I was pretty sure I was being pranked when I got the call.
“Do you guys do grants?”
No preamble. No Hello my name is such-and-such and I work with so-and-so. Nothing.
I answered in the affirmative. Yes, we work with organizations that need grant writing services.
“Do you charge for that? How much?”
I resisted the urge to respond with my best Dr. Evil impression: That would be one MILLION dollars.
The guy on the other end of the line wouldn’t be able to see my inverted pinkie pointing at the corner of my mouth, and might not get it. Instead, I told him I could put together a bid if I had a little more information. I asked him what organization he was with.
“I’m just with myself.” Read More
I was working once for a nonprofit that received United Way funding. Every year United Way would ask for stories about the impact their support had had on someone we served. Every year, I would go around to each of our program officers and other staff to collect these stories.