DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services
JULY 15, 2025
In a previous post, Part 1: Behind the Curtain , we shared some fundamental lessons from our experience serving as volunteer reviewers for Unfunded List grant applications, focusing on storytelling, ensuring realistic accuracy, and leveraging reviews. Now, let’s dive deeper into more nuanced strategies that can truly set your application apart.
Ann Green's Nonprofit
JULY 15, 2025
It’s summer! I hope you’ll get a chance to take a vacation or just some time off. It may be quieter at your nonprofit, or maybe it isn’t considering everything that’s going on, especially in the U.S. Either way, you don’t want to be too quiet and ignore your donors. Summer is a great time to do some relationship building. You should communicate with your donors at least once a month and that includes the summer months.
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Clairification
JULY 14, 2025
In Part 1 , we reframed what digital fundraising is really about: not just mastering tools, but learning to connect with heart and humanity — in the places your donors already live: online. Now, it’s time to turn insight into action. Whether you’re launching your first online campaign or refining what you’re already doing, these four essentials will help you reach more donors, raise more dollars, and deepen relationships — all while staying true to your mission.
GrantNews
JULY 9, 2025
If you’re a small business owner or entrepreneur looking for funding to grow, expand, or sustain your business, July offers several exciting grant opportunities worth exploring. Grants provide valuable funding that doesn’t need to be repaid. This a perfect solution for investing in new products, covering operating expenses, or overcoming unexpected challenges.
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This prompt guide for ChatGPT contains 20+ tested ChatGPT prompts, along with tips on how to use this tool the best way. Nonprofits can engage with ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas, refine project plans, and craft compelling narratives for grant proposals.
Millionaire Grant Lady
JULY 9, 2025
If your grant proposals feel flat or overly formal, it’s time to rethink your approach. Storytelling isn’t fluff … it’s strategy. There’s one skill that sets successful grant writers apart … and it’s not perfect grammar or deep pockets. It’s storytelling. Not the fairy tale kind. I’m talking about real, human-centered narratives that connect your work to the hearts (and checkbooks) of funders.
Grants & Fundraising Brief brings together the best content for grants & fundraising professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
CauseVox
JULY 15, 2025
In a world where donors have endless causes they could support, the fact that they chose yours is a big deal. It means they saw something in your mission, something worth believing in. But now comes the most important part: making them feel seen, appreciated, and inspired to stay connected. What you do next—how you welcome, thank, and follow up—sets the tone for your entire relationship.
Blackbaud
JULY 11, 2025
For years, donors and nonprofit evaluators alike have relied on a seemingly straightforward number to guide their charitable giving: the overhead ratio. This metric , which measures how much a nonprofit spends on administration (such as rent, salaries, software licensing, etc.) compared to direct services and programming, has oversimplified nonprofit effectiveness and impact.
amplifi
JULY 10, 2025
Does it feel like you’re being asked to raise more money with fewer resources? You’re not alone. Fundraising teams are stretched thin, and development offices are challenged with shrinking budgets, leaner staff, and growing expectations. That’s why keeping an eye on industry benchmarks is more important than ever. Each year, the M+R Benchmarks Study offers a snapshot of how nonprofits are performing across digital channels.
GrantNews
JULY 14, 2025
If you’re a small business owner looking for funding, understanding how grant cycles work is crucial to increasing your chances of success. Unlike loans or investments, grants are limited-time opportunities that come and go based on specific funding cycles set by governments, foundations, and corporations. This means that the grants available today might disappear tomorrow, replaced by new programs with different goals and eligibility requirements.
Center for Major Gifts
JULY 10, 2025
Note: This summary reflects our best understanding as of July 2025 and will very likely evolve as Treasury issues implementing regulations. Always consult a tax professional or legal advisor before acting on these provisions. A practical guide for nonprofits, donors & schools Signed July 4 2025 1 — 30-Second Take-Away Winners Losers Small-dollar donors – permanent $1 000 / $2 000 above-the-line deduction (starts 2026) High-income donors – 0.5 % AGI floor and Pease cap cut top benefit from 37
Fundraising HayDay
JULY 10, 2025
Any experienced grant professional will tell you: if you don’t have a need for the grant, there is no need to write the grant. A needs assessment (or problem statement) requires data from reputable sources to show community need for your proposed program or project. This episode spells out where to find such data – from government agencies to your own backyard.
Blackbaud
JULY 15, 2025
No matter your cause, GivingTuesday is the biggest fundraising event of the year for nonprofits and schools. Planning ahead for your GivingTuesday email campaign will help you maximize this once-a-year opportunity and garner transformational support for your mission. When is GivingTuesday? In 2025, GivingTuesday is set for December 2. That’s less than a month from the end of the year, another big giving day for many nonprofits and schools.
Center for Effective Philanthropy
JULY 15, 2025
A newly released report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP), “Voices That Matter,” finds that nearly all foundation respondents report actively working to understand the needs of the people […] The post Funders: Are We Really Listening? An Opportunity for Reflection and Change appeared first on The Center for Effective Philanthropy.
GrantNews
JULY 15, 2025
Running or launching a program that serves individuals with disabilities takes passion, commitment – and money. Whether you’re supporting accessibility, providing vocational training, offering therapy services, or launching inclusive education initiatives, funding can make or break your ability to deliver impact. The good news? There are real opportunities to secure funding for disability services and programs.
Instrumentl
JULY 15, 2025
Discover the top 6 grant management best practices for nonprofits to secure funding, streamline processes, and boost sustainability with AI tools and expert tips.
NonProfit PRO
JULY 15, 2025
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Community Boost
JULY 14, 2025
Donor-advised funds ( DAFs ) are one of the most flexible and tax-efficient ways individuals can support the causes they care about most. A DAF is a charitable giving account donors use to make contributions, receive immediate tax deductions , and recommend grants to nonprofit organizations over time. In this blog, we’ll explain how DAFs work, why they matter for charitable organizations like yours , and how GoFundMe Giving Funds simplify access to this powerful giving channel to help propel yo
Fluxx
JULY 11, 2025
Explore how capital grants work, who applies for them, who funds them, and how Fluxx helps nonprofits manage capital grant funding effectively.
Grant Writing Made Easy
JULY 9, 2025
We’re officially halfway through 2025, and your nonprofit grant strategy deserves a strategic boost if you want to finish the year on a high note. With competitive Q3 and Q4 deadlines on the horizon and public funding landscapes continuing to shift, organizations that pause, reset, and refocus are poised for success. This mid-year check-in is your opportunity to: Strengthen your nonprofit grant strategy by zeroing in on grants with the highest alignment and funding potential.
DonorSnap
JULY 9, 2025
Are you familiar with the law of the 5 Ps? Proper preparation prevents poor performance. More than just an alliteration, this principle is pertinent to successful fundraising. The concept behind it is self-explanatory, but the idea is that your success, or lack thereof, will rely mostly on how well you prepared, not just your skills or message. This is where a fundraising plan comes into play.
Candid
JULY 9, 2025
Billions of dollars in philanthropic funding supports efforts to protect the environment each year, but only a small fraction is focused on addressing gender-based violence against women environmental defenders (WEDs). These women are often at the forefront of holistic and community-centered responses to the climate crisis. Yet, just 0.05% goes directly to support the women facing violence due to their environmental activism.
GrantNews
JULY 10, 2025
When people think of literacy, they often think of libraries. This is for good reason. In truth, libraries are at the heart of promoting reading and lifelong learning. They play a vital role in cultivating a love of reading. Literacy remains the cornerstone of personal and community development, especially in a world increasingly driven by information and technology.
Hands-On Fundraising
JULY 15, 2025
When donors continue giving to your nonprofit year after year, it lays the foundation for sustainable growth and long-term impact. In addition to the more stable, reliable funding that longtime supporters can provide, retention is much more cost-effective than acquisition. Nonprofits often spend up to $1.50 per dollar raised to acquire a new donor. But […] The post 4 Best Practices for Increasing Nonprofit Donor Retention appeared first on Hands-On Fundraising.
Instrumentl
JULY 11, 2025
In this one-hour webinar (including time for Q&A), Allison Shirk will teach you how the process of reviewing grant applications is changing so that more organizations are able to compete and how you can stand out and make your grants more successful.
Center for Effective Philanthropy
JULY 10, 2025
Nonprofits across the country are struggling with the intense pressures facing them, both internal and external, as revealed in CEP’s 2025 State of Nonprofits report, released just over a month […] The post Beyond Good Intentions: What New CEP Research Reveals About the Importance of Listening for Foundations and Nonprofits appeared first on The Center for Effective Philanthropy.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
JULY 9, 2025
When supporters were persuaded to give using their donor-advised fund, many gave twice as much. Some donors who'd given only $100 before increased their gifts to $5,000. By Rasheeda Childress Getty Images/iStockphoto When supporters were persuaded to give using their donor-advised fund, they gave the same or more 85 percent of the time, new research finds.
NonProfit PRO
JULY 9, 2025
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Grant Writing Made Easy
JULY 15, 2025
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed juggling grant deadlines, endless document requests, and repetitive tasks, you’re not alone. Nonprofit grantseeking, especially for grassroots teams or solo grant writers, often feels like an infinite cycle of scrambling and stress. But there’s good news: your grant process is about to become much easier and more strategic, thanks to our brand-new AI Grants Hub.
Candid
JULY 15, 2025
In San Diego, California, refugees displaced from Myanmar (formerly Burma), Somalia, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and other countries have resettled in Mid-City. Over the decades, they’ve transformed this once-blighted area into an urban village of small businesses, restaurants, and cultural spaces. Today, due to rising real estate prices, families who have resettled here—many after enduring war, persecution, and climate disasters—are finding themselves housing insecure and displaced ag
Bonterra
JULY 9, 2025
Nonprofit advocacy is one of the most effective ways to drive mission-forward impact. Whether you’re raising awareness, influencing policy, or mobilizing supporters, successful advocacy requires more than one-off actions; it takes strategic, personalized engagement across the entire supporter journey. In today’s landscape, the most effective organizations use advocacy software that connects fundraising, outreach, and donor data in one place, making it easier to convert one-time advocates i
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