tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51515653585797374282024-03-13T13:01:41.460-07:00Drew & Associates: Guaranteed Grant WritingDr. Drew is an author, trainer and consultant on grant-writing. Contact us today (949) 338-5921 for a free consultation. No obligation, no strings attached. We look forward to speaking with you about how we can help you reach your goals.John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.comBlogger223125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-51425221355354318352023-01-12T21:29:00.000-08:002023-01-12T21:29:07.070-08:00<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5NvDADE5HBa2EvUhjZ0RFHs7C8nIAb0QAQ2FvfQqpedYJM2CVa7Otfx3XW7GOv5Evi0h6MxttjjQdgWj_baBX7ji4_o9wiphlDiehe0Dnt7BgIM3DJppIrUhETXMnZ12NNCaey2KcR1VMtvRCTBcvYF-5OE0pBwHBhPrAN2A5GlsSmg--YIduLJX/s1033/Lagrange%20Kentucky%20Street%20Running.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="753" data-original-width="1033" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5NvDADE5HBa2EvUhjZ0RFHs7C8nIAb0QAQ2FvfQqpedYJM2CVa7Otfx3XW7GOv5Evi0h6MxttjjQdgWj_baBX7ji4_o9wiphlDiehe0Dnt7BgIM3DJppIrUhETXMnZ12NNCaey2KcR1VMtvRCTBcvYF-5OE0pBwHBhPrAN2A5GlsSmg--YIduLJX/s320/Lagrange%20Kentucky%20Street%20Running.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />As non-profit leaders compete for scarce grant funding, it makes sense for them to develop their skills at picking the grant writers they work with on sensitive projects. As the owner of a grant writing company, I have a powerful need to make the right decisions about who I hire and bring on as an associate grant writer.<p></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Consequently, non-profit leaders may be curious to know how I identify heavy-weight grant writers.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">My System</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">I have my own system, which is based, in large measure, on the strengths and weaknesses of my own personality. I have absolute trust in my abilities as a teacher. I also have my own way of doing things, the Lightning Fast way. Nevertheless, I do consider the major, obvious factors, that quickly come to mind when evaluating candidates for grant writing positions: total dollar amount won, years of experience, level of education, and any grant writing courses and/or credentials.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">I have my own spin on all these factors. For example, I do look at the dollar amounts the grant writer has won so far. In contrast, I pay much less attention to years of experience.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">I do look at the individual’s level of education. I am doing this, in part, because their level of education is an indicator of their IQ. Surprisingly, I find I am less interested in the subject matter they studied than in the level of education they have attained. I value higher education, that is those with an MA, MBA, or Ph.D. because I know earning a graduate degree is a great measure of someone’s level of independent, unsupervised discipline. It is also a good proxy for the candidate’s ability to read accurately, and faithfully follow the funder’s directions. After all, these are indispensable core skills of successful grant writing.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">I completely disregard courses and credentials. I think everyone should study and master them, but I would not hire grant writers based on their coursework or credentials. After all, I have my own way of doing things and I think most grant writer training is obsolete if not downright self-serving and counterproductive.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">For much the same reasons, I am reluctant to hire someone simply because they have taught a grant writing class. I do, however, make an exception if they have published a book on grant writing. (Those people are heavy-weight grant writers through and through.)</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">One other thing I should point out is that as an employer, I am looking for cost-effective grant writers. As such, I like to hire extremely talented young people, picking them for their enthusiasm and willingness to learn. I do not mind bringing them on and teaching them grant writing if I am confident, they have a great attitude, and are interested in what I must teach them.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Ultimately, however, I keep people on board largely because of the results they produce. Before Lightning Fast Grant Writing retains or promotes a grant writer, I ask myself a few simple questions:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Can we trust them to work with our clients on their own?</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Can they solve problems on their own without me hovering over them?</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Can they save us time and expenses?</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">So, for better or worse, I identify heavy-weight grant writers by their actual performance working with me. Why exactly do I do it that way? Here are my more detailed thoughts on the topic.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Differentiation By Total Dollar Amounts</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Personally, I do not think it is fair to compare grant writers according to the amount of money they have won. This is because I have seen people with only modest skills bringing in millions of dollars simply because they work at a large academic research institution. Frequently, the main authors of these grants are award-winning faculty members who are experts in their respective fields.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Moreover, in my experience, many educational grants are quite large and are easy to win if you know what you are doing. In my view, people who have often won millions in grant money are not necessarily any better at grant writing than peers who have won fewer total dollars. Instead, they have employers who give them access to high-value target-rich environments. People who specialize in government grants will almost always be able to show massive grant totals simply because of the nature of their work.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">I am no different. I have a client that wins almost $20 MM a year. They like having me as their grant writer. For the most part, they are expected to win $20 MM every year no matter what because they are a high-quality, government-funded program located in an area of great need. Although I like seeing the total dollar amounts of the grants I have written go up and up by $20 MM a year, I know in my heart that this does not mean I am a more skilled grant writer than someone who is working for a homeless shelter bringing in $250,000 per year.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">If the dollar amounts you win are largely dependent on where you work, then we need to ask ourselves is there a better way to measure the quality of a grant writer?</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Differentiation By Years of Experience</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Common sense tells us that the years someone has spent as a grant writer might be another strong measure of their skill. This seems intuitively right. But is it?</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">I do know that the grant writers I hire who have experience are better and more dependable than the less experienced people who are exploring grant writing as a career. In some ways, longevity in the field of grant writing might be a proxy measure for the qualities that would make one grant writer better than another. One of the obvious reasons for this is that an experienced grant writer may have seen similar situations before and now they can more efficiently solve a similar challenge. They may even have useful templates they can recycle.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Among the obvious reasons for relying on experience in judging a grant writer would be that the longer someone is in the grant writing profession the more likely it is that they have developed good habits including a strong work ethic, proven contentiousness, capacity to overcome writer’s block, and a basic ability to write well enough that a client invites them to come back and write some more.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">In many ways, the total dollar amount won by a grant writer is conflated with the number of years they have devoted to grant writing. Longevity is interesting to me because it indicates, at some basic level, that the applicant enjoys grant writing. They like the isolation, the structure, the challenge, the ability to influence projects, and the sense of being needed in a high-pressure, time-constrained situation.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">All in all, I think years of experience are an indicator of a heavy-weight grant writer than the total amount of money they have won. On the other hand, individuals with many years in the field of grant writing can sometimes be stubborn when it comes to applying new methods and advanced technologies. Nevertheless, if I intended to hire someone without planning to train them too, I would value years of experience over the total dollars won.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Differentiation By Years of Education</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Based on what I see when I am hiring grant writers, I think it does pay off to hire people with high levels of education. Years of schooling is correlated with greater skill in grant writing. Folks with college degrees seem to do better than folks without them. Likewise, those with master’s degrees seem to outperform college graduates. Finally, folks with PhDs seem to outperform those with MAs.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Again, it does not seem to matter what field they took their degree in. It is possible that getting a degree is an exact match with the skill sets that matter the most to grant writing including the ability to understand and answer questions, the ability to decern what someone else is expecting, and the ability to follow directions.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">It may also be that securing a degree is also associated with less well-known traits of great grant writers including an interest in learning new subjects, the ability to work alone for extended periods of time without direct supervision, a high level of conscientiousness, and a strong mastery of academic style writing, that is supporting basic arguments with facts and statistics. At Lightning Fast Grant Writing, I seem to make better hiring decisions when I bring on people with at least a master’s degree.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Differentiation By Courses and Certificates</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">It is possible that people who have completed the most grant writing courses or achieved the most grant writing certificates are the best grant writers. Here, I may be a bit prejudiced. I have only attended three grant writing courses over my lifetime. One was at the Grantsmanship Center, another was at the Volunteer Center of Orange County, and the third was offered by the Foundation Center. All three of them were awful. The first taught me to research using a commercially available database, the second taught me to go after local funders, and the third taught me that some instructors do not like it if you ask questions even if they told you they did not mind if you asked them. Although I have issued certificates in grant writing, I have never actually earned one myself.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">I tend to devalue courses and certificates mainly because the most important skills being taught might not show up in the individual’s day-to-day work. Even worse, they may be stuck with bad habits that interfere with doing commercially viable grant writing.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Conclusion</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #8b8d94; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">I imagine that the non-profit leaders who are searching for heavy-weight grant writers will most likely add all these measurements together and pick those who score the highest on the whole package. After all, if you rely on every conceivable standard of measure, how could you go wrong? In my next article, I will write about how you can go wrong with this approach and what we can do to objectively improve our measurement of grant writing skills.</p>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-68852567755820177432022-01-22T23:29:00.002-08:002022-01-22T23:29:30.986-08:00Direct Strike: Introducing Lightning Fast Grant Writing | Urgent<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghM_XSO1aBd94SfP20ok6QtFU6LMXSGHVd9h2FairLbmquKJS6Iatqj8Jgat8xSGkM5yQEodXkfJGrcLj2fp0uRr71Go2e32iKJkNg8kYpaqvYT0kXPZFCfyqT2W27bMxoH4JCdss8QmDMadZDBBHa6RyiXBIEq1x0lUuSaqwlOkxoRpXHotosLJk1=s5089" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1909" data-original-width="5089" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghM_XSO1aBd94SfP20ok6QtFU6LMXSGHVd9h2FairLbmquKJS6Iatqj8Jgat8xSGkM5yQEodXkfJGrcLj2fp0uRr71Go2e32iKJkNg8kYpaqvYT0kXPZFCfyqT2W27bMxoH4JCdss8QmDMadZDBBHa6RyiXBIEq1x0lUuSaqwlOkxoRpXHotosLJk1=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br />In the nonprofit world, we often talk about the importance of speed. How quickly can we get this project done? How quickly can we reach our goal? But when it comes to grant writing, many organizations seem to take their time. Unfortunately, this can lead to missed opportunities and funding gaps. In this blog post, we will introduce you to Lightning Fast Grant Writing – a new service that can help your organization write grants quickly and efficiently. So why wait? Contact us today to learn more by calling 949-338-5921 or clicking on the following link.<p></p><p><span style="background-color: #ffd966; color: #073763; font-size: large;"><a href="https://forms.gle/X5xQGVD3NzuSzfiD8">APPLY NOW!</a></span></p><p>Lightning Fast Grant Writing is a new company with a bold promise: We will write 200 tailored applications per year for the same cost as a regular, full-time grant writer! This system is uniquely designed to produce high volume with excellence and RESULTS.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlJ2_K5hcpueNvmdlBVIVfOrcA_z0YxliQUT8FBxiMFbiNmVrxhcm-1Xzuax2CPtj47On8Y3xnVMswQmpOwdiU-QaKW7TdKgrf80Ag8VBpaPYpPycP7KWns2J6cp06jymE5QJUil8AMz1eDRmiDVHylyPAf0YJvGJIsj4R-ORVzoxiu6UHQv-BgnVz=s3264" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlJ2_K5hcpueNvmdlBVIVfOrcA_z0YxliQUT8FBxiMFbiNmVrxhcm-1Xzuax2CPtj47On8Y3xnVMswQmpOwdiU-QaKW7TdKgrf80Ag8VBpaPYpPycP7KWns2J6cp06jymE5QJUil8AMz1eDRmiDVHylyPAf0YJvGJIsj4R-ORVzoxiu6UHQv-BgnVz=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>After all, when was the last time you had to write a grant proposal on short notice? How did it go? In today's competitive grant climate, proposals must be finely crafted and submitted with all due haste. This can be a daunting prospect, especially when your organization doesn't have a dedicated grants department. But what if there were a way to speed up the process, and make grant writing practically effortless? With Lightning Fast Grant Writing, there is. </p><p>Check out our new website for more details by clicking on <a href="https://lightningfastgrantwriting.com/">Lightning Fast Grant Writing</a>. </p><p><br /></p>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-6218737542920814532021-06-24T04:23:00.008-07:002021-06-24T17:34:59.067-07:00Gold for Everyone! Open the Vault of Foundation Grants for Your Non-Profit<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-piVmuY9xAt4/YNR9qC-WZaI/AAAAAAAANmI/PY7iYfmWzlQhjzfy9QmjyetqUKkxjhNTQCLcBGAsYHQ/s300/Safe-2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-piVmuY9xAt4/YNR9qC-WZaI/AAAAAAAANmI/PY7iYfmWzlQhjzfy9QmjyetqUKkxjhNTQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Safe-2.jpg" /></a></div><br />For the first time in a decade, I will be teaching a rare two-day session of Grant Writing Fundamentals. This is a fleeting opportunity to learn the most important things I know about grant writing during a weekday, online course. (Normally, I only teach on Saturdays.) <div><br /></div><div>This new, updated, Zoom class will be offered from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, July 7 and 8, 2021.</div><div><br /></div><div>For students in the Philippines who are scheduled to participate in this class, the Zoom meeting will run from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM Philippine Time on Thursday and Friday mornings, July 8 and 9, 2021.<br /><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span><b>Special Schedule for Students from the Philippines</b></span><div><p>Why the change? I am teaching the class on two weekdays as a favor for a dear friend, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rufino-l-macagba-jr-89697b49/">Dr. Rufino L. Macagba Jr.</a>, the chairman, and president of Lorma Medical Center and Lorma Colleges in the Philippines. To provide my course in an accessible manner, I had to split it in half and teach it over two weekdays. </p><p><i>For those who know best, you will undoubtedly be relieved to learn that I have finally found a way to teach students in the morning while avoiding the morning myself. </i></p><p>The pricing for the Zoom class is about the same as what is charged by the community colleges which offer Grant Writing Fundamentals in California. The course fee is $70 and there is a materials fee of $45. The total price is $115. The materials fee includes your booklet and handouts for the course. Right now, there are only seven seats left. If you want to access this class and interact with some of the greatest and nicest people you will ever meet, it would be wise to buy the class right now. Just click on the button below.</p><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_top">
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<p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Course Description</span></b></p><div>Learn this valuable skill in a highly interactive videoconferencing format from the comfort of your home. Join Dr. Drew in an invigorating and informative workshop created for new and experienced grant writers, executive directors, organizers, board members, community volunteers, and individuals who want to get a detailed look at the grant writing process. Dr. Drew will introduce you to all information needed for a successful grant proposal. You will learn how funding is announced, how applications are judged, and how to construct each element of a winning proposal. The techniques Dr. Drew emphasizes—including how to work quickly, how to create a winning message, and basic evaluation techniques—apply with equal force to small or large grants. Certificate of completion given to each participant who finishes the class.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: arial;">About Dr. Drew</span></b><br /><br />John C. Drew, Ph.D. is an author, trainer, speaker, and consultant. Dr. Drew has raised over $53 million for charities including the Los Angeles SPCA, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, and the Petersen Automotive Museum. Dr. Drew has taught at Cornell University, Hope International University, University of Oregon, and Williams College. He is the founder of the International Grant Writers Association. <br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Course Popularity</span></b><br /><br />Antelope Valley College - since 2007, Glendale Community College – since 2007, Gavilan College since 2008. It has been popular throughout southern California at the following schools: Chaffey, College of the Canyons, Cuyamaca College, Imperial Valley College, Irvine Valley College, Long Beach Community College, Los Angeles Harbor College, Mira Costa College, Orange Coast College, Santa Ana College, Santiago Canyon College, Riverside College, Rio Hondo College, West Los Angeles College, and Soka University.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Praise for Dr. Drew's Courses</span></b><br /><br />“Learned about the database to find grants.” – Nicole Sims, West Los Angeles College<br /><br /> “Interacting with the group sparked many great ideas.” - Neekole Glaspie, West Los Angeles College<br /><br />"Very informative, with positive energy transferred to the students." <br /><br />"The course was very inviting. Dr. Drew was very clear and knowledgeable. He made it easier for me to achieve my goals and enjoy success in life." <br /><br />"Dr. John Drew was very knowledgeable, invigorating, timely, and made learning interesting and clear." <br /><br />"This was constant, good practical information. The first 15 minutes made the whole class worth it!" <br /><br />"Dr. Drew is wonderful. He taught me a lot in a very short time." <br /><br />"The course was very informative and gave me a good insight into what it takes to be a grant writer." <br /><br />"This class was excellent and very informative." <br /><br />"Great class. Thank you for offering it!" <br /><br />"Yay! Great class!" <br /><br />"Excellent-- I really enjoyed Dr. Drew. Best organized information." <br /><br />"Dr. Drew has given me the tools to stay motivated and to move forward on my non-profit." <br /><br />"Overall outstanding." <br /><br /><br /></div></div><div><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_top">
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</div></div>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-30311190983605960712021-06-09T21:47:00.004-07:002021-06-09T22:03:50.464-07:00Looking At the Neighbors: Critiquing the Paint Designs at Milano and Expressions<p> I thought it would be useful to provide some more comments about the paint designs being used by our neighbors at Expressions and Milano. </p><p>In some ways, Expressions is a botched paint job. The black balcony railings look good, and so do the dark-colored doors. These were both good design choices. The dark-colored doors are visually interesting, and create more volume in the look. The railings aren't attractive and are properly de-emphasized. The problem with Expression, in my view, is it was a mistake to paint the trim darker than the walls on a number of the buildings. This is what is giving them that blocky institutional look...sort of like a set of college dorms. In addition, the lighter-colored buildings are too washed out. The pinkish and cream-colored buildings seem especially bad to me. </p><p>Milano is also botched and amateur-looking in many ways as well. I've already mentioned that the painting of the garage trim is a mistake. The design calls attention to one of their most attractive features, rows of similar garage doors. By highlighting the trim around the garages they called attention to one of the least attractive aspects of the complex. </p><p>There are also numerous errors at Milano, particularly with the lighter buildings on which they painted darker trim. I certainly recommend that Del Prado study up on our neighbors and that we hire a competent designer who can help us create a better design that will help us look better than either Milano or Expressions. </p><p>I am enjoying your phone calls and design tips. Please call me anytime at 949-338-5921. I'll put this article on my business blog too in case it is censored. </p><p>Unfortunately, it looks like a small number of our neighbors are pushing through the blah, 1980s style paint schemes they seemingly prefer without first doing the proper thing which would be to interview three designers, tour their projects, and then choose the one who is best for us. If they are allowed to continue on this path, I'm afraid they will cost some of us up to $35,000 apiece in lost valuation. </p><p><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Roboto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: -0.32px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I should add that we need to deal with the disgusting, underlying wood rot and moisture issues on the roofs before we even think of repainting the roof trim. That would be a monumental financial mistake. We need to stabilize the moisture content of the trim before we even consider repainting it. The installation of moisture barriers would do the trick. Given the underlying structural issues of the roof, I think we have plenty of time to slow down, educate ourselves on color theory and design. Once everyone is up to speed, we should interview a number of competent designers and then pick the one that will do a world-class job we can be proud of.</span></p>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-72142643066346154662021-05-30T00:53:00.004-07:002021-05-30T00:53:57.685-07:00Will a Free Designer be Good Enough? Modernizing the Del Prado Paint Job<p>I thought it would be fun to share with you my design-related comments for the modernization of the exterior colors at Del Prado. It looks like Ashlie Hadley deleted my earlier comments. If you are interested in what I have to offer, please read this right away before she deletes it again. </p><p><br /></p><p>Personally, I am concerned because I know that a quality paint job on my building could increase the value of my investment by at least $30,000. I don't think we are going to create that sort of increased value if we go with the "free" designer that we used last time. Look at the choices a competent designer needs to make...</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Break Up the Flat Look.</p><p><br /></p><p>The best feature of Del Prado is the variation in the surfaces of the buildings. Ideally, the colors should be chosen to highlight that variation. This means darker cooler colors for walls closest to the center of the buildings and lighter warmer colors for the walls furthest from the center. </p><p><br /></p><p>2. De-Emphasize the Trim</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the ugliest features of Del Prado is the cheap trim. This trim is frequently afflicted with dry rot and peeling paint. Right now, this poor quality trim is painted a glaring bright white color. The current bright white color is the mistake of a hopeless amateur. Colors always look brighter on the exterior of a building than they do in the paint sample. Competent designers compensate for this by choosing exterior paint colors that are darker than normal. Once those colors are in the bright light, they perform well. Going forward, we should de-emphazize the trim by picking a darker color. Ideally, the trim should be the same color as the roof tile or the buildings themselves. Above all, we need to fix the underlying problems that cause the trim to rot on us. </p><p><br /></p><p>3. Repair the Roofs Before Painting the Roof Trim.</p><p><br /></p><p>Unfortunately, we have a severe design problem at Del Prado. There isn't an adequate moisture barrier between the tiles on the roofs and the white wood fascia on the edges. The moisture is leaking through and causing us all sorts of headaches including continual rotting of the wood and peeling of the paint. Clearly, no paint job should be initiated until we change the roof design and install standard moisture barriers. Otherwise, we are simply wasting our money. </p><p><br /></p><p>4. Avoid the Dated 1980s Look</p><p><br /></p><p>Right now, much of Del Prado is painted the exact same color. This makes us look tired and old-fashioned compared to our up-to-date neighbors. A contemporary color scheme makes sense today because of improvements in paint technology, particularly in the stability of darker paints. </p><p><br /></p><p>All in all, I still have the same recommendations. Let's interview three designers before we pick one and ask them to pick colors on our behalf. Let's fix the underlying moisture problems that are causing the fascia to rot and the paint on the fascia to peel. Let's study our neighboring complexes to see what they have done. After all, we are talking about an extra $30,000 or so in the pockets of our homeowners. The choices we face and the processes we follow are too important to leave to a free designer who will invest the sort of effort needed to do things exactly right. </p>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-57582812433775658322021-05-18T23:22:00.012-07:002021-05-30T01:08:07.002-07:00Del Prado opinion: Is it time to update the Del Prado color scheme to match our neighbors?<span style="box-sizing: border-box;">I thought it would be a good idea to highlight the difficulty of picking colors for complex condominium projects by reviewing what was done at two neighboring projects. </span><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">I will, of course, be offering my full report to the paint committee and the Board of Directors. </span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Milano. </span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Milano has adopted a complex, up-to-date color scheme, which has made their complex more attractive than ours. Notice what they did. First, they picked out three different color schemes for their large buildings. There is a beige version, a pinkish version, and a darker brown version. </span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">What is interesting to me about Milano is how they varied the color pallet within the buildings. For example, parts of the building that stick out are painted in lighter colors. This is to make those features of the building look lighter and less obtrusive. (We could do the same here at Del Prado if we had the right designer in place.) The portions of the building that are more recessed, however, are in darker colors. I think they did a good job in pulling this off. I also notice that the trim in Milano isn't very interesting. They covered it up by painting it the same color as the buildings themselves. </span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">The one mistake I see at Milano is the way they made the garage areas so light and then put dark paint on the trim around each garage door. This was a design mistake because it called attention to an unattractive feature of the building. I think a better color scheme would have been to pick a slightly darker color for the garage areas painting the walls and the trim the same color. </span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">One contrast between the 1980s and today is that building exterior colors have gotten darker, probably because of improvements in paint quality. In the 1980s, for example, it was considered a mistake to use too many dark colors because there were more likely to fade on you. </span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Expressions. </span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Expressions are interesting in that they too choose different overall colors to make the buildings individualized. They are also strict about highlighting every bit of trim in their complex. Since their trim is nice, this was probably a good idea. </span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">I notice that they de-emphasized the railings on the porches by painting them black. This is a means of making them less noticeable. At Del Prado, we have that same dated, step pattern on our balconies, a relic of the 1980s obsession with all things Southwest. </span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Here, we might follow their lead and go with darker colors for the railings too. The doors in Expressions are subdued, generally a dark red or a dark blue which looks acceptable compared to the building colors. My main point, of course, is that to get the best possible paint job for Del Prado we need to do a careful survey of our neighboring complexes and we need to pick an experienced designer who can make the most of what we have to offer. </span></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Recommendations for Doing a State of the Art Paint Design at Del Prado<br /><br /><br />As a board member, I think we probably failed the new paint committee by not providing them with a precise mission and more detailed tasks to complete. Here are my suggestions for getting things back on track. <div><br /></div><div>1. Research Stage. Analysis: As far as I can tell, they are working off of inaccurate information, particularly regarding our closest neighbors Expressions and Milano. Recommendation: The committee will serve us best if they go back to the basics and present the board of directors with a report which surveys the neighboring communities before they do anything else. </div><div><br /></div><div>2. Choice of Designer. Analysis: The repainting of the condos requires the work of a skilled, professional designer. The condos are more complex and more difficult to design for than the villas which are basically individual, small homes. Repainting the condos will require much greater and detailed attention to a) which features need to be accented and b) which features need to be minimized. Because the condos have larger blocks of color, these color choices need to be handled with great sensitivity. Recommendation: We should interview at least three designers, review their portfolios, and pick the one that best matches our needs. </div><div><br /></div><div>3. Representation. Analysis: The interests of villa owners and condo owners are not the same. Recommendation: I have two ideas. First, representation on the committee should be enlarged to accurately reflect the proportion of condo and villa owners in the complex. I think Steve agrees with this. Second, no villa owners should be involved in paint choices regarding the condos for conflict of interest reasons. </div><div><br /></div><div>4. Minutes of Meetings. Analysis: State of CA law requires board committees to compile minutes. The paint committee basically hired a designer without consulting with us first. They need to slow down and share with us, in writing, what they are doing. Potentially, if we had minutes of their meetings we might have been able to realize our mistake in establishing their mission and then steer them in the right direction sooner. <br /><br />Recommendations: The paint committee should follow State of California law and providing us with the minutes of their meetings.<br /><br /><div><p class="MsoNormal">Rethinking the Paint Committee</p><p class="MsoNormal">Almost all of the complexes around us have abandoned the
1980s style in favor of an approach that assigns slightly different, but still
matching, colors to the larger buildings. This is done, in part, to create a
smaller, home-like feeling in what would otherwise be a warehouse-like
environment. Unfortunately, keeping with our existing color scheme looks to me
like a somewhat risky approach. Our complex already looks dated and elderly
compared to our neighbors. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p>Nevertheless, I know there are strong opinions on each side.
I'd like to hear your opinion on the topic. Please send me an email at
johndrew25@msn.com or call me on my cell at 949-338-5921. I’m looking forward
to hearing from you.</p><p>I was a little bit shocked to learn that the committee we tasked with picking a color scheme for Del Prado has already made the decision to maintain the dreary, dated 1980s look of the complex. You know what I mean. That drab, browning yellow, stretching on the block after block without interruption. It was a bad idea in the 1980s and it is still a bad idea now. </p><p>One of the reasons why we all know this is a bad idea is by viewing the HOA complexes all around us. I drove around with Trish to take a look. They are all using the new, more varied, modern style. Below us on Expressions, each building is a slightly different tint. Moreover, the colors are chosen to bring out key architectural features and cover up less appealing architectural features. </p><p>Likewise, over at Impressions, the buildings are painted slightly different to create a refreshing more human scale. I drove around our whole neighborhood and didn't notice a single building complex that has maintained the old-fashioned 1980s style. </p><p>Even here at Del Prado, we changed out of the 1980s style a number of years ago and adjusted the paint scheme so that the Villas matched our neighbors even as the condos were left in the 1980s approach. To me, the risking choice is maintaining an old-fashioned look that makes us stand out from our neighbors, which makes us, in a sense, an abnormality in our community, or - more succinctly - and an eyesore. </p><p>I'm having a hard time understanding why a group of people would decide to stick with an obviously flawed, dated, and unpopular color scheme. To my surprise, two of the people who I thought got it, and favored an updated, contemporary look, flip-flopped on me and announced their support for this drab, dated alternative. </p><p>I asked for reasons. </p><p>Here is the best that I got. It is important to keep the 1980s style because otherwise, the complex would look cluttered. </p><p>As far as I can tell, not a single person on the committee debated this premise. I haven't seen any justification. The fact of the matter is that the contemporary trend is to make large complexes appear to be smaller, built to a human and not an industrial warehouse scale. The reason why so many of our neighbors have dropped the 1980s style is that they are trying to get away from the warehouse look, they are trying to make their neighborhoods look smaller, friendlier, and populated with smaller structures that address a human scale, not an industrial scale. </p><p>The illusion created by contemporary paint schemes is to emphasize the individuality and character of each residence. </p><p>This is why other HOAs give homeowners the opportunity to pick the color of their door, even though they may have no say on the color of their overall building. Likewise, the new color schemes make the complex family-friendly by emphasizing the different units and not a massive, corporate, blah. </p><p>Besides, this is not the color scheme that was used on the Villas. These homeowners enjoy a contemporary look that matches with the style of the other neighborhoods. If the paint scheme harms the community by making it look choppy, then why does the modern look seem so perfect when it is applied to all the Villas. Frankly, all we are really asking is that the condos be treated equally as the Villas when it comes to having a modern and up-to-date image. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-71054126180121234012021-05-06T21:17:00.004-07:002021-05-06T23:26:48.240-07:00Dr. Drew to Offer Grant Writing Fundamentals Class in New Two Evening Format for Busy Executives in the US and Philippines<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mjU63Q-JSxo/YJTaIEQysMI/AAAAAAAANZI/fNNaPphbAiM8Xz8qj3lJugXbYCImLiD9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s448/750833873203_0_ALB.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="448" height="362" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mjU63Q-JSxo/YJTaIEQysMI/AAAAAAAANZI/fNNaPphbAiM8Xz8qj3lJugXbYCImLiD9QCLcBGAsYHQ/w483-h362/750833873203_0_ALB.jpg" width="483" /></a></div><br />I am excited to announce that I will be offering my Grant Writing Fundamentals class as a two-day evening event from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on July 7 and 8, 2021. This new class is being offered, in part, to meet the needs of non-profit executives in the Philippines who could not take a regular Saturday course. The picture above is one of my favorites. It shows me teaching a class for the Lorma Hospital Foundation in March 2005. <div><br /></div><div>This new class has a fee of $115 which includes a $45 course materials fee. You can secure your place now by clicking on one of the buttons below.<p></p><p><br /></p><div id="smart-button-container">
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</script><p>For local participants, this rare evening class provides an opportunity to enjoy Grant Writing Fundamentals without having to commit a whole day to the process. It is also a great opportunity to refresh your understanding of grant writing, learn about my latest ideas and techniques, and meet class members from around the globe. </p><p><b>Grant Writing Fundamentals (Remote Live) Course Description</b></p>Learn this valuable skill in a highly interactive videoconferencing format from the comfort of your home. Join Dr. Drew in an invigorating and informative workshop created for new and experienced grant writers, executive directors, organizers, board members, community volunteers, and individuals who want to get a detailed look at the grant writing process. Dr. Drew will introduce you to all information needed for a successful grant proposal. You will learn how funding is announced, how applications are judged, and how to construct each element of a winning proposal. The techniques Dr. Drew emphasizes—including how to work quickly, how to create a winning message, and basic evaluation techniques—apply with equal force to small or large grants. Certificate of completion given to each participant who finishes the class.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LNyhcVTqqHU/YJTdY516PsI/AAAAAAAANZQ/XZM8AN_cg78gvlVI2vXn-AN55woZ8N6TgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P3120097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LNyhcVTqqHU/YJTdY516PsI/AAAAAAAANZQ/XZM8AN_cg78gvlVI2vXn-AN55woZ8N6TgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/P3120097.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /> <p><b>Biography for Dr. Drew</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a name="_Hlk42722032">John C. Drew, Ph.D. is an author,
trainer, speaker and consultant. Dr. Drew
has raised over $52 million for charities including the Los Angeles SPCA,
Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, and the Petersen Automotive Museum. Dr.
Drew has taught at Cornell University, Hope International University, University
of Oregon, and Williams College. He is the founder of the International Grant
Writers Association and a member of the American Evaluation Association. <o:p></o:p></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AydxZEBWgn8/YJTdkuNpKeI/AAAAAAAANZU/Or1-nxhM-ZcND3_8AW2t4x90T7vPU7e0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P3120153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AydxZEBWgn8/YJTdkuNpKeI/AAAAAAAANZU/Or1-nxhM-ZcND3_8AW2t4x90T7vPU7e0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/P3120153.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a name="_Hlk42722032"><br /></a><p></p><p><br /></p></div>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-76602673166310375632021-04-18T20:15:00.002-07:002021-10-18T03:35:03.670-07:00Sign Up Now for Dr. Drew's Fall 2021 Workshops<p><b>Grant Writing Fundamentals (Remote Live) </b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=CCYUH6PRNBTN4" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="640" height="141" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LEEbEnHF3to/X4lXfQ5jlbI/AAAAAAAAMaU/dXnnO3Vt3kw5MWum7gmK5FYQSXuVP96zgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h141/Grant%2BMoney.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></div><p></p>Learn this valuable skill in a highly interactive videoconferencing format from the comfort of your home. Join Dr. Drew in an invigorating and informative workshop created for new and experienced grant writers, executive directors, organizers, board members, community volunteers, and individuals who want to get a detailed look at the grant writing process. Dr. Drew will introduce you to all information needed for a successful grant proposal. You will learn how funding is announced, how applications are judged, and how to construct each element of a winning proposal. The techniques Dr. Drew emphasizes—including how to work quickly, how to create a winning message, and basic evaluation techniques—apply with equal force to small or large grants. Certificate of completion given to each participant who finishes the class. <br /><br />Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, <span style="text-align: center;">September 18, 2021</span><br /><br /><div>Course Fee: $144 includes a $36 materials fee for handouts and booklet. Pay before September 1, 2021 and you will receive the early bird special pricing of 20% off. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=7TFTLV87K6HS4" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="55" data-original-width="151" height="32" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r5GkDYbkveo/X4l4QNLFPBI/AAAAAAAAMa4/2YHW7z3LUdgt6PhCV7rQpwd5wTL1MD1FACLcBGAsYHQ/w89-h32/Buy%2BNow.png" width="89" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lzMzKqhD-5M/XullUaJr8_I/AAAAAAAALeo/zmt7SSIU45wOK5L8c64AB-DVZSu3y9H9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Camels%2BTogether%2B3.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lzMzKqhD-5M/XullUaJr8_I/AAAAAAAALeo/zmt7SSIU45wOK5L8c64AB-DVZSu3y9H9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Camels%2BTogether%2B3.JPG" width="200" /></a><b>Grant Writing Intermediate (Remote Live)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Dr. Drew presents this hands-on workshop as part of the Grant Writing series of classes. In it, he reveals the secrets of cashing in on grants for individuals in a new, innovative videoconferencing format. Unlimited by the boundaries of a classroom, this new class leverages all the benefits of modern technology to assist individuals seeking resources from corporations, foundations, and government agencies. Dr. Drew also teaches the skills needed to be successful in researching individual grants or educational scholarships. You will have step-by-step guidance on how to become a grant-writing consultant or to create a non-profit charity. John C. Drew, Ph.D., is a speaker, author, and consultant who has raised $52 million for non-profits. <br /><br />Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, <span style="text-align: center;">October 9, 2021</span><br /><br /><div>Course Fee: $144 includes $36 materials fee for handouts and booklet. Pay before October 1, 2021 and you will receive the early bird special pricing of 20% off. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=65G7P3ZVPGZB2" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="55" data-original-width="151" height="32" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r5GkDYbkveo/X4l4QNLFPBI/AAAAAAAAMa4/2YHW7z3LUdgt6PhCV7rQpwd5wTL1MD1FACLcBGAsYHQ/w89-h32/Buy%2BNow.png" width="89" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: red;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PdbYfp20a0w/XulmmCc4XFI/AAAAAAAALfQ/RmIAz0TwYM0jluHSIXrHa6SZs0KoU33-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Eve%2BDesk-2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PdbYfp20a0w/XulmmCc4XFI/AAAAAAAALfQ/RmIAz0TwYM0jluHSIXrHa6SZs0KoU33-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Eve%2BDesk-2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><b>Grant Research Fundamentals (Remote Live)</b></div><br />NOW Remote – Truly at least half of your success in winning grants depends on your skill in researching them. Accordingly, this class has been created for non-profit leaders and staff who need a detailed look at the technology and the practical tips needed to speed-up the grant research process. Participants will be introduced to: <br /><ul><li>Top websites for grant research including those provided by the federal government, State of California, and the Foundation Directory Online by Candid.</li><li>Useful websites for identifying individual grants for art projects, scholarly research, and college and graduate school scholarships.</li></ul>This course has been redesigned for the on-line environment. It will now be easier for students to see grant research websites and other tools in action and simultaneously interact with the instructor. <br /><br />Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, <span style="text-align: center;">November 13, 2021</span><br /><br /><div>Course Fee: $144 includes $36 materials fee for handouts and booklet. Pay before November 1, 2021 and you will receive the early bird special pricing of 20% off. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=CXZVGZD6XUCJQ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="55" data-original-width="151" height="32" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r5GkDYbkveo/X4l4QNLFPBI/AAAAAAAAMa4/2YHW7z3LUdgt6PhCV7rQpwd5wTL1MD1FACLcBGAsYHQ/w89-h32/Buy%2BNow.png" width="89" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: red;"><br /></span></div><b>Fundraising Fundamentals (Remote Live</b>)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zXZ4W5fpYBs/XulnQN8DgZI/AAAAAAAALfg/7LN03FWJtCAXepkAeHMyh3cvXKnwwnzbACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Phone2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1165" data-original-width="1600" height="145" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zXZ4W5fpYBs/XulnQN8DgZI/AAAAAAAALfg/7LN03FWJtCAXepkAeHMyh3cvXKnwwnzbACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Phone2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>NOW Remote – Learn this valuable skill in a highly interactive videoconferencing format from the comfort of your home. Non-profits can win reliable support through grants, but they also need to know the most important basics about other fundraising methods. "I can’t teach everything I know about fundraising," says Dr. Drew, "but I can teach the six most important things I think will make the biggest possible difference for your success." In this workshop, an award-winning author, trainer, and consultant introduces simple proven techniques and strategies. Participants will learn how fundraising has evolved, how new software keeps track of donors, and how to win individual gifts without the pressure of a face-to-face ask. <br /><br />Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, <span style="text-align: center;">December 4, 2021</span><br /><br /><div>Course Fee: $144 includes a $36 materials fee for handouts and booklet. Pay before December 15, 2021 and you will receive the early bird special pricing of 20% off. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=CCYUH6PRNBTN4" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="55" data-original-width="151" height="32" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r5GkDYbkveo/X4l4QNLFPBI/AAAAAAAAMa4/2YHW7z3LUdgt6PhCV7rQpwd5wTL1MD1FACLcBGAsYHQ/w89-h32/Buy%2BNow.png" width="89" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: red;"><br /></span></div><br /><b>Praise for Dr. Drew’s Workshops </b><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“Learned about the database to find grants.” – Nicole Sims, West Los Angeles College<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>“Interacting with the group sparked many great ideas.” - Neekole Glaspie, West Los Angeles College</p></div><div><br /></div><div>"Very informative, with positive energy transferred to the students." <br /><br />"The course was very inviting. Dr. Drew was very clear and knowledgeable. He made it easier for me to achieve my goals and enjoy success in life." <br /><br />"Dr. John Drew was very knowledgeable, invigorating, timely, and made learning interesting and clear." <br /><br />"This was constant, good practical information. The first 15 minutes made the whole class worth it!" <br /><br />"Dr. Drew is wonderful. He taught me a lot in a very short time." <br /><br />"The course was very informative and gave me a good insight into what it takes to be a grant writer." <br /><br />"This class was excellent and very informative." <br /><br />"Great class. Thank you for offering it!" <br /><br />"Yay! Great class!" <br /><br />"Excellent-- I really enjoyed Dr. Drew. Best organized information." <br /><br />"Dr. Drew has given me the tools to stay motivated and to move forward on my non-profit." <br /><br />"Overall outstanding." </div><div><br /></div><div><b>More Upcoming Dates for Spring 2022</b></div><div><br /></div><div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Grant Writing Fundamentals - February 26, 2022<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Grant Writing Intermediate – March 12, 2022<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Grant Research Fundamentals - April 9, 2022<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Fund Raising Fundamentals – May 7, 2022<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /></div>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-91349716326684203602021-02-03T22:36:00.005-08:002021-02-03T22:36:41.958-08:00How to Benefit from "Management Interactive" from Performance Strategies<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Performance Strategies </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">is</span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the fastest growing coaching/training/consulting firm in Orange County, CA. The company was founded in 1985 and is led by Founder and CEO </span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">Will Robertson</span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">, President </span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jay McDowell</span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">, MBA, and Certified Business Coach and </span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lisa Walker</span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Certified Executive Coach, and Senior Partner. </span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #202124;">They made a big difference for Drew & Associates by teaching Dr. Drew the management skills needed to go from being a lone wolf to a large consulting company. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #202124;">The </span>Management Intensive is a 12 session interactive immersion that builds your supervisory skills and increases your effectiveness as a manager and leader of people. Over 12 sessions, you will learn how to be more effective in three key areas: managing yourself, managing others, and managing teams.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">After the 12 session workshop, you will return to your job with greater confidence and skill as a manager and be able to apply what you learned immediately.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-link-type="email" href="mailto:Jay@ps-mcg.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: #48a199;" target="_blank">Register Today by Email</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="background-color: #717a80; color: white; font-size: 28px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: #717a80; color: white; font-size: 28px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">February 5 – April 30, 2021 / Fridays 2-4:pm / Zoom Virtual Classes </span></div><div style="background-color: #717a80; color: white; font-size: 28px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">(No Class on Good Friday – April 2)</span></div><div style="background-color: #717a80; color: white; font-size: 28px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>Management Interactive is perfect for small business owners, mid-level managers, new supervisors, more experienced managers who have never had formal training in effectively managing their teams, and high potential employees who are looking to skill up for their next role.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ibGq1l7IoY8/YBuVZAjWiYI/AAAAAAAANA0/T1wDVUruY7IWg_hE_gizwnJQdjhLiUrawCLcBGAsYHQ/s958/Learn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="958" height="348" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ibGq1l7IoY8/YBuVZAjWiYI/AAAAAAAANA0/T1wDVUruY7IWg_hE_gizwnJQdjhLiUrawCLcBGAsYHQ/w519-h348/Learn.jpg" width="519" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a data-link-type="document" href="https://files.constantcontact.com/775f27d7001/3ee9d5ba-a246-4e6d-8d29-97c40c66ffb0.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: #48a199;" target="_blank">Link to Informational Flyer</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kzl_8LEVAP8/YBuVlHcKnuI/AAAAAAAANA8/c2XAfxzRJS8VPGP0qPsPGqfH2iNe_XBnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s383/Sandy%2BCramer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="253" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kzl_8LEVAP8/YBuVlHcKnuI/AAAAAAAANA8/c2XAfxzRJS8VPGP0qPsPGqfH2iNe_XBnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Sandy%2BCramer.png" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">About Your Instructor - Sandy Crammer</span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sandy has a Master’s-level Graduate Certificate in Organization Development from Denver University, an MBA from Pepperdine University, and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, Irvine.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">She is a certified Executive Coach, having earned her coaching certification from the prestigious and internationally known Hudson Institute of Coaching.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">She is also a certified trainer and change practitioner of the Prosci Research change management methodology. Sandy is certified in many best-in-class learning programs from world-class vendors, as well as several 360 feedback instruments, and many individual and team assessments.</div><div><br /></div><div><a data-link-type="document" href="https://files.constantcontact.com/775f27d7001/774ba21c-c94f-4993-8197-f592a05063b3.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: #48a199;" target="_blank">More About Sandy Crammer</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Check Out Week 1 and Week 2</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Week 1: Introduction & Overview; Leadership & Employee Engagement - February 5, 2021.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">This session will introduce you to the program and format and set expectations and learning objectives.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Week 2: Your Style & How You Lead: DISC & Management - February 12, 2021.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Your management style can influence how you make decisions, manage your time, and solve problems. In this workshop you will deepen your understanding of your own management style and how it affects your day-to-day interactions with your team. You will walk away with concrete strategies that will help you flex your style, enabling you to bring out the best your team.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a data-link-type="document" href="https://files.constantcontact.com/775f27d7001/c68928ab-99ea-4c15-9b1b-983306f6e9ea.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: #48a199;" target="_blank">Click Here for the Full Schedule</a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8SIU5npJlco/YBuVQo1wfFI/AAAAAAAANAw/kY37yRYpkQAvs9P2k6jv26Q3Vue6Ve6XgCLcBGAsYHQ/s760/Pricing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="760" height="310" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8SIU5npJlco/YBuVQo1wfFI/AAAAAAAANAw/kY37yRYpkQAvs9P2k6jv26Q3Vue6Ve6XgCLcBGAsYHQ/w494-h310/Pricing.png" width="494" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a data-link-type="email" href="mailto:Jay@ps-mcg.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: #48a199;" target="_blank">Register Today by Email</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-70922233800286630922021-01-16T16:30:00.003-08:002021-01-16T16:31:51.918-08:00Make 2021 Your Best Year Ever: How a New Resume Means a New More Powerful You<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pyASY48n0OM/YAOE497tGKI/AAAAAAAAM-4/b9MTx2wZs_Ez9qH60-apZ7MEYYmZApfQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Phone2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1491" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pyASY48n0OM/YAOE497tGKI/AAAAAAAAM-4/b9MTx2wZs_Ez9qH60-apZ7MEYYmZApfQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Phone2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>One of Dr. Drew's biggest secrets of success as a grant writer is his skill at tweaking the resumes of the charity's key talent so they are more likely to win really big, life-transforming grants. In our increasingly media-saturated world, a fresh -- strategically designed -- resume can be the difference between winning or losing either a job or a multi-million dollar grant. At any rate, we thought it would be fun to offer a special starting in January 2021 for everyone who is seeking to find or get a better job. Here are the details of Dr. Drew's resume writing package.<p></p><div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><h3 style="margin: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's What Dr. Drew Will Do to Improve Your Job and Career Prospects for 2021</span></h3><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><h3 style="margin: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Discounted price: $400. </span></h3><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Regular price, after January 30, 2021: $500.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><h4 style="margin: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Payment by Check</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">For payment by check, mail to: Drew & Associates, 25195 Via Catalina, Suite A, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Please make checks payable to “Drew & Associates.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">OR<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><h4 style="margin: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Payment by PayPal</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div></div><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" target="_top"><input alt="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!" border="0" name="submit" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_buynowCC_LG.gif" type="image" /> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px;" width="1" /><br /><br /><div class="MsoPlainText"><h3 style="margin: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></h3><h3 style="margin: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Read What One Professional Says About Dr. Drew's Resume Writing Services and Why a New Resume is a New Life.</span></h3><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">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 the administration. John helped me immensely with updating my curriculum vitae and creating a new cover letter tailored to the specific job I am seeking.<br /><br />I felt his knowledge of the community college system, strong writing skills, and connections were extremely valuable to me - helping me gain insight and add information that I would not have considered myself.<br /><br />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. </span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I strongly recommend his services - personable, well-qualified, knowledgeable, and outstanding writing skills. With his help, I got a great new job. Thank you!</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />-- Dr. Irit Gat, Antelope Valley College</span></div></form>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-80705248929197265462020-11-29T22:29:00.008-08:002021-01-01T04:02:35.297-08:00Preparing Yourself for a Successful 2021: The Importance of Gathering Key Documents<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MW2mPu0k68g/X8SRDuAtOwI/AAAAAAAAM4A/JPsGu-Hh5f4e4NgXwj-dT56dHhR9soikACLcBGAsYHQ/s1424/Elf.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1424" data-original-width="1056" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MW2mPu0k68g/X8SRDuAtOwI/AAAAAAAAM4A/JPsGu-Hh5f4e4NgXwj-dT56dHhR9soikACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Elf.jpg" /></a></div>We like to use the holiday season's quiet times to collect copies of key documents that will be essential to our grant writing success in the future. First, this means asking your staff and key project leaders to update their resumes. <br /><br />Too many staff members do not even list their current job or their current responsibilities on their resumes. Making sure that this crucial information is current will help you with winning grants in 2021.<br /><br />Along with the updated resumes, we think the holiday season is a good time to ask your leadership to prepare budgets for the projects they want to get funded in 2021. Getting this sort of information ahead of time will help everyone get real about their needs. Moreover, it will save valuable time in the coming year when you need to prepare budgets for crucial projects.<br /><br />Finally, the holiday season is a good time to plan ahead and determine which educational conferences you would like to attend. Ideally, you should be preparing yourself to present a paper or make a presentation, at one or more of those conferences. <div><br /></div><div>Being able to add these kinds of publishing credentials to your resume might make a crucial difference in establishing that you have the imagination and state-off-the-art knowledge needed to implement a truly creative and effective grant project. There is almost no more sure path to success with grants.</div>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-80375718025883993752020-11-29T22:10:00.004-08:002020-11-29T22:10:38.912-08:00Planning Your 2021 Grant Writing: How to Make Next Year Better Than the Last<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e9_zLGvOLfA/X8SMd9Nd6xI/AAAAAAAAM30/D7q9zmOYrwsnBPFgqdfOE-F4okmksTZngCLcBGAsYHQ/s1585/LightBulbs2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1071" data-original-width="1585" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e9_zLGvOLfA/X8SMd9Nd6xI/AAAAAAAAM30/D7q9zmOYrwsnBPFgqdfOE-F4okmksTZngCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/LightBulbs2020.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>When we discuss ideas for Lightning Fast Grant Writing, we sometimes forget to mention the power and speed that comes from simply planning ahead.<p></p><div>For example, one of the tasks we recommend for grant writers to get done in the month of December is to chart out the due dates for their most important grant applications.</div><div><br /></div><div>Often you can find out the upcoming deadlines by reviewing the websites of your most important funders. We like to take that information and add it to an Excel spreadsheet that is organized in chronological order. It also works to put everything into Outlook too. You can even set up tasks to remind you to work on those particular grants ahead of time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ideally, these due dates can also be included in your overall fundraising planning calendar so that everyone in your fundraising department, or administrative staff, knows what to expect in the year ahead.</div><div><br /></div><div>Although it may not be possible to pick exact dates for upcoming federal or state grant competitions, you can often guess when these grants will be available simply by checking on your prior year's experience and assuming the government funders will follow the same rough schedule in the coming year too.</div><div><br style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /></div>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-25804391059324065852020-11-06T17:52:00.002-08:002020-11-06T20:47:23.912-08:00Don't Skip the Basics: Tips for Grant Writers in Tough Times and Beyond<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PRv3nM1AJZ4/X6X7lhnubVI/AAAAAAAAMlQ/JT1t-_WKxw0YhnG43DvaLgHRhyfALkkDACLcBGAsYHQ/s276/Treasure2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="276" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PRv3nM1AJZ4/X6X7lhnubVI/AAAAAAAAMlQ/JT1t-_WKxw0YhnG43DvaLgHRhyfALkkDACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Treasure2.jpg" /></a></div>As we have said for years, when times are tough you can always win and succeed by going back to the basics. Sure. You still have to know the basics, right? <p></p><p>At Drew & Associates, sticking to the basics means realizing that your time with any funder is going to be exceedingly short and that you will also be competing against other charities for the resources of the same funders. This means you have no choice except to develop a winning theme. This theme must call attention to your strengths, distract attention from your weaknesses. It must also call attention to your competitor's weaknesses and undermine their strengths. </p><p>For example, if you are competing against an established charity with a large number of employees, then you need to stress that your volunteers are not only better role-models for your clients but also have better social networks in the larger community too. You should also mention that your volunteers are saving you money so that more of your resources are directly spent on clients. </p><p>Along the same lines, you are wise to write out an elevator
speech for your charity. This is the speech that you would give to an interested potential donor if your time with them was limited to the amount of time you spend with them in an elevator going up to the 105th floor. </p><p>This elevator story needs to reflect the power of your winning theme. Ideally, everyone in the organization needs to memorize your elevator pitch so you can communicate with busy donors in a clear, concise,
heartfelt way. We want your prospect to be motivated to go back to her office and search for more
information about your organization. Of course, you should also make sure that the winning themes in your slogan, match those in your elevator speech, and also on the website too. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A fellow grant writer reminded us that our charities tend to be better at fundraising than they are at saving money. This means that every time we write a grant proposal we look for some ingenious cost-saving measure which can be highlighted as evidence of our thriftiness. The trick is to let the funder know that you are interested in cost-saving measures and that you are in the process of streamlining your organization. This effort at self-improvement should be taking place, day after day, in good times and bad. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal">It is probably a good idea to remember that, in good times and bad, grantmakers want to make sure that the organizations applying for grants really need the money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also want to be
certain that the money they give will be spent wisely and make an
impact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Funders are eager to justify their grants to their board members and other stakeholders. Accordingly, they are looking for thoughtful ways of measuring impact. You can do that too. You should, however, look for impacts that are also in line with your winning theme. </p><p class="MsoNormal">You do not want to shoot yourself in the foot by measuring things that make your nonprofit look worse. Instead, you should report measures which show off your strengths. You may, in fact, need to reinvent your field to make that happen. If that is the case, do it. The alternative is to be trapped in the position of being second best. </p>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-62703459687845853822020-11-06T17:24:00.004-08:002020-11-06T20:44:38.227-08:00Compelling Reasons Why Your Charity Needs Foundation Grants to Survive<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z6yTJfZ8q6Y/X6X3NiAtLzI/AAAAAAAAMlE/Sh0OXe_Jav4ymvwK46jhJSM6NnOcdSwMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s225/Gold.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z6yTJfZ8q6Y/X6X3NiAtLzI/AAAAAAAAMlE/Sh0OXe_Jav4ymvwK46jhJSM6NnOcdSwMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Gold.jpg" /></a></div>According to Dr. Drew, managing director of Drew &
Associates, “I see profound evidence supporting why your non-profit organization
should stress grant writing for foundation funding in 2021 and maybe even
longer.”<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Those reasons are:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Stable Giving – Foundations must make charitable grants – in
good times and bad – of at least 5% of their assets, averaged over five years.
Importantly, foundations frequently increase their donations in challenging
times to compensate for the financial difficulties charities face. 2020 has
been no exception. According to our friends at Foundation Search – over 7,500
US foundations have explicitly launched COVID-19 relief initiatives. They
believe this number will increase significantly in 2021.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Predictable giving – Foundations exist to donate to charity,
unlike individuals and corporations, who have a variety of shifting interests
and priorities that are dependent on a robust economy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Foundations often publish giving guidelines
relating to geographic and philanthropic areas of giving interest – furthermore,
analysis of giving through time indicates that most foundations maintain a strong, consistent focus in the areas they support.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Low risk / low cost – unlike high expenditure / high risk
fundraising efforts like golf tournaments and galas, foundation fundraising
requires very little upfront investment, typically $5,000-$15,000, and with the average single foundation grant amount of $59,300 (2019, 2020), it provides the
most cost-efficient method of fundraising – all that is required to start is a
funding database which identifies good funding prospects, a good letter, and a
few stamps and envelopes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Low effort – relative to almost any other form of
fundraising, approaching foundations requires fewer resources to succeed. This
is particularly true of the upfront work in sorting through the over 135,000 U.S. foundations to identify a list of “best prospects” for your project, a task
that a few years ago could consume months of effort. Foundation funding
information and management systems are now able to intelligently and
accurately identify a shortlist of the best prospects for a variety of project
funding needs, including COVID-19 funding – and recommend a safe asking amount
based on the funders prior giving history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The balance of the upfront effort simply involves writing and sending a
letter of inquiry to your foundation prospects to determine their interest in
helping you.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Growth – the most recent CCS Fundraising survey (August,
2020)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>indicates that foundation funding
was the fastest-growing giving source since 2015-19, growing at a rate of 5.7%,
compared to 3.2% for giving by individual donors. Foundations gave $72<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>billion, in the form of an estimated
1,164,000 grants – that is more than one grant for every two charities in the US so your odds of getting funded – if you apply of course – are good.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Increased credibility for you and your organization – well,
once you get funded by a foundation that is. When you are successful in
attracting a foundation grant you will open up many doors in the foundation and
corporate world for your organization for years to come – you have proven that
you are worth funding and can deliver. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Diversification of funding sources – financial advisors will
strongly advise you not to put your life savings into a single stock or sector;
for the same reason, having a variety of funding sources—including foundation
funding—will strengthen your organization and protect it from the sharp
downturns every economy periodically experiences.<o:p></o:p></p>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-8138531649167928742020-11-06T17:13:00.001-08:002020-11-10T17:23:47.321-08:00Foundations – Why Should They be Key to Your Pandemic Treasure Hunt?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n7BapkU8KxM/X6XzrbFg8YI/AAAAAAAAMk4/P1mfVC3Pl8gYqf8USpxEuODgvqYnTgqmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s300/Treasure.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n7BapkU8KxM/X6XzrbFg8YI/AAAAAAAAMk4/P1mfVC3Pl8gYqf8USpxEuODgvqYnTgqmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Treasure.jpg" /></a></div>Our staff at Drew & Associates speaks with hundreds of
non-profits and foundations each month.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The news we are hearing tells us that too many of the reliable
strategies charities traditionally used to raise money in 2020 have proven inadequate. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The worst-hit has been to events-based fundraising, which, according
to the folks at Foundation Search, “has shrunk in terms of proceeds by over 70%
since March 2020.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sadly, individual giving has also dropped in 2020.
Individual donors are feeling less generous, in part, because of the side
effects of double-digit unemployment and bleak job futures.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As you might expect corporate giving is in trouble too. Corporate
philanthropy is flat in the financial and technology sectors, and down
significantly in most other sectors, including energy, resources, retail,
travel and hospitality.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Is 2021 going to be better?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Despite the late summer optimism as COVID-19 cases fell and
lockdowns eased, many forecasters are now saying it will very likely be a “2020
repeat” given the fall spike in cases, despite prospects for an effective vaccine, and hopefulness about its wide-spread distribution.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">So, what should a non-profit do to stay alive (and perhaps
even thrive) in 2021?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">We believe that the things that worked in 2020 should
continue to work in 2021.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Thanks to all the reports we have received from a considerable number of
clients and other non-profits, we know that 2020 has been a good year to date for foundation giving </p><p class="MsoNormal">Importantly, over 7,500 US foundations have announced
funding initiatives directly focusing on COVID-19 relief.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Since April, we have directly assisted over 25 charities in
their efforts to locate and secure COVID-19 emergency funding.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">If you are still looking for assistance, contact us for our
most recent COVID-19 funders list – it is free for the asking for all
non-profits. Call Drew & Associates at 949-338-5921. </p>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-20891653768378339092020-10-16T01:36:00.002-07:002020-10-16T03:46:30.737-07:00Mark Your Calendar: Join Dr. Drew's Live Remote Grant and Fundraising Workshops for Spring 2021<p><b>Grant Writing Fundamentals (Remote Live) </b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=CCYUH6PRNBTN4" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="640" height="141" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LEEbEnHF3to/X4lXfQ5jlbI/AAAAAAAAMaU/dXnnO3Vt3kw5MWum7gmK5FYQSXuVP96zgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h141/Grant%2BMoney.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></div><p></p>Learn this valuable skill in a highly interactive videoconferencing format from the comfort of your home. Join Dr. Drew in an invigorating and informative workshop created for new and experienced grant writers, executive directors, organizers, board members, community volunteers, and individuals who want to get a detailed look at the grant writing process. Dr. Drew will introduce you to all information needed for a successful grant proposal. You will learn how funding is announced, how applications are judged, and how to construct each element of a winning proposal. The techniques Dr. Drew emphasizes—including how to work quickly, how to create a winning message, and basic evaluation techniques—apply with equal force to small or large grants. Certificate of completion given to each participant who finishes the class. <br /><br />Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 27, 2021.<br /><br /><div>Course Fee: $144 includes $36 materials fee for handouts and booklet. Pay before February 1, 2021 and you will receive the early bird special pricing of 20% off. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=7TFTLV87K6HS4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="55" data-original-width="151" height="32" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r5GkDYbkveo/X4l4QNLFPBI/AAAAAAAAMa4/2YHW7z3LUdgt6PhCV7rQpwd5wTL1MD1FACLcBGAsYHQ/w89-h32/Buy%2BNow.png" width="89" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lzMzKqhD-5M/XullUaJr8_I/AAAAAAAALeo/zmt7SSIU45wOK5L8c64AB-DVZSu3y9H9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Camels%2BTogether%2B3.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lzMzKqhD-5M/XullUaJr8_I/AAAAAAAALeo/zmt7SSIU45wOK5L8c64AB-DVZSu3y9H9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Camels%2BTogether%2B3.JPG" width="200" /></a><b>Grant Writing Intermediate (Remote Live)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Dr. Drew presents this hands-on workshop as part of the Grant Writing series of classes. In it, he reveals the secrets of cashing in on grants for individuals in a new, innovative videoconferencing format. Unlimited by the boundaries of a classroom, this new class leverages all the benefits of modern technology to assist individuals seeking resources from corporations, foundations, and government agencies. Dr. Drew also teaches the skills needed to be successful in researching individual grants or educational scholarships. You will have step-by-step guidance on how to become a grant-writing consultant or to create a non-profit charity. John C. Drew, Ph.D., is a speaker, author, and consultant who has raised $52 million for non-profits. <br /><br />Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 13, 2021<br /><br /><div>Course Fee: $144 includes $36 materials fee for handouts and booklet. Pay before February 1, 2021 and you will receive the early bird special pricing of 20% off. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=65G7P3ZVPGZB2" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="55" data-original-width="151" height="32" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r5GkDYbkveo/X4l4QNLFPBI/AAAAAAAAMa4/2YHW7z3LUdgt6PhCV7rQpwd5wTL1MD1FACLcBGAsYHQ/w89-h32/Buy%2BNow.png" width="89" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: red;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PdbYfp20a0w/XulmmCc4XFI/AAAAAAAALfQ/RmIAz0TwYM0jluHSIXrHa6SZs0KoU33-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Eve%2BDesk-2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PdbYfp20a0w/XulmmCc4XFI/AAAAAAAALfQ/RmIAz0TwYM0jluHSIXrHa6SZs0KoU33-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Eve%2BDesk-2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><b>Grant Research Fundamentals (Remote Live)</b></div><br />NOW Remote – Truly at least half of your success in winning grants depends on your skill in researching them. Accordingly, this class has been created for non-profit leaders and staff who need a detailed look at the technology and the practical tips needed to speed-up the grant research process. Participants will be introduced to: <br /><ul><li>Top websites for grant research including those provided by the federal government, State of California, and the Foundation Directory Online by Candid.</li><li>Useful websites for identifying individual grants for art projects, scholarly research, and college and graduate school scholarships.</li></ul>This course has been redesigned for the on-line environment. It will now be easier for students to see grant research websites and other tools in action and simultaneously interact with the instructor. <br /><br />Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 10, 2021<br /><br /><div>Course Fee: $144 includes $36 materials fee for handouts and booklet. Pay before February 1, 2021 and you will receive the early bird special pricing of 20% off. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=CXZVGZD6XUCJQ" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="55" data-original-width="151" height="32" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r5GkDYbkveo/X4l4QNLFPBI/AAAAAAAAMa4/2YHW7z3LUdgt6PhCV7rQpwd5wTL1MD1FACLcBGAsYHQ/w89-h32/Buy%2BNow.png" width="89" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: red;"><br /></span></div><b>Fundraising Fundamentals (Remote Live</b>)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zXZ4W5fpYBs/XulnQN8DgZI/AAAAAAAALfg/7LN03FWJtCAXepkAeHMyh3cvXKnwwnzbACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Phone2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1165" data-original-width="1600" height="145" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zXZ4W5fpYBs/XulnQN8DgZI/AAAAAAAALfg/7LN03FWJtCAXepkAeHMyh3cvXKnwwnzbACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Phone2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>NOW Remote – Learn this valuable skill in a highly interactive videoconferencing format from the comfort of your home. Non-profits can win reliable support through grants, but they also need to know the most important basics about other fundraising methods. "I can’t teach everything I know about fundraising," says Dr. Drew, "but I can teach the six most important things I think will make the biggest possible difference for your success." In this workshop, an award-winning author, trainer, and consultant introduces simple proven techniques and strategies. Participants will learn how fundraising has evolved, how new software keeps track of donors, and how to win individual gifts without the pressure of a face-to-face ask. <br /><br />Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 8, 2021<br /><br /><div>Course Fee: $144 includes $36 materials fee for handouts and booklet. Pay before February 1, 2021 and you will receive the early bird special pricing of 20% off. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=CCYUH6PRNBTN4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="55" data-original-width="151" height="32" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r5GkDYbkveo/X4l4QNLFPBI/AAAAAAAAMa4/2YHW7z3LUdgt6PhCV7rQpwd5wTL1MD1FACLcBGAsYHQ/w89-h32/Buy%2BNow.png" width="89" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: red;"><br /></span></div><br /><b>Praise for Dr. Drew’s Workshops </b><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“Learned about the database to
find grants.” – Nicole Sims, West Los Angeles College<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>“Interacting with the group
sparked many great ideas.” - Neekole Glaspie, West Los Angeles College</p></div><div><br /></div><div>"Very informative, with positive energy transferred to the students." <br /><br />"The course was very inviting. Dr. Drew was very clear and knowledgeable. He made it easier for me to achieve my goals and enjoy success in life." <br /><br />"Dr. John Drew was very knowledgeable, invigorating, timely, and made learning interesting and clear." <br /><br />"This was constant, good practical information. The first 15 minutes made the whole class worth it!" <br /><br />"Dr. Drew is wonderful. He taught me a lot in a very short time." <br /><br />"The course was very informative and gave me a good insight into what it takes to be a grant writer." <br /><br />"This class was excellent and very informative." <br /><br />"Great class. Thank you for offering it!" <br /><br />"Yay! Great class!" <br /><br />"Excellent-- I really enjoyed Dr. Drew. Best organized information." <br /><br />"Dr. Drew has given me the tools to stay motivated and to move forward on my non-profit." <br /><br />"Overall outstanding." </div><div><br /></div><div><b>More Upcoming Dates for Fall 2021</b></div><div><br /></div><div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Grant Writing
Fundamentals - September 18, 2021<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Grant Writing
Intermediate – October 9, 2021<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Grant Research
Fundamentals - November 13, 2021<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Fund Raising Fundamentals
– December 4, 2021<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><br /><br /><br /></div>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-26415496288569626382020-09-07T23:57:00.059-07:002020-10-01T15:14:43.173-07:00Ahead of the Curve: How to Capture the Benefits of Being Well-Informed<i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PoYpM8OteQw/X1crFgsbDNI/AAAAAAAAMLg/AALLOtuwkWoMRG_Ephi2euKXKVhwJ3tLwCLcBGAsYHQ/s300/Girl.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PoYpM8OteQw/X1crFgsbDNI/AAAAAAAAMLg/AALLOtuwkWoMRG_Ephi2euKXKVhwJ3tLwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Girl.jpg" /></a></div>Au courant</i> is a fancy way of saying, "aware of what is going on; well informed." Why is this important to the success of any charity seeking grants? <br /><br />If you have already read the article above, then you would know at least part of the answer. After all, a charity is meant to be a living, problem-solving organism that is continuously scanning its environment, and looking for ever better ways to come to the rescue of those who can most benefit from its help. <br /><br />There are many ways to show that your charity is a thriving organization that fits this description. <div><br /></div><div><div>One of the best ways to make sure that you are sending a message that your charity is <i>au courant</i> is by documenting your evidence of need or the quality of your solutions is by relying only on peer-reviewed research articles that were published within the last two years. If you depend on older citations, it makes you and your staff with the lazy. Even worse it may make it look like you and your program are dangerously out-of-date. </div><div><br /></div><div>You may be inadvertently leaving the funder with the impression that you are taking action on behalf of others when you really do not know for sure what is going on or what are the best practices for helping them. Ideally, your grant applications should be teaching the funders about both the actual needs and the best possible solutions. </div><div><br /></div><div>Next, it does matter whether not you have mentioned COVID-19. Failing to mention the ongoing pandemic makes it look like you and your organization are out of touch with reality. This is true whether or not your program has any COVID-19 related features. </div><div><br /></div><div>Along the same lines, there is nothing wrong with acknowledging that things are happening in the world in terms of rioting in the streets or the stresses of a presidential campaign. There is no reason for you to take any sides when acknowledging current events. It is enough to simply signal that you realize the world is changing and that you are on top of that change. </div></div>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-81346350941215737352020-09-07T23:25:00.015-07:002020-09-15T22:18:17.317-07:00Looking Good: Understand the Ideal Charity Before You Describe Yourself<p><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FIVfGmydf6s/X2Gedrvco-I/AAAAAAAAMPM/8fREIBnJesolwJs-nkqocLfHhOXKm_uOwCLcBGAsYHQ/s275/Bike.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FIVfGmydf6s/X2Gedrvco-I/AAAAAAAAMPM/8fREIBnJesolwJs-nkqocLfHhOXKm_uOwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Bike.jpg" /></a></div><div>We have been fans of the James Bond series since we were kids in the 1960s. The genre, of course, was popular for many years and started out as novels by Ian Fleming.</div><div><br /></div><div>James Bond was sort of the perfect guy, handsome, patriotic, intelligent, and able to handle himself in a fight. To blow away your funder, your charity needs to be something of an ideal too. The funders, after all, may have a stereotyped understanding of what an ideal charity looks like and then use this image to judge your strengths or weaknesses.</div><div><br /></div><div>The solution? Understand what an ideal charity looks like and become one.</div><div><br /></div>I'm not suggesting that you should live to the funder. In fact I think that is counterproductive . The people that run these foundations or government agencies that giveaway grants aren't stupid. They have their own sources of information including insight from your competitors so I don't think you can count on getting away with things that are untruthful . <br /><br />Nevertheless you may get away with looking better than your competition by having a clearer understanding of what an ideal charity looks like . Basically in the ideal charity is a glamorous self-less problem solving machine that makes its community dash broadly defined path of a better place . <br /><br />This means that is going to have some common features , features that you should talk about 80 have fun and features that you should probably add to your charity if you do not. Among these ideal aspects of the charity including adding it up to date profile on guide star or charity navigator . It is too easy for the funder to google you and see where you stand. If you're up to date on these things she looked old-fashion or perhaps like you really aren't paying sufficient attention to your charity and how does seem by the outside world. Remember, these funders are going to be embarrassed if they get the money and then one of their bodies: supper profile and find a pitcher not doing so good . <br /><br />Next to an ideal charity should have a strong board of directors ideally filled with some of the Mo six else: wealthiest people in the community . You may already have a board like that but you've been to Cheyenne haven't been bragging about how incredible some of your people really are. Now's the time to start bragging . <br /><br />It's also good to let people know that you haven't audited financial statement . These are important even for smaller charities. I can say with my four heart that could you pay the extra money to have an audited financial statement you easily get that money back by winning more grants . <br /><br />It's also important to let the funder know that you have a strategic planning process that the charity just isn't moving from crisis to crisis . Your let people know that you have considered your strengths and weaknesses the environmental opportunities and threats and that you're moving rationally on the basis of a well thought out board approved a five year plan . The father doesn't have to know that this is a two page document that she created the day before turning in the grant proposal . Nevertheless that's a good idea to have a document like that in place. In fact it should improve your operations. <br /><br />It is also important to put in some sort of equity diversity and inclusion statement . These things are rather far most and difficult to follow up on. Nevertheless the funder appreciates it if you put something like that in their . Also the funders are products of liberal and leftist educational institutions . Putting in this sort of skinheads to their politically correct preferences will simply remove one more excuse for them to toss your application out . <br /><br />Finally, it is important that everything lines of this means that you have the right mission statement , the corrected vision for your charity , a crack team in place , the best possible solution , and the greatest possible need in the community to six . What she may not realize, however, is that all five of these variables can be adjusted . There's nothing wrong with changing your mission statement so it reflects what you really do , there's nothing wrong with identifying the greatest need in the community and then adjusting of other elements of your charity to address that need . If you have one solution that you're really get that there's nothing bad about shopping around in finding an appropriate problem just sat with that solution all that really matters, in the end, is the coherence of your charity . Another words everything he asks a line of all five of these things need to line up so that your charity looks like a smart well organized the machine . John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-42377834035283367452020-09-07T23:12:00.127-07:002020-10-01T15:24:08.079-07:00No Time for Boredom: The Best Approach for Creating Grants that Blow Away the Funders<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lg5W6V6xrOs/X2GYrba0-AI/AAAAAAAAMPA/8DXf9xMnro8Tbt3CeAMdV82ZM7SgjtypQCLcBGAsYHQ/s273/Bond.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lg5W6V6xrOs/X2GYrba0-AI/AAAAAAAAMPA/8DXf9xMnro8Tbt3CeAMdV82ZM7SgjtypQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Bond.jpg" /></a></div>LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA - The new James Bond thriller, <i>No Time to Die</i>, will be in theaters November 25, 2020. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, most of us at Drew & Associates will be waiting to watch the film when it is available at home, preferably on Hulu. This is not because of our health status, but because of our pessimism. <br /><br />At any rate, the return of James Bond reminds us that one of the most important secrets of success for grant writers is to blow away the funder. After they have read your application, they should be in awe of your charity and what you are doing. This is particularly true when you are writing grants for a newer charity that may not have the built-in credibility or experience of older charities.<br /><br />This raises the question of what techniques can you rely on to help you come up with a creative, remarkable project that would impress even a hard-boiled villain like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Stavro_Blofeld" target="_blank">Ernst Stavro Blofeld</a>?<div><br /></div><div>To generate excitement, the best and fastest procedure is to trust your own instincts. This means you need to trust your own perceptions of the wow factor surrounding the project. Others have taught that this wow-factor arises in the awesome moment when you realize why the funder will have no choice except to approve your application. </div><div><br /></div><div>For us, the sign of truly great grant applications is the feeling that we have had an epiphany. </div><div><br /></div><div>According to our online dictionary, some define an epiphany is a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience. </div><div><br /></div><div>For us, a better definition is that an epiphany is when you have an intuitive grasp of reality through something (such as an event) usually simple and striking. </div><div><br /></div><div>This fits how epiphanies work for us. Amazingly, we find that an epiphany can occur at any stage of the grant writing project. </div><div><br /></div><div>It can happen immediately when you hear the idea and understand that no one else has seen something so simple or clever as this before. It may be halfway through the project when you realize that new research gives you powerful support for a fresh approach that no one else has anticipated. It may, in fact, occur at the last minute, when you realize that a single missing piece puts everything else in order. </div><div><br /></div><div>Practically speaking, the earlier epiphanies are the best. </div><div><br /></div><div>Often early epiphanies appear as moments of confidence when you realize that the only thing the client needed to win a grant was you. This happens fairly frequently because the client may not be aware of the funder's interest in their work. </div><div><br /></div><div>By interviewing the client you can identify a unique and original approach at the beginning and then proceed with confidence that you can bring that idea to exactly the right funder. </div><div><br /></div><div>One of our secrets for benefiting from early epiphanies is to hold on to them tight. This is because the strategy and vision we set up at the beginning of the grant writing process have been achieved in an atmosphere of relatively low stress and low conflict. We think we are most rational at the beginning of the project. As stress increases - right up to the deadline - we find we are increasingly less likely to make good decisions regarding the overall grant strategy. It pays to hold tight to your initial vision.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another way to generate an early epiphany is to look for ideas that apply new technology to solve existing problems. </div><div><br /></div><div>For us, this has been the quickest and fastest way to create a project that will "blow away the funder." For example, you might provide access to your program through a new app instead of a personal face-to-face classroom or workshop. You might invent a new way to counsel people through Zoom or figure out how to deliver groceries with a drone. Often, you can spark an epiphany by asking what new technology the client is using or by bringing the value of new technology to their attention. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br style="background-color: white; color: #403f42; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;" /></div>John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-73243500567067054152020-06-24T00:51:00.001-07:002020-07-06T11:02:29.397-07:00How to Use Your Cover Letter to Influence a Grant Reader<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xTA67Lnieog/XwLFRYUm7wI/AAAAAAAALpY/vgyo6lau_mIbVnqgOga1AuzcpgbLl9jfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Grant2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xTA67Lnieog/XwLFRYUm7wI/AAAAAAAALpY/vgyo6lau_mIbVnqgOga1AuzcpgbLl9jfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Grant2.jpg" width="212" /></a>In the History Channel's new <a href="https://www.history.com/shows/grant">Grant</a> miniseries, they report on the blunt philosophy of Ulysses S. Grant. "The art of war is simple enough," he said. "Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on."<br />
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If you want to follow his exploits they now have an <a href="https://www.history.com/shows/grant/interactives/ulysses-s-grant-battle-map">interactive map</a> of his key Civil War battles which helps you appreciate what he did to win the war.<br />
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Ultimately, I see his views as a call for considerable focus. The same principle applies in the less physical risky and dangerous arena of grant writing. <br />
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As a political scientist, I was always interested in how political consultants used direct mail to raise money and advertise their political candidates. As a grant writing consultant, I have adopted a lot of these same techniques to benefit the non-profit clients we serve at Drew & Associates. Many of the political consultant's best ideas were the result of early eye tracking technology experiments.<br />
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For example, it turns out that when someone opens a letter the first thing that attracts their eyes is the appearance of their own name. Consequently, I am very careful about having my staff double check the spelling of the recipient's name and also their title. My view is that if we make a mistake with the grant reader's name, then we immediately make a bad impression. If we get their name exactly correct, however, we will have used that initial <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millisecond">millisecond</a> of exposure to immediately win the trust and confidence of the reader. <br />
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This is why I refuse to issue letters of inquiry or cover letters that are simply addressed to generic appellations like "To Whom It May Concern" or "Dear Sir or Madam." I also use a Ms. or Mr. when I address the letter reader too. If the person's name gives me little indication of their gender, then I try to Google them to figure out the appropriate term of address. If they have a non-English name that I am unfamiliar with, then I will Google that too.<br />
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I also avoid using the generic term Grant Administrator or Grant Coordinator. Instead, I review the funder's website or research printout and address the letter to their president or chair. To make sure that I get the name exactly right, I will cut and paste it directly from the website.<br />
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It turns out that the next place a person's eye goes to when they read your letter of inquiry or your cover letter is your own signature. Try this yourself and notice how your eyes move over the next letter you receive in the mail. I also seek to leverage this initial bit of information too. If you have ever taken one of my grant writing workshops, then you will remember that I spend time teaching people how to create a professional looking signature. Too often, I have seen people labor over a grant application and then - at the last minute - undercut their own effort by signing the application or cover letter as if they just finished an increasingly rare third grade <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/cursive-handwriting-disappearing-from-public-schools/2013/04/04/215862e0-7d23-11e2-a044-676856536b40_story.html">penmanship class</a>.<br />
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Instead, I recommend signing quickly, like you are a doctor signing a prescription. The signature, by the way, should be done with blue ink. We use blue ink so that the reader understands that the signature is applied with a pen and not done with a photo image the same color as the text.<br />
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Finally, the folks who taught me about political direct mail always stressed the P.S. at the end of the letter. For some reason, people will scan the entire letter first, but then zero in on the P.S., or post script, at the end of the letter. To take advantage of that habit, I like to place the most compelling message regarding the charity and its project in the P.S. I rarely send out any letter of inquiry or cover letter without including a P.S. <br />
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P.S. If you follow these tips, you will be using the reader's most basic habits to quickly get a powerful first impression established in their minds in six seconds or less. </div>
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John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-82848222037159423112020-06-24T00:41:00.002-07:002020-07-06T11:05:14.155-07:00How to Get the Most Out of Your Grant Writing Meetings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been watching the new <a href="https://www.history.com/shows/grant">Grant</a> miniseries on the History Channel. I recommend it.<br />
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As they write: "While nothing in Grant’s early life marked him for greatness, he now stands as one of the most brilliant military minds in U.S. history—credited with winning the Civil War and preserving the American Union. This map charts his progress and achievements during the nation’s most wrenching conflict." At the very least, the miniseries will remind you of the extent to which politics gets in the way of action. <br />
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In grant writing, we typically address the politics of grant writing by asking our clients to fill out a project innovator form and collect the needed documents. This is usually enough to identify issues that might get in the way of creating a winning grant campaign. <br />
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We have also found it essential to conduct a well-organized and impressive kick-off meeting for the client and their staff. Over time, I have come to believe that one of the most important secrets of success for a grant writer is learning how to conduct a powerful, influential and effective grant campaign kick-off meeting. This meeting can make a large difference. The reason is that grant writing is a team sport, not an individual effort. To pull together a winning grant application in a short period of time you need to use every technique at your disposal to win participants to your side. Without their earnest help, preparing a conforming grant application will be a slow, lonely process.<br />
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Along these lines, I like to run a tightly organized staff meeting when I get together with our Drew & Associates senior grant writers, research assistants, and marketing staff. Here are the tips that I follow myself to build a strong and effective team: <br />
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1. Punctuality: My meetings start and end exactly on time. In my experience, if I get sloppy about starting and ending the meeting on time, people start showing up late and failing to use our limited time efficiently. In my experience, no one shows up late. <br />
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2. Allow Time to Blow Off Steam: I start each staff meeting with an informal discussion that allows everyone to release their stress by sharing a little information regarding either their personal triumphs and/or struggles. We blow off a little steam too by talking about personal health issues, problems with children and loved ones, or the general madness and insensitivity of those around us. The aim of this portion of the meeting is to allow people to vent some of the tensions and concerns that might otherwise distract them during the rest of the meeting. An additional benefit of this portion of the meeting is that I can identify important clues about how our staff are doing and what--if anything--I need to be doing to make their personal and work lives easier.<br />
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3. Use an Agenda: I think it is important to distribute a written agenda at each meeting. The agenda starts with a quick report from each branch of our consulting practice - writing, research, marketing, and collections. We then move on to discuss old business followed by a discussion of new business. If someone wants to suggest an additional discussion item, I usually just add it to the end of the agenda under the category of new business.<br />
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4. Keep Meeting Minutes/Record Action Items: Someone takes careful notes at each meeting. My wife, Trish, is remarkably persistent in noting what I and my staff have promised to do to move forward on specific business issues. Later that same day, she sits down with me and goes through the list and we take initial action on each item while we still have the clarity and motivation to get the task done. <br />
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5. Foster a Culture of Openness: Although I am not sure that this last tip will help everyone, I do encourage our staff members to speak their minds, criticize me or my practices, or vent their frustrations to the furthest extent possible. To me, this is what it means to be working in a healthy functional consulting practice. At times, however, I do wonder how I got myself into a situation where I'm paying everyone in the room to find fault with me. The benefit, of course, is that I get fresh ideas, honest feedback, and I learn how to avoid serious mistakes. To me, the most dangerous thing in the world is to be surrounded by people who simply repeat back to you your own ideas. As I see it, I am paying for others' honesty and objectivity no matter how much I might be embarrassed as an individual.<br />
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6. End on an Inspirational Note: Finally, I like to end each meeting with my sincere thanks to everyone for their time and attention. I remind everyone that what we are doing has a profound impact on some of the most dangerous, urgent, and difficult challenges facing our nation. I think it is important to remind my staff--and myself--that in our society virtually all projects of great significance must first pass across the desk of a talented and insightful writer. <br />
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John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-90234833937102867492020-06-16T17:44:00.001-07:002020-07-06T11:03:25.986-07:00NOW Remote! Check Out All of Dr. Drew's On-Line Courses<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Grant Writing Fundamentals (Remote Live) </b><br />
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NOW Remote - Learn this valuable skill in a highly interactive videoconferencing format from the comfort of your home. Join Dr. Drew in an invigorating and informative workshop created for new and experienced grant writers, executive directors, organizers, board members, community volunteers, and individuals who want to get a detailed look at the grant writing process. Dr. Drew will introduce you to all information needed for a successful grant proposal. You will learn how funding is announced, how applications are judged, and how to construct each element of a winning proposal. The techniques Dr. Drew emphasizes—including how to work quickly, how to create a winning message, and basic evaluation techniques—apply with equal force to small or large grants. Certificate of completion given to each participant who finishes the class. <br />
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Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 19, 2020<br />
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Course Fee: $144 includes material fee for handouts and booklet all due at registration.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lzMzKqhD-5M/XullUaJr8_I/AAAAAAAALeo/zmt7SSIU45wOK5L8c64AB-DVZSu3y9H9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Camels%2BTogether%2B3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lzMzKqhD-5M/XullUaJr8_I/AAAAAAAALeo/zmt7SSIU45wOK5L8c64AB-DVZSu3y9H9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Camels%2BTogether%2B3.JPG" width="200" /></a><b>Grant Writing Intermediate (Remote Live) </b><br />
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NOW Remote – Dr. John Drew presents this hands-on workshop as part of the Grant Writing series of classes. In it, he reveals the secrets of cashing in on grants for individuals in a new, innovative videoconferencing format. Unlimited by the boundaries of a classroom, this new class leverages all the benefits of modern technology to assist individuals seeking resources from corporations, foundations, and government agencies. Dr. Drew also teaches the skills needed to be successful in researching individual grants or educational scholarships. You will have step-by-step guidance on how to become a grant-writing consultant or to create a non-profit charity. John C. Drew, Ph.D., is a speaker, author, and consultant who has raised $52 million for non-profits. <br />
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Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 10, 2020<br />
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Course Fee: $144 includes material fee for handouts and booklet all due at registration.<br />
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<b>Grant Research Fundamentals (Remote Live)</b></div>
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NOW Remote – Truly at least half of your success in winning grants depends on your skill in researching them. Accordingly, this class has been created for non-profit leaders and staff who need a detailed look at the technology and the practical tips needed to speed-up the grant research process. Participants will be introduced to: <br />
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<li>Top websites for grant research including those provided by the federal government, State of California, and the Foundation Directory Online by Candid.</li>
<li>Useful websites for identifying individual grants for art projects, scholarly research, and college and graduate school scholarships. </li>
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This course has been redesigned for the on-line environment. It will now be easier for students to see grant research websites and other tools in action and simultaneously interact with the instructor. <br />
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Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 14, 2020<br />
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Course Fee: $144 includes material fee for handouts and booklet all due at registration.<br />
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<b>Fundraising Fundamentals (Remote Live</b>)<br />
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NOW Remote – Learn this valuable skill in a highly interactive videoconferencing format from the comfort of your home. Non-profits can win reliable support through grants, but they also need to know the most important basics about other fundraising methods. "I can’t teach everything I know about fundraising," says Dr. Drew, "but I can teach the six most important things I think will make the biggest possible difference for your success." In this workshop, an award-winning author, trainer, and consultant introduces simple proven techniques and strategies. Participants will learn how fundraising has evolved, how new software keeps track of donors and how to win individual gifts without the pressure of a face-to-face ask. <br />
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Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, 2020<br />
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Course Fee: $144 includes material fee for handouts and booklet all due at registration.<br />
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<b>Praise for Dr. Drew’s Workshops </b><br />
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"Very informative, with positive energy transferred to the students." <br />
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"The course was very inviting. Dr. Drew was very clear and knowledgeable. He made it easier for me to achieve my goals and enjoy success in life." <br />
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"Dr. John Drew was very knowledgeable, invigorating, timely, and made learning interesting and clear." <br />
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"This was constant, good practical information. The first 15 minutes made the whole class worth it!" <br />
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"Dr. Drew is wonderful. He taught me a lot in a very short time." <br />
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"The course was very informative and gave me a good insight into what it takes to be a grant writer." <br />
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"This class was excellent and very informative." <br />
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"Great class. Thank you for offering it!" <br />
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"Yay! Great class!" <br />
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"Excellent-- I really enjoyed Dr. Drew. Best organized information." <br />
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"Dr. Drew has given me the tools to stay motivated and to move forward on my non-profit." <br />
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"Overall outstanding." <br />
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John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-53317973059040648612020-05-11T23:17:00.002-07:002021-07-14T16:52:18.359-07:00The Start of a Beautiful Friendship: How to Make the Most of Your Phone Calls with the Funders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have always believed that an attempt at relationship building with a funder should always come before applying for a grant. The best way to engage with a funder is almost always a phone call. At the very least, the funder learns there is a real human being, a beating heart, behind the non-profit's application. The funder needs to be reminded that a real person will be both sad and hurt if the application does not receive fair and thorough evaluation.<br />
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It is useful to remember that while grants may come from institutions, the proposals get reviewed by real people. As I like to say in my workshops the reviewers are people just like us. They are not any brighter than us, but not any dumber either.<br />
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One good piece of advice is to do your homework ahead of time by thoroughly reviewing information about the funder. This practice helps to prepare what you will say and understand what you are asking for. This call is about beginning a conversation and—we expect—a relationship. Inappropriate reasons to call a program officer might be to flat-out ask if the foundation will fund your request or to ask questions that are addressed in the funder’s guidelines. Although, I have succeeded by doing both.<br />
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Appropriate reasons to call could include addressing genuine uncertainty about your organization’s eligibility, clarifying a confusing aspect of the application process, or even requesting a face-to-face introductory meeting. Demonstrate your intention to build a relationship. For example, you could ask for a meeting by explaining: “I know your foundation is concerned about XYZ in the community. We’re concerned about that too and have a plan to address it. Could we meet to trade ideas? I’d like to hear your perspective.”</div>
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Finally, it is okay to have the funder tell you no. If you are not a fit in terms of eligibility, then it is better to find that out right away. There are plenty of other funders. </div>
John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-20546570905651810292020-05-11T23:07:00.001-07:002020-05-14T16:09:40.628-07:00Act Now! Amazingly SBA-PPP Loans Are Still AvailableOur intrepid reporter, Eve Troutt, has been keeping track of the latest news about the SBA-PPP loans coming from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. They say there are funds still left. Since small businesses have started applying, the loan amounts being given out are smaller than during the earlier distributions. <br />
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Clearly, the SBA is processing more loans, but for smaller amounts. </div>
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If a business has not applied yet, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce still thinks they should. Even better news is that they think there will be a fourth stimulus package which will have additional funds available for Paycheck Protection Program loans. Their recommendation is to get into the queue. <br />
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Applicants need to remember that the forgivable portions of your payroll and other eligible expenses start the day the PPP gets into the charity or church's business while the remaining 75% must be spent solely on payroll. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says it is okay to pay your employees with the loan funds even if they are not actually working...even it the business or charity is closed. </div>
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If you want to keep your people busy, however, you can use their efforts to help you learn how to order online, establish no touch deliveries, or figure out the new normal procedures per the local city and county guidelines. For some organizations, they may need to keep one employee working full time just to keep up with changing procedures. Organizations can also spend the loan on hardship pay and even give their employees small bonuses. </div>
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To make sure things go smoothly, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says it is a good idea to document all orders or events which were cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis. </div>
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The only bit of bad news is that the IRS has ruled that funds used from this grant will not be tax deductible expenses on your 2020 return. Nevertheless, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is hopeful this may change. <br />
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Are there other resources out there to help you? They say: Yes! </div>
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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says it still makes sense to consider the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) too. They were expanded due to COVID-19. SBA is currently processing the EIDL applications. They will provide an advance of up to $10,000. It will go into your accounts within three days. (They maybe a little slower than that, they caution.) </div>
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"The first advance is a grant," writes Troutt, "the loan paperwork will follow. And yes, you can turn down the loan and still keep the grant. Even if you do not qualify for the loan, or eventually get a rejection notice, you may keep the $10,000 advance."<br />
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If you want Drew & Associates to help you apply for the SBA's Paycheck Protection Program or their Economic Injury Disaster Loans, please click on this <a href="https://conta.cc/2xQt1cw">link</a> for more information. All it takes to get started is an initial deposit of $250. </div>
John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5151565358579737428.post-27792924060882648092020-04-19T00:25:00.000-07:002020-05-09T01:38:40.352-07:00Tips for Making the Most of the New Home Office, Part 3 of 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For better or worse, I have worked out of my home for nearly my whole life. Out of necessity, I have learned some tricks for improving my productivity. Mainly, they all boil down to the necessity of staying in the zone - this is the happy, fulfilling moment when the day seems to fly by because you are concentrating so hard and so completely. It is actually easier to get into this highly productive state at home compared to at work. Nevertheless, you need to do everything you can to keep yourself in the zone.<br />
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<li>Don't answer the phone. Phone calls are a terrible distraction. The worst thing about answering them all immediately is that you teach your customers, lenders, suppliers, and employees to call you at the drop of a hat when things get tough. Surprisingly, if you are a little tougher to get hold of they can sometimes solve the problem on their own. I like to avoid answering calls immediately. Instead, I allow phone messages to pile up and then I deal with them all at once. </li>
<li>Don't do email first thing in the morning. Sadly, responding too quickly to your emails is also a great way to bust up your home office routine. It is better to batch those as well. I try not to even open up my email until later in the day. If you begin with your email, you will quickly find yourself doing less important tasks, generating additional unnecessary work, and distracting yourself from the work that really matters - meeting deadlines, closing deals, collecting checks. </li>
<li>Eat the frogs first. This means get your unpleasant chores done first. I number all my chores each evening or morning and then force myself to do the top one or two first thing in the morning. Usually, the call or confrontation isn't any where near as disturbing or as time consuming as I feared. I also feel great for the rest of the day because I know I accomplished something that was tough for me to do or say. </li>
<li>Use games to stop procrastination - remember you don't have a boss watching you any more or peers to inspire you. For example, to overcome call reluctance, I often find it helps to imagine that when I call someone I'm just calling their answering machine. </li>
<li>Take a baby step to get started. Another great gimmick is to just tell yourself you are just going to do something for five minutes. You will often find that once you are started you fall into the flow state and you work until the task is finished. </li>
<li>Leverage your advantages. Use all the resources around you to be more productive. Have your wife or children help with simple tasks. Make use of your assistants, co-workers, and others around you. Just because you are alone at home doesn't mean you can't be on the phone every hour checking up on people, assigning tasks, and leveraging the talents of others to get things done. </li>
<li>Bliss out. It is easier to be spiritual at home than in the office. Use this to your advantage. You have more ability at home to be serene, in the moment, and happy. You don't need to conform to useless social conventions. In fact, you have more time to meditate, feel the balls of your feet, enjoy the fact that you are alive. I know I am taking advantage of this COVID-19 crisis to improve my meditation skills. I'm noticing I'm seeing opportunities sooner and profiting from them.</li>
<li>Don't wear pajamas. I think it is better to dress up for work at home just like you would at the office. Clothing is a psychological cue for you even if no one else notices it. I think people can tell if you are answering the phone in your pajamas. Don't do it. </li>
<li>Watch out for sound quality. Remember that small sounds travel when you work at home. More likely than not, the other party on the phone will hear the clatter in the kitchen, the flushing toilet, or the dog in the background. You need to be sensitive to these sounds and not allow them to impact your listener. This means no music during phone calls. No television in the distance. Above all, don't wash dishes or clean cabinets while on the phone with a client. They can hear the noises and know that you are distracted. </li>
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In the absence of office peer pressure, you need to find other ways to make yourself productive. Creating a happy, calm, quiet atmosphere will go a long way toward allowing you to outperform your office self by making it easy to concentrate and harder to be interrupted.<br />
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<br />John C. Drew, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03304534055896886843noreply@blogger.com0