Special Offer: Make a Big Impression with a New Resume in 2017

Patrick McGoohan in resignation
scene from The Prisoner television series. 

One of my secrets of success as a grant writing consultant is my ability to tweak the resumes of the organization's key talent so that they are more likely to win really big grants. Surprisingly, a professional looking, strategically designed resume can be the difference between winning or losing a multi-million dollar grant. At any rate, I thought it would be fun to offer a special in January 2017 for everyone who is seeking to find or get a better job in the coming year. Below, here are the details of my resume writing package.

Here's What Dr. Drew Will Do to Improve Your Prospects for 2017 

This is a special service of Drew & Associates.  Dr. Drew will ask you to email him a copy of your existing resume or curriculum vita which he will 1) read and analyze, and 2) discuss with you by phone for one (1) hour.  Then, he will 3) rewrite your resume curriculum vita, improve its format and look, so that it will tell a positive, uplifting, and attractive story about your life, your value to others, and the special skills you bring to the marketplace. 

Regular price: $400.

Payment by Check

For payment by check, mail to: Drew & Associates, 25195 Via Catalina, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677.

Please make checks payable to “Drew & Associates.”

OR

Payment by PayPal

 

Read What One Professional Says About Dr. Drew's Resume Writing Services

I highly recommend John Drew's resume writing services for anyone in the job market. As a full time community college faculty member and department chair, I decided to expand my job goals to seeking a position in administration. John helped me immensely with updating my curriculum vitae and creating a new cover letter tailored to the specific job I am seeking.

I felt his knowledge of the community college system, strong writing skills and his connections were extremely valuable to me - helping me gain insight and add information that I would not have considered myself.

He gave me a lot of time from our first phone conversation until we came up with a final product I felt good about. His interpersonal style made me feel as if I were speaking to a motivational coach who was helping me discover my strengths and abilities to move toward my career goals. 

I strongly recommend his services - personable, well-qualified, knowledgeable and outstanding writing skills. Thank you!

-- Dr. Irit Gat, Antelope Valley College

How to Win Grants from the Trump Administration

NON PROFITS FACE UNCERTAINTY AND ANXIETY REGARDING FEDERAL GRANTS.

Trump's stunning win will install a president in the White House who is likely to shake up federal grant making just as aggressively as he plans to disrupt Washington. Consequently, the unexpected results of the 2016 Presidential election have triggered profound questions regarding the future of federal grants for California and across the country.

President-Elect Donald J. Trump

While we do not yet know the specific policy changes that the new President-elect and Republican-led Congress will pursue, we can make reasonable guesses about the increase, repeal, rollback or decrease of various federal grants. We can make sense of the a priori questions about American politics and government, including:

• Does Trump mean what he says?
• Will Trump be able to do what he says?
• What programs will be nourished and which ones will be starved?
• How long will the Trump administration last, and what will happen with Congress?
• How significant will Trump's appointees be to changing federal grants?
• What hot button issues should non-profits avoid to stay fundable?
• How much, if at all, will the federal bureaucracy change under Trump?
• What is in store for healthcare, science, education, or climate change grants?
• What Obama administration achievements are most likely to be reversed?
• How can we keep our critical programs funded in this dramatically new season?

For most grant writers, it is far beyond their job descriptions to embrace the expertise needed to anticipate the impact of a new administration on federal grants. Nevertheless, this knowledge is crucial to grant planning, strategies, research and time management. Although there are on-line resources available to answer the above questions, it is difficult for grant writers and agency leaders to know which ones to trust, which ones are biased, and which ones have the best reputations for making accurate predictions.

The wealthiest institutions, including colleges and universities, often have high-paid Washington lobbyists available to answer their questions. For most of us, however, this is an un-affordable luxury. Even worse, the new Trump administration is so radically different than its predecessors, that even professional analysts and political pundits are hard-pressed to provide reliable insight into what will take place. After all, most of them have been wrong about Trump from the beginning.

You owe it to your staff and clients to get the answers to these questions from a reliable source, a source who understands Trump, politics, elections, American government and the field of non-profit grant writing. Once you know how to answer the big questions, you will find that your own intuition and specific program knowledge will be empowered to provide you with an excellent grasp of the best and most profitable path for your upcoming federal grant campaign.

DR. DREW'S SECRETS OF SUCCESS FOR WINNING FEDERAL GRANTS FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.

Course Description

"Winning Grants from the Trump Administration" is a four-hour workshop, including lunch, handouts, and a PowerPoint presentation that applies the insight of an award-winning political scientist to make sense of the risks, threats, challenges and opportunities for California's non-profit agencies and educational institutions seeking federal grants in the foreseeable future. "It is easy to predict political trends," says Dr. Drew, "if you understand the enduring patterns of behavior associated with political realignment, the roles of Congress and the President, the key features of charismatic leadership, and the role of bureaucracy in American government." 

In this workshop, Dr. Drew provides a simple, common sense, research-based model which tells you what to expect regarding grants over the next four years of the Trump administration. 

Applying this model, Dr. Drew answers the most important questions facing non-profit leaders, including what to expect regarding education, science, environment, juvenile justice and social service funding. In addition, he will layout simple suggestions for repackaging existing programs so that they appeal to the core values of the Trump administration including its commitment to economic nationalism, and assisting the working class.

While the federal bureaucracy is slow to change, elections do have consequences. Understanding those consequences will be the key to keeping your federal revenue flowing no matter who is living in the White House. This knowledge will help board members, volunteers, executive directors, principle investigators, and grant-writers secure millions in federal funding and avoid the costly mistakes associated with misunderstanding the current political environment.

 

Course Topics

In this workshop, Dr. Drew will supply the general principles used by political scientists to predict and explain political behavior as it affects specific field of federal grants. These principles will give participants the framework needed to leverage their own unique knowledge and to make strikingly compelling predictions about the key issues and trends that will impact federal grant writing for the next four years of the Trump administration.   

1. Guerrilla Political Science: The Most Important Variables for Predicting Presidential Behavior

• Do elections have consequences?
• Why we can predict Trump's behavior on the basis of his prior statements?

2. The Unprecedented Value of Predicting Congressional Behavior

• Why congressional priorities are ultimately more important than presidential priorities?
• Who will win and who will lose under the Trump administration? 
• What Obama administration achievements are most likely to be reversed? 

3. What are the Specific Implications for Healthcare, Science, Education Grants?

• How will grants for healthcare change under the Trump administration? 
• How much of our science funding will remain the same or similar? 
• Will Trump continue to support career technical education and community colleges? 

The end result of this workshop is that you, your staff and your clients will benefit financially from a clear, no nonsense understanding of how the basics of political science will allow you to predict the trends which will control federal grants for the next four to eight years or more relative to your specific field. 

Time in class will be allotted to giving the participants the opportunity to test their own predictions for their fields given the logic of Guerrilla Political Science. The ultimate benefit of this program will be to foster a clarity and understanding which will allow you and your agency to understand the risks, threats, challenges and unique opportunities you will face over the years no matter which party controls Congress or who is occupying the White House.  

Course Schedule

"How to Win Grants from the Trump Administration" will run from 10:00 a.m. to 11:55 a.m. on Thursday, January 19, 2017. Snacks and soft drinks will be provided for all participants. The location for this workshop will be Coaching Center of Orange County located at 1231 East Dyer Road, Suite 215, Santa Ana, CA 92705.  

 

Course Fee and Early Bird Rate

The program, "How to Win Grants from the Trump Administration," will be offered at a discounted rate of 50% for non-profit organizations including charities, schools, colleges, universities, county and state agencies. The total fee for non-profit organizations will be $125 per person. The early bird rate will be $95 for all registrants who pay for the workshop prior to January 12, 2017. All participants will receive handouts, and an easy to refer to fact sheet to provide a reminder of what was taught in the class for future reference. 

Event: "How to Win Grants from the Trump Administration

Instructor: John C. Drew, Ph.D.

Time: 10:00 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.

Date: January 19, 2016

Location: 1231 East Dyer Road, Suite 215, Santa Ana, CA 92705

Early Bird Price (Before January 12, 2017): $95

Regular Price $125

JOHN C. DREW, PH.D. AUTHOR, TRAINER, CONSULTANT

Your Instructor

Before Dr. Drew became a grant writer he was an award-winning political scientist who taught the presidency, elections, and public policy at Cornell University, University of Oregon and Williams College, the nation's number one liberal arts college according to U.S. News & World Report. As a grant writing consultant, Dr. Drew and his team have consistently won large federal grants, through the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations for charitable organizations, community colleges and universities. All together Dr. Drew has won more than $40 million in funding. "I've consistently won large federal grants," said Dr. Drew. "The secret of my success has always been my understanding the most urgent needs of the new administration. By quickly adapting your programs to match their needs you can almost always find the support needed to maintain or grow your existing programs."

 

What Workshop Participants Say About Dr. Drew

"Very informative, with positive energy transferred to the students."

"The course was very inviting. Dr. Drew was very clear and knowledgeable. He made it worth my while to achieve my goal and have success in life."

"Dr. John Drew was very knowledgeable, invigorating, timely, and made learning interesting and clear."

"This was constant, good practical information. The first 15 minutes made the whole class worth it!"

"Dr. Drew is wonderful. He taught me a lot in a very short time."

Dr. Drew is a native of Southern California. He attended Occidental College in Los Angeles on a track scholarship in 1975. While at Occidental he won a scholarship to study in Europe where he was first exposed to the horrors of the poverty associated with child labor. Later, he won another scholarship to earn his Ph.D. in Government at Cornell University. Later, he taught politics, economics and leadership at Cornell University, Hope International University, University of Oregon, and Williams College. He is a published author on the topic of child welfare and protective programs. Dr. Drew remains active in political and economic matters by contributing articles to American Thinker, David Horowitz's Front Page Magazine and PJMedia. To wind down from grant writing, Dr. Drew enjoys walking, studying foreign languages and acrylic painting. He and his wife, Patricia Drew, live in Laguna Niguel CA where he serves on the board of directors of his HOA.

Write Like You Are in The Middle of a Hurricane

One of the most important fundamentals I teach comes from my friend, Bev Browning, the author of Grant Writing for Dummies. She is the person who taught me that it was best to write like I was in the middle of a hurricane. Given the recent bad weather on the East Coast, I have been reminded of just how terrible it is to be caught in the middle of a hurricane. 

Video from Hurricane Matthew Shot in October 2016.

If you pretend that you are in the middle of a hurricane while you are writing, then a number of things important to your success fall in place automatically. For example, you will be more likely to get right to the point. In an emergency situation, you have a strong incentive not to waste any time in your communications. You absolutely need to determine your most important message and then focus all your attention on quickly getting that message across in the clearest, most effective manner. 

This is one of the reasons why I like to use voice recognition software when I produce the first draft of a grant or a newsletter article. One of the advantages of voice recognition software is that you can write as quickly as you talk. Even though you are talking at the speed of a panicked on-the-scene television reporter, your voice recognition software should pick up every word and record it in easy to revise print. 

Next, writing like you are in the middle of a hurricane gives your writing the extra energy and urgency needed to wake up the reader. They can tell that you are under extreme pressure and not in any mood to waste your or their time. Ideally, even the most passive and peaceful projects will come off as more interesting and compelling if your write like you are in the middle of a hurricane. 

Even if you think your topic is not all that urgent, thinking about it from this mental perspective will help you focus on the portions of your project that really are urgent. I have used this technique to prepare myself before writing on behalf of a charity that provided students with access to organic gardening tours and techniques. In my case, I focused on the homeless people who would benefit from access to the nutritious food produced by the organic gardeners and for the children whose growth might be stunted by a lack of immediate access to healthy, organic food. 

Finally, writing like you are in the middle of a hurricane compels you to be economical with your research and needs assessment. You quickly realize that the reader does not need to learn everything there is to know about the topic of your grant, but they do need to grasp the most important necessities of your argument. A focus on absolute necessity is one of the tools used by charismatic leaders to motivate, inspire and direct their followers. You can always create the powerful leverage of a focus on sheer necessity by imagining that you are writing in the middle of a hurricane.

Using the Foundation Center's On-Line Directory to Help You Find the Best Funders

One of the most exciting moments in my Grant Writing Fundamentals course is when I open up my subscription to the Foundation Center's On-Line Directory and show the participants all the grants the funders have given to charities in their community. This never gets old. Participants who are new to grant writing are astounded by the sheer number of grants, their size, and the detailed information you can harvest about the funders. 

Check Out This Video for Tips on Using the Foundation Center's Online Directory.

One of the most basic fundamentals of success in grant writing is for a grant writer to ignore the time-consuming clutter of questionable on-line resources and instead devote their attention to the best available resource for learning about and finding funders, The Foundation Center in New York. This is the oldest, most reliable non-profit resource for grant writers. 

In addition to directing participants to this extremely significant website, I like to point out that the Foundation Center maintains an on-line directory which is the best possible tool for researching grants. Their Essential Plan gives you access to the most important features of their database, at a price of $49.99/mo. You can save $16.77 amonth if you make your annual payment as a lump sum. (You can also get access to the results of this database by working with Drew & Associates.) 

Thankfully, you can get access to the Foundation Center's On-Line Directory for free by visiting one of their network partners. For a list of the partnership organizations that give you free access to the On-Line Directory, please click on the following link. As their website indicates, they provide free funding information through more than 450 Funding Information Network locations - libraries, community foundations, and other nonprofit resource centers located across the U.S. and several countries. They even provide a resource to help you find a network location near you if you click on this link.

As a professional grant writing consultant, I use a number of tricks and techniques to speed up the process for finding good matches for our client's most important projects. Overall, I organize my search by looking at the largest funders. These are the funders which actually are the easiest to win money from and the best to get to know and build a relationship with over the long-run. 

Next, I always make it a practice to click on the limitations line in the funder's report first. If it turns out that my client is not eligible for a grant from that funder, I need to know that information right away. Otherwise, I will waste time getting lost in the details of the funder's profile. 

Third, I am especially careful to read through the funder's interests to make sure that they are interested in the same topics as my clients and that the funder is also willing to support the type of funding that my clients are looking for whether that funding is for programs, capital campaigns, or general operating expenses.

Fourth, I eliminate from my search the funders who say that they do not accept applications. In my experience, they are telling you the truth. In most cases, the funders that say this are too small to support a professional staff or else have decided to give funding to a handful of charities that are closest to them, charities which may employ the funder's children and grandchildren. It is not worth my time to deal with funders if they are not open to supporting new charities. 

Finally, I do pay attention to how the funder distributes its grants among funding categories. If they tend to give a lot of their grants to arts and culture, then I will pay more attention to them if I am contracted by an arts and culture client. All of this is important since I believe that at least one-half of your success as a grant writer depends on doing high quality grant research. I have, at times, written what I thought was a weak application, but nevertheless won a grant simply because I appealed to the exactly right funder. 

Write a Grant in Class: Join Us for the Two (2) Day Grant Writing Retreat with Dr. Drew in Santa Ana, CA

Sometimes the best way to learn grant writing is to write a grant. Dear Friend:  Please join me for a two-day grant writing retreat for both beginning and experienced grant writers in Santa Ana, CA on November 1 and 2, 2016.  Rave Reviews for Dr. Drew's Two Day Grant Writing Retreat In contrast to earlier retreats, this one includes up to six (6) hours of my individualized follow-up coaching including help from me or my staff with your writing, editing, proofreading and messaging activities.  Based on my successful grant writing career, this retreat is designed to meet the educational needs of grant writers from city, county, and state agencies as well as non-profits, community colleges and universities.  You will emerge from this retreat with all - or a large portion - of your grant proposal written and ready to submit to an appropriate funder.  This retreat will help you: Develop a top-notch, professional, winning grant proposal Learn how to get funders interested in your project Identify at least 10 realistic funders for your project Discover the best ways to approach funders Develop effective readable budgets that make sense Discover the best practices and trends in grant writing Learn the insider secrets on drafting great proposals Save time with grant writing strategies and more After the retreat is complete, you will also receive up to six (6) hours of individual coaching from me or my staff depending on your specific needs. As indicated above, this is a completely new feature of the retreat package. It will give you and your organization the opportunity to work with me one-on-one and to see up close the techniques I have used to raise over $40 million in grants over my career.  This practical and down-to-earth workshop is scheduled as follows: November 1 & 2, 2016  9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Location: 1231 East Dyer Road, Suite 215 Santa Ana, CA 92705 Two Day Grant Writing Retreat with Dr. Drew Only Seven (7) Spots Available Early Bird Price: $1,495 (Order before October 31, 2016 to get the early bird price.) Regular Price: $1,995 The location for this exceptional learning experience is the new Coaching Center of Orange County in Santa Ana, CA. This extraordinary center is a premier coaching and training facility and is designed to host seminars, webinars, and workshops. This is where I maintain my own office and hold meetings with my clients and staff. I'm excited to partner with Coaching Center of Orange County to offer this powerful, effective, life-changing, grant writing retreat. The retreat is organized, step-by-step, to provide you with my expert-level guidance on how to draft each portion of your grant.  We will also have the time together for you to read, write and critique grant applications in class.  This completely new program includes a new booklet, sample grant proposals, fresh PowerPoint presentations illustrating key principles regarding each portion of a grant application, and new group exercises -- all designed to give you the experience of thinking about your grant proposal the way funders think about it. To make your experience even more powerful, each participant will receive up to six (6) hours of one-on-one coaching from me or my staff at my offices or over the phone.  I'm looking forward to conducting this two-day retreat program. I've limited it to just 10 participants so that you will receive all the individual attention needed for the success of your grant campaign.  November 1 & 2, 2016 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Location: 1231 East Dyer Road, Suite 215 Santa Ana, CA 92705 Two Day Grant Writing Retreat with Dr. Drew Only Seven (7) Spots Available Early Bird Price: $1,495 (Order before October 31, 2016 to get the early bird price.) Regular Price: $1,995 Since these seats are filling up quickly, please place your order now so that you can be part of this inspiring event.     Sincerely,      John C. Drew John C. Drew, Ph.D. Managing Director P.S.  This grant writing retreat will leave you with all - or a large portion - of your grant proposal written and ready to submit to a funder.  Please purchase your ticket today to reserve your place at this retreat.  If you have any questions, please call me at (949) 643-8058.

Comedy of Errors: Dr. Drew Performs His First Videotaped Stand-Up Set

I think I have always been funny at the dinner table and in the class room. I remember getting classrooms to laugh as far back as my high school days. Nevertheless, I never attempted to do a real comedy act until last Saturday. Here's the video:

As I quickly learned, it is tougher to get laughs in the role of a stand-up comic. Most of my funny lines in the past have been based on what other people have been talking about, or else random comments at an instructor which drew laughs in the past that I have memorized and repeated.

As a stand-up comic, however, you need to establish your own premises and react to those instead. In this video, I'm getting about 2.5 laughs per minute. In real life, professional comedians are said to be "killing it" when they are getting 5 laughs per minute.

In this set, I get laughs for things that I did not expect to be funny, miss laughs which had gone well in rehearsal, and get plenty of laughs simply for almost knocking down the microphone stand. No matter what, Trish and I enjoyed the experience. I think my upcoming workshops will be more entertaining as a result of what I learned.

Plan Ahead: Grant Writing Always Occurs at the Last Minute Under Stressful Conditions

When I first started grant writing I was a little surprised at what a chaotic mess it turned out to be. The executive director I was working for only gave me the budget for her program minutes before the grant was due. Often, I was given a few days to accomplish work which probably should have required months of planning and careful thought.

	Trish Drew visits Australia in April, 2016. There are miles of beaches out there.

At first, I blamed my bad luck. Perhaps I was just unlucky at finding work with nonprofit agencies that matched my high standards for preparation and planning? Later on, however, I noticed that it did not seem to matter whether or not I was working for a quality institution. I ran into last minute difficulties even when I was working for myself.

Ultimately, I figured out that the real reason why grant writing take place in last minute stressful conditions is that the funders wanted it that way.

Truthfully, if they wanted to make our lives easier they could. They could give us sample grants to review. They could all work off of the same common, on-line grant application. They could provide us with their deadlines long in advance and make things easier for us by spending money for their staff to work with grant applicants.

Instead, they tend to treat grant writers were the sort of remarkable disdain, in large measure, because they want to reduce the number of applications they have to read. This is why they suffer no penalties for producing poorly written requests for proposals or by establishing arcane, unnecessary and often difficult to understand application requirements. 

After it became clear to me that I was going to always be writing grants under stressful conditions, the standard recommendations of the grant-writing literature became much more exciting for me to understand and follow. That is because the standard recommendations only makes sense if you realize that you need to conduct yourself with utmost efficiency, particularly if you want to make a living as a grant writer or as an independent grant writing consultant.

For example, one of the most important tasks of any grant writer is to assemble their grantsmanship center. This is a centralized location where they keep all the most important documents and paperwork needed for applying win grants. This includes the standard documentation required by most funders including your mission statement, IRS determination letter, and resumes for your staff. 

Finally, it does pay to anticipate the upcoming deadlines for your various grant applications, even those that have not yet been spelled out by the funders. It is important to calendar your upcoming deadlines so that you can begin the necessary perforation long before the deadline. I have also found that it makes a lot of sense to use voice recognition software to speed up the grant writing process. I will discuss the use of technology in grant writing in the next newsletter. 

The Most Important Fundamental of All: Study the Largest Funders to Get the Largest Amount of Money

I won the first eight federal grants I wrote. In addition to helping jump start my career as a grant writing, this experience taught me the considerable advantages of going after the largest funders first. This principle may seem counter intuitive at first because it is natural to assume that the smaller, local funders - even the tiniest family-run funders - might be softer targets.

In reality, these small local funders provide grant writers a number of sometimes insurmountable obstacles. Since they are so small, they only have a little money to give and they tend to give only a small number of grants each year. Due to their limited resources, they are less likely to have staff to answer your calls or provide you with additional assistance. The information on their website will most likely be out-of-date. Many, in fact, won't have a website at all.

In contrast, the largest funders - including the federal government - have full-time staff available to provide you with advice and guidance. In my experience, some of these program consultants will almost write your grant for you if they like your cause. Their websites are usually quite detailed and include links to earlier grantees and other valuable program information. The federal government is especially valuable to grant writers because it goes out of its way to refer you to the latest peer reviewed, state-of-the-art research. 

(It is often a good practice, as Beverly A. Browning notes, to begin your grant writing campaign with your federal grant applications so that you will learn enough new information to write really great state and local-level grants.)

All in all, it pays to go after the largest funders if only because they can give larger grants. After all, for virtually the same amount of effort you access greater possibilities and eventually win much larger grants. My most recent federal grant, for example, was a $1.5 million win for Irvine Valley College. 

Best of all, the larger funders - especially the federal government - are relatively slow to change their interests or application requirements. Once you master their system, you are virtually set for life. For these larger organizations, change comes slow so you can count on the fact that your study of the largest funders will benefit you for many years to come, no matter where you work or how many times you need to craft grant applications. 

Finally, the largest funders have such large endowments that they will probably be the largest funders even decades from now. Smaller foundations may find themselves vulnerable to running out of money because they cannot hire sophisticated investment advisers to manage their portfolios. Again, you have an advantage if you study the largest funders because they will most likely be the same ones you will revisit over the course of your grant writing career. 

The Most Important Fundamental of All: Study the Largest Funders to Get the Largest Amount of Money

I won the first eight federal grants I wrote. In addition to helping jump start my career as a grant writing, this experience taught me the considerable advantages of going after the largest funders first. This principle may seem counter intuitive at first because it is natural to assume that the smaller, local funders - even the tinest family-run funders - might be softer targets.

	Drew & Associates has moved to Santa Ana, CA. Here are some pictures of the new offices including the conference room and lobby. Starting in November, we will offer Dr. Drew's workshops and retreats here.

In reality, these small local funders provide grant writers a number of sometimes insurmountable obstacles. Since they are so small, they only have a little money to give and they tend to give only a small number of grants each year. Due to their limited resources, they are less likely to have staff to answer your calls or provide you with additional assistance. The information on their website will most likely be out-of-date. Many, in fact, won't have a website at all.  

In contrast, the largest funders - including the federal government - have full-time staff available to provide you with advice and guidance. In my experience, some of these program consultants will almost write your grant for you if they like your cause. Their websites are usually quite detailed and include links to earlier grantees and other valuable program information. The federal government is especially valuable to grant writers because it goes out of its way to refer you to the latest peer reviewed, state-of-the-art research. 

(It is often a good practice, as Beverly A. Browning notes, to begin your grant writing campaign with your federal grant applications so that you will learn enough new information to write really great state and local-level grants.)

All in all, it pays to go after the largest funders if only because they can give larger grants. After all, for virtually the same amount of effort you access greater possibilities and eventually win much larger grants. My most recent federal grant, for example, was a $1.5 million win for Irvine Valley College. 

Best of all, the larger funders - especially the federal government - are relatively slow to change their interests or application requirements. Once you master their system, you are virtually set for life. For these larger organizations, change comes slow so you can count on the fact that your study of the largest funders will benefit you for many years to come, no matter where you work or how many times you need to craft grant applications. 

Finally, the largest funders have such large endowments that they will probably be the largest funders even decades from now. Smaller foundations may find themselves vulnerable to running out of money because they cannot hire sophisticated investment advisers to manage their portfolios. Again, you have an advantage if you study the largest funders because they will most likely be the same ones you will revisit over the course of your grant writing career. 

The Golden Baugh: Coast Hills Elders Apologize to Their Ex-Pastor

At Coast Hills Church this Sunday, the Board of Elders made a heartfelt apology for the way they mistreated their ex-pastor Ken Baugh. As you may remember, an earlier incarnation of this elder board abruptly fired Baugh in November 2014. Baugh is a protégé of Rick Warren and, undoubtedly, one of the brightest and most gifted leaders in the Christian church today.

Ken and Susan Baugh received an apology from the Coast
Hills elder board on Sunday, August 28, 2016.

The backstory is that while Baugh was working on his doctoral dissertation at Talbot School of Theology he ran into some of the roadblocks that impact a large percentage of us who take on the extremely difficult effort to earn a Ph.D. The extraordinary challenges faced by graduate students is evident in studies which show only about of third of those who start doctoral degrees ever finish them. This disappointing statistic is due, in large measure, to the callousness of dissertation committees, inadequate mentorship, and a lack of knowledge regarding the daily habits and organizational skills needed to complete a Ph.D. dissertation.

Instead of coming along side Baugh and helping him complete an effort which would bring positive attention to both Baugh and Coast Hills Church, the elders abruptly dismissed him in a manner I previously described as a train wreck. Although the church elders sought to discourage public criticism of their decision as inconsistent with Christian virtue, I do not think any reasonable person believed they handled this delicate matter in a way that honored either Christ or common sense.

The elder's mistake left us with a diminished church, the loss of Saturday services, unstable leadership and a host of folks who shook their heads and decided it was best to worship somewhere else. They also caused immeasurable suffering for Baugh and his family including all the requisite feelings of anger, resentment, fear and humiliation. Thankfully, a new elder board has seen fit to launch a healing effort.

Trish and I attended today's Sunday 11:00 a.m. service and witnessed a tearful, heartfelt apology to Ken Baugh and his wife Susan.

It was offered on behalf of the elder board by Matt Kern. With remarkable humility, Kern acknowledged in considerable detail the mistakes made by the elders, their mistreatment of Baugh, and even a broken promise he had made to Susan herself. In a touching moment, Kern even apologized for the manner in which Susan's story had been neglected during the past two years. She got an moving standing ovation from an unusually crowded church auditorium.

I expect that today's service will be remembered as a healing event which will provide a good example of Christian reconciliation. While I have never seen (or heard of) a church apologizing to their ex-pastor, I'm confident that the Christian tradition of reconciliation is not unusual at all.

The church arose after the brutal, unjust and illegal mistreatment of a man of God. Going back to St. Paul, the church's abiding strength has always been its ability to survive such moments without elders decapitating dissident followers or enraged followers decapitating irresponsible elders. Instead, Christians hug, hold hands, and shrug off our mistakes as the natural results of living in a dysfunctional family in a fallen world.

As Baugh pointed out, a 100 years from now we will all be dead and all of this will all be forgiven -- even the mistakes for which Baugh accepted responsibility.

Meanwhile, Baugh has gone on to bigger and better things. He is the founder and CEO of The Institute for Discipleship Training. He has also been honored with a new role, working with Rick Warren, to provide training to pastors from all over the world. This is a part-time position which will give church leaders around the world with access to his insight while giving Baugh the time and space he needs to complete his doctoral dissertation. This compassionate arrangement will be my lasting memory of God's grace regarding this unfortunate situation.

I had a brief opportunity to thank with Rick Warren for his efforts to protect Baugh during the worst moments of this debacle. "I've loved him," said Warren, "even before he was born."

What is a Referral? Why Do We Pay $700.00 for Them?

White Flowers in Glass Vase,
by John C. Drew, Ph.D. Oil on canvas.

I thought it might be smart to take a moment to define what I mean by a referral. This is important, in part, because I am paying folks up to $700.00 whenever they make a referral to Drew & Associates that turns into business. We pay out this referral fee by cutting a check to you or by making a donation, in your name, to the charity of your choice.

To make this system work, I need to make it clear what counts as a referral. Specifically, a referral means that the prospect: 

1. Knows who I am and what I do,
2. Expects a call from me, and
3. Needs my services. 

In other words, a referral should be a guaranteed sale, unless I mess it up. I am happy to talk with you about referrals and our referral fee program greater at length. Please call me at 949-643-8058. When we speak I will answer your questions and give you more of my tips for making great, profitable referrals.

Please rest assured that the client does not pay any more or any less for my services simply because they have come to me through our referral program. My referral fee is an important part of my business because it reduces my dependence on much more expensive forms of business development like telemarketing and direct mail campaigns. We are, in a sense, sharing our savings with you when you make a successful referral.

Although we do not discuss the referral with the client, we will discuss it and provide full details if we are asked. We encourage you to share about the referral with everyone including the client so that others can also take advantage of this wonderful, cost-efficient business development system. 

What is a Referral? Why Do We Pay $700.00 for Them?

White Flowers in Glass Vase,
by John C. Drew, Ph.D. Oil on canvas.

I thought it might be smart to take a moment to define what I mean by a referral. This is important, in part, because I am paying folks up to $700.00 whenever they make a referral to Drew & Associates that turns into business. We pay out this referral fee by cutting a check to you or by making a donation, in your name, to the charity of your choice.

To make this system work, I need to make it clear what counts as a referral. Specifically, a referral means that the prospect: 

1. Knows who I am and what I do,
2. Expects a call from me, and
3. Needs my services. 

In other words, a referral should be a guaranteed sale, unless I mess it up. I am happy to talk with you about referrals and our referral fee program greater at length. Please call me at 949-643-8058. When we speak I will answer your questions and give you more of my tips for making great, profitable referrals.

Please rest assured that the client does not pay any more or any less for my services simply because they have come to me through our referral program. My referral fee is an important part of my business because it reduces my dependence on much more expensive forms of business development like telemarketing and direct mail campaigns. We are, in a sense, sharing our savings with you when you make a successful referral.

Although we do not discuss the referral with the client, we will discuss it and provide full details if we are asked. We encourage you to share about the referral with everyone including the client so that others can also take advantage of this wonderful, cost-efficient business development system. 

What is a Referral? Why Do We Pay $700.00 for Them?

White Flowers in Glass Vase,
by John C. Drew, Ph.D. Oil on canvas.

I thought it might be smart to take a moment to define what I mean by a referral. This is important, in part, because I am paying folks up to $700.00 whenever they make a referral to Drew & Associates that turns into business. We pay out this referral fee by cutting a check to you or by making a donation, in your name, to the charity of your choice.

To make this system work, I need to make it clear what counts as a referral. Specifically, a referral means that the prospect: 

1. Knows who I am and what I do,
2. Expects a call from me, and
3. Needs my services. 

In other words, a referral should be a guaranteed sale, unless I mess it up. I am happy to talk with you about referrals and our referral fee program greater at length. Please call me at 949-643-8058. When we speak I will answer your questions and give you more of my tips for making great, profitable referrals.

Please rest assured that the client does not pay any more or any less for my services simply because they have come to me through our referral program. My referral fee is an important part of my business because it reduces my dependence on much more expensive forms of business development like telemarketing and direct mail campaigns. We are, in a sense, sharing our savings with you when you make a successful referral.

Although we do not discuss the referral with the client, we will discuss it and provide full details if we are asked. We encourage you to share about the referral with everyone including the client so that others can also take advantage of this wonderful, cost-efficient business development system.