Testimonial: Dr. Drew Wins $1.1 Million for NCACC-OC Alcohol & Drug Prevention Services

I'm especially proud of this letter from Grant D. McNiff.  He has been quite an inspiration in my life because of his personal financial success, his leadership role in Orange County, and his rather remarkable vision and personal courage.  They are always writing about what sort of leader you might take a bullet for.  I'd take one for Grant.  Here's a copy of his recent testimonial letter.

I've written elsewhere about all the important things I learned about grant writing from Grant McNiff.  One of the most important is that he sees building a grant as similar to putting together a winning race car.  I think he thinks of me as one of his mechanics.  I was, no matter what, proud to be part of an important winning team. 

Testimonial: Dr. Drew Wins $2.1 Million for Coast Community College District

Corine Doughty, Dean of Business, Career & Tech Ed
at Santiago Canyon College

I'm breaking new ground by publishing a testimonial letter from one of the most important clients I've served over the years - Ms. Corine Doughty, Dean of Business, Career & Technical Education at Santiago Canyon College. I met Corine in 2004 when she was looking for a grant writing instructor to teach at Rio Hondo College.

With her support and encouragement, I wrote a rather startling series of successful grants for schools in the Coast Community College District (CCCD). If you click on the image below, you will be able to read her letter as a larger document.

In my various workshops and retreats, I teach that grant writing is a team sport and not a lonely academic, scholarly pursuit. Consequently, I do not think my regular readers will be surprised to learn that the secret behind all of these successful grant applications was the speed with which Corine and I worked together to study the newly released RFP, to draft a compelling narrative, and to rally the faculty and administrators needed to make the grant significant, feasible and properly staffed as a project.

Ironically, I should have waited another week before asking her for this testimonial letter. It turns out that Orange Coast College won yet another grant with my assistance that funded just last week. It was a grant for buying new CNC (computer numerically controlled) machining technology that was worth $450,000.00. This was one of the last grants Corine and I worked on before she advanced to a new position as a Dean at Santiago Canyon College.

Fantastic New Resource for Those Seeking Work As Grant Writers

Rodney Walker's energy and creativity never cease to amaze me.  Now he is offering a new service that helps grant writers find work - all over the nation.  I'm going to try it myself.  In the meantime, please check out his new website feature at http://www.grantwritingonlinecourse.com/jobs   This new job site reminds me that in a tough economy, there is still always plenty of work for grant writers. 

Two Day Grant Writing Retreat with Dr. Drew Attracts a Visitor from Guam

At my last Two Day Retreat, I was startled to learn that we had a participant who flew in all the way from Guam. Her name is Zenaida Natividad, Ph.D. She was trained at the University of the Philippines and took a doctorate in education with an emphasis on research and evaluation. Guam is a territory of the U.S. It is an island in the North Pacific Ocean that is about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines. Dr. Natividad wrote her first successful grant about two years ago when she won about $224,903 in 2008 from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for a group called Sustantia. Sustantia is focused to teaching children and parents about proper nutrition to address the problem of childhood obesity on the Island of Guam. She succeeded with this grant application, in part, because she was given total authority to make it work. One of the most important secrets of success in grant writing is the successful delegation of authority. In my experience, I've seen a lot of charities and schools miss out on important opportunities simply because they were running their grant writing programs according to the rules of a larger committee. Where grant writing succeeds at a profitable level, I've usually found that one person has been put in charge and held responsible for grant writing activities - this was the case with Dr. Natividad whose first grant was an extremely prestigious and lucrative one. Dr. Natividad has travelled to the U.S. and Brussles to present papers on the good work she is doing for the children of Guam. I was deeply honored to get to know her better during her participation in our most recent Two Day Retreat.

The Never Quit Guarantee: We Keep Writing Until Your Charity Wins a Grant

As you may know, I'm working with a business coach, Jay McDowell, who is helping me improve my business model and staff organization. In the process, we have developed a unique selling proposition (USP) which has already made a difference for my consulting business and changed our relationship with our clients in a favorable manner. Today, we offer what I like to call our Never Quit guarantee which states that we will keep writing until your charity wins a grant. To me, this guarantee is not that hard to stand by since preparing additional copies on an existing grant is a low cost, high perceived value proposition. Moreover, as the charity learns from its rejection letters (and phone calls) it will become increasingly focused on creating a powerful argument that really breaks loose funder resources. Besides, I never felt completely comfortable with the existing model where I write some grants and then disappear for a year. I care too much about the clients our charities serve and about the survival of these charities themselves. At any rate, I'll be curious to hear your reaction to our new guarantee. As always, I appreciate your feedback, so do not worry about my feelings. My goal is to make the new Drew & Associates operate like clockwork.

Wall Street Journal reports on more business for grant writers. See, http://t.co/h0r941I

Dr. Drew Visits the Anchorage Museum in Alaska

When I was a young adult, I remember the Max Headroom video series.  See, The Max Headroom Show.  This video sort of reminds me of him - along with the stresses we face in contemporary America including terrorism, invasive searches at the airport, Spiderman and the pervasive sense that everything we do is now recorded by a camera. 

This image is the result of a special heat sensitive camera installed as part of a science exhibit at the Anchorage Museum in Anchorage, Alaska.  For a quick look at the fun I had with this unusual image, please check out the YouTube video below.

Check out Dr. Drew in Anchorage, Alaska this week. See, http://ping.fm/wqI6P

Dr. Drew on Website Development: It's Not As Hard As It Looks

As you may know, Tricia and I sat out the initial stages of the website development era.  My impression, at the time, is that a lot of money went into these websites and they always seemed to disappoint the people who created them -- the people who had high expectations for cashing in on Internet and website wealth. 

Overtime, however, it became increasingly clear to us that customers did pay attention to our website and that we often got speaking engagements from people we would not have normally expected to request our assistance - simply because of the information they gained from our website.  For example, here's the link to our own, free website at http://johndrew25.intuitwebsites.com/index.html.

As you can see from my personal experience, it was extremely easy for me to check off that nagging duty in my Outlook task list - create website.  Luckily, there are many options out there for people looking for website building basics. 

The main thing I recommend is to take action and get something up and running.  Once you do so, you will be able to put the website address on your business cards and promote it through your Twitter and Facebook accounts.  Intellectually, I think it is also helpful to create your own website, in part, because it forces you to rethink your business.  Sometimes, in my experience, the effort I put into creating a website has more impact on the creator than the viewer.

Check out Dr. Drew's high school graduation speech from 1975

My mom was dusting off some old boxes and stumbled over my own high school graduation speech.  I gave this on the 50 yard line of the football field at Hart High school in Newhall, Calfornia. 

There are a lot of similarities between this piece and my speaking style today including my use of memorized phrases, massive changes in style and voice, and a mixture of practicality and sweet sentimental elements.  I was, for better or worse, self-taught, inspired perhaps by my role model Patrick McGowan.

Dr. Drew's Expertise: A Partial List of My Grants Applications

Federal Applications

U.S. Department of Agriculture (1) U.S. Department of Education (2)
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (2)
U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Dev. (3)
U.S. Department of Justice (2)
National Endowment for the Arts (1)

State of California Applications

California Arts Council (2)
California Council for the Humanities (1)
California Dept. Health and Human Services (1)
CA Comm. College Chancellor’s Office (3)

Local Applications

City of Long Beach Community Development
City of LA Cultural Affairs Department
CDBG – City of Mission Viejo
CDBG – City of Newport Beach
Los Angeles County Arts Council Grant (6)
LA Co. Dept. of Children’s Services
LA County Department of Senior Services
Orange County Probation Department (2)
OC Department of Children’s Services
Orange County’s United Way (2)
OC Workforce Investment Act/ARRA
Public Corporation for the Arts – LB

Representative Foundation Applications

Allergan (2)
Angel’s Care
Bank of America
Baker
Boeing
California Endowment
California Wellness
CA Consumer Protection Fund
DeMoss
Edison International
Fluor Corporation
GTE
In-N-Out
Isuzu
Joseph Drown
Mark S. Taper
Merrill Lynch
Mighty Duck’s Care
Norris
PacifiCare
Pacific Life
Pfaffinger
Parsons
Samueli Family
Southern California Gas Company
Steele
Stillwell
Taper
Target (6)
Tides
Toyota
VSAarts/MetLife
Warner Bros.
Walt Disney Co. Foundation (2)
Weingart Foundation (6)
Wells Fargo Foundation
Wynn

As of March 30, 2011

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Dr. Drew's Consulting Practice

1. How much does it cost?
Drew & Associates charges $6,500 for a standard grant package. In that time, Dr. Drew will deliver one model grant proposal, one model letter of inquiry, research on your most likely funding sources through the Foundation Center website, and then assist you in completing at least 10 applications and/or letters of inquiry to your top 10 funders. Normally, Dr. Drew requests half of this fee up front and the other half at the conclusion of his work depending on your complete satisfaction.

2. What are the most important techniques that you use to make your work special?
Dr. Drew is able to be three times more productive than a normal grant writing consultant because of his expertise in using voice recognition software. In addition, Dr. Drew has a Ph.D. in political science from Cornell University which means he is trained in applying the survey research, program evaluation, and measurement tools needed to complete a high quality grant proposal. Dr. Drew has over 30 years of experience in writing grants and scholarship applications. He has raised more than $8.5 million for various charities and educational institutions over his lifetime. The first eight (8) federal grants he wrote all received funding. In 2009, for example, Dr. Drew helped Coastline Community College District (CCCD) win $1.6 million in new government grants including federal funds associated with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Dr. Drew emphasizes product positioning techniques as part of a larger effort to help new charities break into winning grant money and to revitalize existing charities seeking to get back into the game of creating winning grant proposals. Dr. Drew understands the techniques needed to create clear and compelling arguments in English at a reading comprehension level that appeals to readers working for corporate, foundation and government funders.

3. How do I get started working with Drew & Associates?
To begin working with Drew & Associates, please call us to schedule a one hour appointment with you - either face-to-face or over the telephone. During this initial interview, Dr. Drew will ask your three basic questions:
• What's going well for you and your charity?
• What's not going so well?
• What have you tried to do so far to fix the problem?
Sometimes, there is not much Dr. Drew can do as a grant writer or as a consultant to be of assistance to you. Nevertheless, if looks like his skills might be useful to you and your charity, Dr. Drew will ask for your permission to create a letter of understanding which would guide his grant writing on your behalf. In this letter, Dr. Drew will outline the services he will perform, the hours associated with each segment of the proposal project and the total fee to be charged to you. He will be requesting a check from you for one-half of the total fee which he will need to receive prior to implementing the work indicated in the proposal letter. Dr. Drew will normally follow-up by phone in a few days after this letter is sent to answer any of your questions and see how we should proceed. Typically, all the work should be completed within 45 to 60 days depending on how difficult it is to pull together the necessary supplementary documents and forms to meet the requirements of the grant funders.

4. What sort of documents are needed by a non-profit organization to win funding?
Ideally, the non-profit should have available a copy of its 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) determination letter from the IRS, a copy of its latest IRS 990 tax return, a list of its Board Members and their affiliations, resumes for the Executive Director, Program Manager and Program Coordinator, the most recent audited financial statement, and a list of previous donors and the amount of their gifts to the non-profit organization. Additional information will need to be collected, as needed, to fit the particular requirements of the funders who are the closest match to your charity.

5. What are my chances of actually winning money?
A new charity that follows Dr. Drew’s procedures exactly should win at least one out of every five grant applications that it sends in to funders. Your chances of success increase as you gain more experience in producing grant proposals. Established charities who know who their prominent funders, for example, can easily obtain a 100% success rate over the course of a year simply by going back to the funders who have given them money in the past -- provided the charity has done a good job with the previous grant, properly acknowledged the funders, and spent the money in a way that made a measurable difference for the charity’s clients.

6. How much money might come in from a typical grant for a the charitable organization?
Initial grants given to a new charity tend to be in the $5,000 to $10,000 range. Some of these grants, however, may require a cash or in-kind match so it is important strengthen your other fundraising operations enough to secure the match.

7. What are my other options for winning a grant?
You have many of options and you are not dependent on Dr. Drew or, for that matter, any other grant writing consultant. For example, you can easily learn about grant writing through the courses offered through the Foundation Center in New York or you can take one of Dr. Drew’s grant writing classes. Dr. Drew teaches one day grant writing workshops at various community colleges in Southern and Northern California and has recently added a new two-day grant writing retreat program which will give you the opportunity to create a full grant proposal with his assistance in a small class limited to 12 students. At this retreat, Dr. Drew will guide you through grant-writing, step-by-step, so that you will emerge from the two-day retreat with a document ready to submit to a major funder in your area. If you do not have time for a class, Dr. Drew also sells booklets on-line which give you - in a highly condensed manner - the secrets of success he has used to become a successful grant writer at John Drew's Blogspot.

8. Can I win a grant if I'm not part of a non-profit organization?
Yes! Even though 95% of all grants go to 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, the other 5% do go to individuals. Typically, grants are available to individuals in the form of scholarships for education, arts or research projects. Moreover, you can also work with an existing 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and ask them to serve as the fiscal agent for your grant for a small percentage of the grant. Information on all of these topics is freely available through the Foundation Center website. Dr. Drew is honored to help individuals draft their scholarship, art project, or research grant applications and charges the same rates as his normal work, dependent on the number of hours required to create the relevant individual grant documents. A lot of the techniques Dr. Drew uses in working with individuals are similar to the techniques he uses to assist non-profit or education organizations in obtaining grants.

9. How many clients does Dr. Drew work with every month and does he do the work himself?
Dr. Drew tries to work with at least one or two new clients every month while maintaining his commitment to assist his existing clients. He does the grant writing work himself using voice recognition software. Dr. Drew has a virtual assistant who assists him with grant research and his wife, Patricia Drew, helps with the proofreading responsibilities associated with grant writing.

10. What do I need to do to get started?
Simply give Drew & Associates a call right now at 949-643-8058 or send us an e-mail at johndrew25@msn.com. We will work with you to promptly schedule a one hour appointment to see if Drew & Associates can be useful to you and your charitable project.

11. What other resources are available for staying in touch with Dr. Drew’s consulting, workshops, retreats or literature?
Dr. Drew provides access to his ideas for producing winning grant proposals through a wide variety of communication channels including the following resources:
To buy one of Dr. Drew’s booklets, order through http://johndrew25.blogspot.com/
To sign-up for his e-newsletter, Dr. Drew on Grants, and see where Dr. Drew is teaching next, go to http://grantwriters.ning.com/profile/JohnCDrewPhD

Just got back from doing a talk at Imperial Valley College. http://ping.fm/qZx0w