About this event
Topic: The 90-Minute ‘Ask’ Proposal: Speed-Thinking Your Way to a Clear, Compelling – and Fundable! – Project Concept
Speaker: Maryn Boess, Principal, Maryn Boess Resources LLC
Date: May 22, 2014
Details: Check-In: 3:00 pm
Program: 3:30-5:00 pm
Do you have a great idea you’d like to create for grant funding, a donor “ask,” or a new partnership, but not sure how to start? Come and join us as we show you how to develop and test a project concept in a matter of minutes. No more going back to the office to get it done – have a first-draft proposal concept in 90 minutes!
In this fast-paced interactive session you’ll learn what questions will lead you more deeply into your own best thinking about a successful project or funding need. You’ll learn how to organize your ideas quickly. You’ll learn how to tap into your own passion to discover the most compelling story possible. You’ll have a chance to preview your concept for your colleagues
and get their feedback. Come with your own good idea — you’ll leave with a head start on a clear, compelling project proposal – one that grantmakers and other decision-makers can say “yes” to quickly, enthusiastically – and with confidence.
After participating in this workshop, attendees will:
• Understand the importance of thinking of your grant proposal or other “ask” as a strategic planning tool
• Know the 8 Essential Planning Questions that every decision-maker needs to have answered in order to make an informed, intelligent and confident decision about a request for support
• Have hands-on experience in using the Project Profile/Planning Worksheet as a planning tool and a proposal template, with good language models to follow
• Be able to craft the 90-minute proposal, section by section and step by step
• Know how to “speed-test” a project concept with a partner or colleague
• Understand the concept of a Master Proposal Blueprint and know how its structure emerges from the 8 Essential Planning Questions
Speaker Bio:
Maryn Boess is a 24-year nonprofit and grants professional with more than $30 million in grant funding to her credit. As founder of GrantsUSA LLC, she created a portfolio of high-quality, low-cost grants information tools, publications, websites and training curricula for nonprofits across the country. Since October 2006 she has also been “on the other side,” managing about $2 million annually in grantmaking for higher education through the Arizona Board of Regents. A resident of Portland, OR, since early 2011, Maryn now consults with community-based organizations on program visioning, design, and evaluation, with a focus on an exploratory process she developed called Community Change Mapping. She travels nationally to share her highly-regarded
workshops and seminar presentations on strategies for public- and social-sector success.