement to say the only difference between a non-profit and a for-profit business is that number at the bottom of the page? In other words, how we drive the business, how we develop our strategies or the process that we might use is exactly the same. The only difference is we are allowed to spend or give away more money than for-profit businesses to get some positive outcome out in the world.

To some degree, there’s a little more to it than that. If you want to take it to the most simple terms, you could say that. I have had this conversation. There are a lot of things each sector can learn from each other. The business world could learn a lot about being more mission-focused and service-focused, and how we can make an impact in the community. The nonprofit world could learn more about, “How can we set up good systems and structures, and what tools should we invest in to be cost-effective and run smoothly,” but also see those as, “This is an important investment to take pressure off our staff or to invest in more staff to help fulfill this mission better.”

Grant Writing: There are a lot of things each sector can learn from each other. The business world could learn a lot about being more mission-focused and service-focused.

I feel like the two sectors could learn from each other. As far as the bottom line, the business world is about return on investment. The nonprofit world is more about the same ROI, that it’s a Return on Impact. Where can we make the most impact in the community? They are not going to get the money back, but they are looking to fulfill their mission whether it’s a donor or a grantmaker. Someone else is getting involved to volunteer. They want to make an impact. It comes down to which kind of ROI and what are they doing to fulfill that.

A for-profit business is usually offering a product or service, a physical product, or some service that aids, sees, and solves a problem out in the world. The nonprofit world uses this thing called grants. Can you give us a grant one-on-one lesson or conversation? Fill us in on exactly what a grant is. What does it look like? What are its “colors?” What are its “shapes?” If we were to look at it as a product or service, exactly what is a grant?

Grants come in all shapes, sizes, and colors to put it in those terms. It’s a matter of figuring out which shape, size, and color is the right one for your nonprofit. You don’t need all the possible grants out there. You couldn’t handle them, and they’re not all a good fit. Say you decide to make mechanical pencils, you don’t need to go out and find investors that make can food. You want to find office supply investors and companies to partner with. With grants, if you are doing a certain type of work, maybe you are a food pantry, you are looking for grants that fund that type of mission in the community or that type of impact.

You are not looking for ones that are doing scientific research on cancer. That’s a super important cause, but it’s not a fit with yours. It’s like a shape order. You are looking for the right shapes, for the right spots for your nonprofit. Everyone knows grants are a type of funding, a way to get money, but beyond that, a lot of people are fussy like, “How do you even go about it? What do you do? When do you get it? Where do you find them?” All the pieces. That’s where the strategy comes in.

As I mentioned, grants are like a second story of a house. You would not use them as the foundation. Grant funders don’t want to be the first dollar or your only dollar. Grants are typically not for startups, but they do come later in the process. They want to see that you have your nonprofit up and running. Your board is functional. You are working on your mission and have programs running to serve the community. You are tracking that data. You are tracking the impact that you are making.

Grants then can come in to supplement and enhance the work you are already doing. If a kid came up to you and said, “Can I have $20?” You are like, “What for? Why should I give you $20?” If somebody else came up to you, a friend came over and said, “Would you donate $100 to this cause? I have got ten other people that have committed $100. We have got three businesses donating $1,000. We are trying to raise money for this cause. It’s happening next week. Will you be a part of it?” You are going to be like, “I know those other people involved. They are kicking in. That must be pretty legit. I want to be a part of that solution in helping them reach that goal.”

It’s a whole different approach and a different mindset. With grants, you have to show we are worth investing in. We will show a return on the impact that you want to make and that you can partner with us to be a part of the solution. That’s how grants work. You invite them to be a part of the solution that you are already working towards, as opposed to starting from scratch and expecting them to foot the bill for an idea that may not have any proof of concept yet.

Grant Writing: Grants is all about inviting others to be a part of the solution you are already working towards. Instead, you are asking them to pay for an idea that may not have any proof of concept yet.

Speaking of getting grants, the mechanism of getting grants, that is the nonprofit’s funding, that’s their capital.

Not necessarily. It’s part of it. If you think of it like a pie, grants are one small piece of the pie. Other funding should come from donations, sometimes fees for services, maybe major gifts, corporate sponsorships, all different avenues, and recurring giving programs. It’s one piece of a much bigger pie. It shouldn’t be the whole pie.

To that point, they have got to attract funds from multiple streams of income. What are the biggest three reasons why nonprofits have difficulty attracting funds?

The biggest one is not being ready for grants. Maybe their board is not big enough. They only have 3, maybe 4 people or they are too new. They’re brand-new and trying to get grants right out of the gate before getting their programs running, or they aren’t finding grants that are a good fit for the mission that they are doing. In my TEDx Talk, I talked about the ROI, the Return on Impact, and then also an ROI framework for building your relevance, finding those grants that are a good fit, and showing that your program is relevant.

Also, optimizing your operations, your board, and your internal processes, and then interacting and building those authentic relationships with funders, with your community, and with other investors to show that you are sustainable and have the capacity to handle grant funding. I had a nonprofit once that approached me. They were brand-new. Their 501(c)(3) was hot off the press the week before and he said, “We need a grant writer. We have got our 501(c)(3) paperwork approved. Let’s go.”

I said, “It’s a little early in the process. Tell me about your board.” He said, “We have a great board. It’s me, my son, and my son’s best friend.” That was it. They weren’t serving any clients yet in the community, but they had a great plan. They had a great vision that was solid, but they weren’t doing the work yet. They couldn’t figure out why grant funders weren’t interested. It was because there was nothing to fund and be a part of yet.

You are speaking from the standpoint of, “I have a nonprofit, and I want to do something in the world that’s going to leave a legacy or whatever. I’m looking for mechanisms of funding for myself, whether that be from donations, from companies, and so forth. Grants are one way that I can fund my activity to deliver acts of service or something that’s going to make an impact in a community, in the state, or in the country,” whatever the size or magnitude it is.

If you want a couple of examples of different sizes and shapes of grants, I used to work with a small food pantry and this was the only food pantry in the entire county, so it was a pretty critical resource for the community. It served probably 5,000 people over time. They have a school backpack program, a food program, and weekly food that they give out to families. They had a thrift store for the community that funds from the thrift store and supported the operations of the food pantry. It was a good, sustainable source of funding.

They had been around for about 30 years. We were looking at grants. I had talked to one funder, and they wanted to fund the food and the emergency type needs like that to help provide better quality food and more food for families, instead of getting by with a box of pasta. They wanted to be able to provide dairy, meat, and more enriching foods. We got that grant several times, and they were able to do that. I talked to the director and I said, “I have identified another potential grant. What are your biggest needs?” She said, “We always need food. We always need money for food.”

I called the grant funder ahead of time and said, “We are new to this application. Could I talk through a couple of project ideas with you?” She said, “That’d be great.” I mentioned the food, and she said, “We get so many requests from food pantries that the board pretty much mixes those across all the applications. If you are just asking for food, they are not going to be interested because we have so many applicants. We can’t fund all the food pantries, and we need something more unique.”

They are looking for things that make your operations more efficient. They are about what’s going to build your capacity for your nonprofit and how is it going to help things run more smoothly within your organization. That was a little different from other grants that we had in the past. I went back to the director and I said, “Here’s what they said. What could we ask for that would be in line with this?”

Grant Writing: Strategizing in nonprofit is about building your capacity, and it can help things run more smoothly within your organization.

She said, “I have always wished we could have a forklift because our semis of food come in every week. They have these huge pallets. Our volunteers, most of whom are senior citizens, have to come to unload the pallets one box at a time into the warehouse and take them one box at a time out to the food lines as they’re ready. It takes hours. If we had a forklift, we could pop off the pallet, put it in the warehouse, and wheel it out to the front line when we need it. It would save so much time, energy, and on these volunteers too.”

We requested that. They negotiated great pricing on a used forklift in the community from a local vendor that wanted to work with them and help them, and we got that grant. There were about 100 applicants, and they only awarded maybe seventeen of them. If I hadn’t called and talked to the funder, we never would have gotten it. We needed to talk to them to get their input and listen to what they were looking to do in the community.

Compared to other funders that wanted to help with the emergency consumables, this one wanted to help with that long-term piece, and that’s something they can use for 10 or 20 years. A lot of it is that strategy and knowing how to build the relationships, how to listen, how to get their input, and take that and figure out what are they looking for and how that fits with our mission, not trying to twist our mission out of shape, but what would fit right into place so that we can both fulfill that same impact that we are looking to do.

A nonprofit’s mission shouldn’t be twisted out of shape, but it can be shaped to fit the right place to fulfill its desired impact.

We know in the for-profit world, there are bad products. Average products and great products. From a grant perspective, give us an idea of what makes a bad grant. What makes an average grant, and what makes a great grant? What are those characteristics or measuring sticks that one uses to figure out whether, is this a bad grant, an average grant, or a great grant?

Are you talking about the opportunity or the application itself that someone submits?

Probably both. I’m sure from a definitional standpoint, there’s a great grant in terms of what impact it’s trying to make, what it’s looking at, how well it’s described, and the marketing of a grant, and then the whole process. You might have a, “Looks like a great grant,” but the process to apply for it and get it is such a headache that you scare everybody away.

I had one of those where a school had asked me to look for some grants for them, and they had found one that was for an art program, which sounds great for a small private school to enrich their arts that are always needing funding. When we started digging into it, we were going to have to drive to Kansas City, which was almost two hours away, spend half a day in training, plus drive back, and probably two people were required to go and then fill out the application, which was pretty extensive. I believe the grant was about $300.

If you look at the cost it was going to take versus the return, that one was not worth it. It was too many hoops to jump through. If we lived right down the road from the grant, maybe to build relationships and invest in that but for us, given thosecircumstances and what it was, that was not the best use of our time. Their time would have been better spent finding donations or finding an investor that wanted to support their arts program as opposed to all that time, plus paying a grant writer to fill out the application that asked for quite a bit, considering a $300 grant. You have to look at the opportunity cost as well.

Like in business, “Is this worth the impact that it’s going to make and what it’s going to take, the resources it’s going to require?” Plus, if you win the grant, there’s a lot of follow-up reporting as well. It’s not just, “Free for all. Here’s your check. All the best.” You have to be accountable for those funds, to track the budget, to fill out reports, to show, “Here’s the impact. Here are the measurable, and how we are fulfilling those objectives that we outlined in the original application.” You always have to weigh out that opportunity cost to figure out, “Is this worth it or not?” The best opportunities are going to be that perfect fit like with the forklift, which was a great fit.

A nonprofit’s mission shouldn’t be twisted out of shape, but it can be shaped to fit the right place to fulfill its desired impact.

We know in the for-profit world, there are bad products. Average products and great products. From a grant perspective, give us an idea of what makes a bad grant. What makes an average grant, and what makes a great grant? What are those characteristics or measuring sticks that one uses to figure out whether, is this a bad grant, an average grant, or a great grant?

Are you talking about the opportunity or the application itself that someone submits?

Probably both. I’m sure from a definitional standpoint, there’s a great grant in terms of what impact it’s trying to make, what it’s looking at, how well it’s described, and the marketing of a grant, and then the whole process. You might have a, “Looks like a great grant,” but the process to apply for it and get it is such a headache that you scare everybody away.

I had one of those where a school had asked me to look for some grants for them, and they had found one that was for an art program, which sounds great for a small private school to enrich their arts that are always needing funding. When we started digging into it, we were going to have to drive to Kansas City, which was almost two hours away, spend half a day in training, plus drive back, and probably two people were required to go and then fill out the application, which was pretty extensive. I believe the grant was about $300.

If you look at the cost it was going to take versus the return, that one was not worth it. It was too many hoops to jump through. If we lived right down the road from the grant, maybe to build relationships and invest in that but for us, given thosecircumstances and what it was, that was not the best use of our time. Their time would have been better spent finding donations or finding an investor that wanted to support their arts program as opposed to all that time, plus paying a grant writer to fill out the application that asked for quite a bit, considering a $300 grant. You have to look at the opportunity cost as well.

Like in business, “Is this worth the impact that it’s going to make and what it’s going to take, the resources it’s going to require?” Plus, if you win the grant, there’s a lot of follow-up reporting as well. It’s not just, “Free for all. Here’s your check. All the best.” You have to be accountable for those funds, to track the budget, to fill out reports, to show, “Here’s the impact. Here are the measurable, and how we are fulfilling those objectives that we outlined in the original application.” You always have to weigh out that opportunity cost to figure out, “Is this worth it or not?” The best opportunities are going to be that perfect fit like with the forklift, which was a great fit.

You always have to weigh out if an opportunity cost is worth it or not. The best ones are those that can be lifted perfectly like a forklift.

It fulfilled a huge pain point for them that was going to be sustainable for years. We wouldn’t have known that without asking upfront with the funder. In the case of the arts program, that was not the best use of resources. From the application standpoint, a lot of people don’t read all the directions. They miss certain key pieces in a grant and the devil is in the details. The best grants, if the guideline says, “Use 12-point Popeye font on 1-inch margins,” you use 12-point Popeye font or whatever they say. You do it as ridiculous as it may be, we have to read every little detail and do it exactly as they said.

If they get 100, 400, or more applications, they’re looking for reasons to weed out and narrow down, so they can get to the ones that did follow directions that are taking it seriously and are willing to do the work. It’s a way to identify, to make sure that they have done their diligence and been good stewards of upfront the application, and taking it seriously. It’s a sign of respect to the funder. They have given us this opportunity. Sometimes requirements are a little over the top, but at the same time, they are offering you a gift that we need to steward.

Zach, I’m going to take the next one. As we are talking in the green room, I want to throw an example out at you on somebody who’s looking to get into the grant business for the first time out of need. Here’s the actual scenario that I faced. In early November, I drove to Alabama and picked up two puppy dogs whom I absolutely love and adore. I rescued them. There’s a woman between Birmingham and Huntsville that’s in the dog grooming business.

The local shelters said the surrounding counties she’s in made decisions to not hold onto the dogs, cats, and pets, as long as they used to before they had euthanized them. Out of the goodness of her heart, she decided to get into the business of finding homes. She would adopt these dogs and cats out of these shelters, so they wouldn’t be euthanized and try and find them homes.

She’s got enough physical space for her business. In making this decision out of her heart, she’s packed to the gills with cages full of dogs and cats and fills her day with not only trying to run her business but also trying to run social media and everything to try and find permanent homes for these furballs, as I effectually call them.

She has no problem in keeping this activity up, but she would like to find a way to get a bigger physical plant so that this doesn’t affect her business, but yet has the space to keep taking these cats and dogs out of these shelters and find permanent homes for these animals. She’s thinking of using a grant mechanism to be able to find that funding. Hearing that story, how would you start the conversation with her about steps moving forward that she could do if she wants to make this a long-term activity out of the goodness of her heart to keep doing this for the animals in the area?

From our conversation so far, it sounds like she needs maybe a board and makes herself a true nonprofit that’s separate from her for-profit business on the grooming side. You need a separate nonprofit mechanism and maybe get yourself aboard and start moving in that direction to formalize what she’s doing so that she’s attractive to a grant funding entity that might give her some money to find a different building and a bigger physical plan.

Also, make it easier for herself to get rid of the wear and tear stress in her life. It might make it more attractive to find volunteers that can help her in the facility by taking care of these pets. I will leave it there and let you maybe use this as an example of somebody who’s looking to start a nonprofit. What are the right first 3, 4, or 5 steps to go down the road on this?

This is a great example. It sounds like she does not have a nonprofit at all yet.

As I said, this is all out of the goodness of her heart, and asking for donations to help her with the food and other things to keep the animals alive and sustained long enough that she could find a permanent home for them.

There are a couple of ways she could go. First of all, I would start with evaluating whether should she start her own nonprofit, which is sometimes needed, but it is a very big lift, so she needs to consider, “Is that the way to go,” or does she want to partner with an existing nonprofit? Maybe donations can run through them so that they can be tax-deductible, but still support the program she’s doing. First I would think about that.

Secondly, if she did decide to start her own, I would ask her to consider evaluating the market of what’s already in place, what services are being done already, and where are the gaps so that she’s not duplicating because there are many nonprofits in the world that it sometimes waters down efforts, especially when there are too many in the same community that starts duplicating services. Look at what’s already happening, and what’s missing, and can she fill a true gap there in services, or is there something that she needs to step in and supplement what’s already happening? It’s evaluating that.

Grant Writing: You have to evaluate if you want to start a nonprofit. Can your idea fill a true gap, or is there something that you need to step in and supplement what

If she decides, “I need to start my own,” then forming a board with the understanding that the first couple years we are going to have to be all hands on deck, everyone pitching in, and getting our hands dirty to help get this thing off the ground. Casting that clear vision of people who are passionate about the vision as well, getting a good mix of people, and then go from there. Once she’s approved as a 501(c)(3), then figure out that core vision and strategy for that first year. Get the core fundraising pieces in place, and then 2 or 3 years down the road, she can start pursuing the grant funding, but that does come later. That’s the second story of the house.

Her initial startup funding would need to come from other sources, her family, friends, board members, and all their connections, and then building a reputation in the community and a track record of success that will attract the right grant funders. As far as a facility, that’s a good example of something that usually funders don’t want to fund capital projects. There are some grants, but it’s pretty specific, and they are much harder to find.

That’s an example of if there’s a program in place already happening, they will come in and provide supplemental funding to enhance the program, but they might not split the bill on an entire facility. That’s more of if you can fundraise for some of the operational pieces yourself and get that consistent income, then you can find grants to supplement a program or to be able to expand the program and become an enhancement of it and not the sole source of it.

That’s not the answer people want to hear when they ask about grants, but that’s also, “I want to save a lot of time and trouble and blood, sweat, and tears if we can redirect to what’s going to be effective and move the needle.” Let’s change that trajectory in a positive direction. Understanding where grants fit into the puzzle.

I wanted to use that example so that the audience could understand your expertise, the amount of time you spent in this field, and what a great resource you would be if somebody is looking to start a nonprofit or whatever. How awesome of a coach you would be because you coached me through it. I’d have to imagine that audience taking that.

Sometimes I have to give medicine that doesn’t taste very good, and I’d much rather give candy, but that’s not going to do you very much fed.

Nobody wants to spin their wheels. The best thing is to understand the playing field and to get enough information to understand the playing field and what you are getting into because it’s the same way in starting a for-profit business. It’s the playing field ahead of me. I want as much information as I do before I launch, so I could develop the best strategy.

If you were to approach a banker and say, “I need a loan,” then the banker would not give you a loan unless you had done the pre-work first. “Here’s my paperwork. Here’s my plan. Here’s what I’m going to do.” Grants are the same way.

That’s a phenomenal connection that most of our readers can probably make more sense of.

It’s realistic. You probably got the same issue down the street with somebody else who’s in the same boat in terms of we have an issue with the strategies. The shelters are taken, and they probably got limited funding and that’s why they are making these decisions. All of a sudden, you have an opportunity to try and partner with them in some way and go, “I understand that maybe we can kill two birds with one stone here. We will go after our own funding. You have your own funding and maybe between the two of us, we can figure out ways to find permanent and loving homes for all these cats and dogs.”

If you can make it about that big ultimate vision and then how can you each be a part of the solution and collaborate instead of thinking of it as a competition and, “They might steal our donors.” It’s, “Let’s work together and have a much bigger exponential impact on this bigger problem we are trying to solve.”

Being a nonprofit organization is not supposed to be a competition on having donors. It’s working together to have a much bigger exponential impact on a bigger problem you’re trying to solve.

I had the same issue at Boeing Government and airlines and got them both to see the common problem that they are going after. “Let’s be partners in this instead of combative.” Guess what? Things worked. Imagine that.

It’s the same concept. Except it’s for a much more heartfelt, community-driven mission that if you can get people onboard, they want to support that mission, and you are giving them the opportunity and the vehicle to do that.

Shifting gears here slightly, Teresa. You did a TEDx Talk. How was that experience for you?

It was amazing and I never expected it. I was not looking for it. The organizer approached me and said, “With your background, you might have a TEDx Talk in you.” I immediately thought, “No,” but I knew he was right. I was like, “I have to do this.” It helped me refine my core thoughts on some things and what I wanted to say. By the time we talked about it, and I said, “What date are you thinking?” he said, “How about this month?” I was like, “You mean next year or this year?” He was like, “Yeah, this year. Go ahead and book your flight,” which gave me about eight weeks to prepare.

That was probably a good thing because I would have gotten all up in my head and overthinking. It forced me to get clear, concise, and think through, “What do I need to say? What is it that keeps bugging me that I have to put together and convey to people?” It was an amazing stretching experience. The thing I was most surprised about was how much it changed me as a person and challenged me. It helped me refine some of my thoughts that had been jumbled around and think through like, “I can do this, and if I can do that, it makes other things seem much simpler and not as much of a big deal.”

I’m grateful for that opportunity, and I’m trying to make the most of that and help spread the word about how nonprofits can be more strategic and deliberate and about how they approach grants. The real ROI of grant writing is the name of the talk, and so helping people understand that framework that I have talked about and understand how to better use their limited resources more effectively.

I could talk about this all day, but unfortunately, Teresa, our time is winding down for this episode. I’m hoping the audiences come to understand your expertise and how you could help the nonprofit world. A) How can people find your TEDx Talk, and B) How can people get connected with you if they’re in the nonprofit world and would love your assistance in finding success for themselves?

I appreciate that and thank you for the opportunity. It’s been an honor to share. My TEDx Talk is on YouTube. If you google Teresa Huff TEDx, it will pop right up or you can go to TeresaHuff.com/tedx22 and that will bring it up as well. I love connecting with people on LinkedIn or my website contact form TeresaHuff.com. They can send me a message there. It’s interesting to learn about the people reading this and the work they are doing in the communities. I love it when people reach out and say, “I heard you on that show, and here’s what I’m doing.” It’s amazing seeing all the different types of missions and work out there and how unique each one is. Feel free to reach out on LinkedIn or my website.

Zach, you know what’s next.

Teresa, thank you so much for taking valuable time out of your day to spend some time with us and put some value in. The last question, every guest gets this question. There is no right or wrong answer. It is your answer and your answer alone. What do the words Generate Your Value mean to you?

The thing that keeps coming to mind the most is to generate your value. This means I need to take the talents, gifts, and skills that I have been given, and I need to be a good steward of those to serve others well. I can’t let them sit there and expect people to flock to me and think I’m so great. I need to serve well, and I need to serve others with those skills to help them.

Make the most impact they possibly can. Especially in the non-profit space, people are passionate about their missions and working hard towards these incredible causes. I feel like it’s up to me to provide the support and resources to help them do that. I have said before my why is to help nonprofits fulfill their why, so we can have a much bigger ripple effect by doing that. I want to steward well what I have to support others.

Make the most impact you possibly can, especially in the non-profit space. People here are passionate about their missions and working hard towards incredible causes.

Thank you so much for the answer. It twangs my heartstrings, so to speak, to hear you bring in the word steward. Zach, maybe you can correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s the first time that word’s been used in an answer to that question.

I wouldn’t be able to correct you on that. You are right.

I feel like it’s a responsibility. I have been given so much education and encouragement, and along the way of preparing my TEDx Talk. Many people were cheering me on or giving me little bits of support along the way for that. Everything that we have here that I feel like I need to use that well. It’s my responsibility to help fulfill and develop those talents and give that as a gift to others.

Also, to honor it.

Doing that creates value.

Zach, any party words as we wrap this up? Any thoughts?

It’s been phenomenal. Again, this is a space that’s much alien to myself. I can speak for myself and pretty sure for Andy as well. We have both worked on the for-profit side of the business and making some correlations there was big and helped our readers understand as well. You will reach a long way with that, and I appreciate you.

Thank you, and I hope that encourages you all and the readers as well to make more of those connections and realize it’s maybe not a leap, but a couple of small steps over to start getting involved in nonprofit work as well.

A few years ago, I served as President of the Leadership Council for my church. I have been in a nonprofit leadership role, but a lot of the fundraising was done internally and so forth. There’s a little bit of a different dynamic for a church as opposed to a food pantry or something of that nature. I can appreciate a lot of what you were saying, particularly from a leadership perspective, having sat in that seat for a year.

Working as a team with a board as opposed to a one-man show in a business where you might have 1 or 2 owners. It’s a different dynamic and different perspective.

A mixture of staff and volunteers. We are going to wrap it up. Thank you so much to the audience for tuning in and to Teresa laying her value down on the table in terms of nonprofit coach and strategy person, as somebody who enjoyed the business strategy and my for-profit days. I greatly appreciate the conversation, and you coming, and joining us.

For our audience, I hope you got some golden nuggets out of this, particularly if you are in the nonprofit world or thinking about maybe getting into it to branch out in that perspective, and look for a different channel or different way in which you can generate value in this world. I hope you took something away from it. Have a great day. Have a great week.

We will see you next time here on the show with another great guest. If you are a veteran of our Armed Forces, you might want to tune in and give you a little bit of a hint about whom our guest is going to be from that perspective. Thank you once again for tuning in, and I hope you enjoy your day. Take care.

IMPORTANT LINKS

ABOUT TERESA HUFF

GYV 19 | Grant Writing

Teresa Huff is host of the Grant Writing Simplified Podcast, TEDx speaker, and the go-to expert in nonprofit strategy. She’s helped nonprofits triple their funding and maximize their impact. After winning over $7 million for schools and nonprofits, she now teaches nonprofits the strategies they need to develop millions in sustainable funding. Her podcast has been downloaded in over 100 countries across 6 continents. Thousands of students worldwide have completed her online grant writing programs.

Teresa uses her Master’s in Education and over 20 years of experience in writing, special education, and business to help nonprofit leaders take their skills to the next level. She mentors grant writers through her interactive Fast Track to Grant Writer VIP Program, available for university level credit. Learn more and listen to the Grant Writing Simplified Podcast at www.teresahuff.com.

Share on social media

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn