Ejiro Ubiedi Morrow of Goodwill of Orange County will be leading a workshop at the Nonprofit Lab in Los Angeles on January 7, 2020. We recently had a conversation with her about the upcoming training and wanted to share some of her insights with our nonprofit community.
What is the most important advice you can give to development professionals to successfully secure grant funding?
With regards to grants, one important takeaway is to never give up! Sometimes, getting a grant can take more than one try, or can take further cultivation of the foundation, via site visit or in depth phone call. Getting a grant on the first try, with no prior relationship happens very rarely. It's important to stay positive and resolute in your grant writing journey.
What is your favorite tool that keeps you organized?
Microsoft Excel is a great tool for helping me track my grants. I can keep track of what's in progress, what's been submitted, what's been awarded and what has been declined in one simple document. Over the years, it has helped to not only keep me organized, but also informs my decisions on future grant writing endeavors. There are many tools that a nonprofit professional can benefit from if they are being used regularly.
What is the best advice a mentor ever gave to you?
Preparation is 90% of a job well done.
Our workshop “Getting Started with Grants: Grant Prospecting and Building Relationships with Potential Funders” certainly has a lot to do with preparation. We’ll teach your organization how to best prepare before your first contact with a program officer to get the relationship off to a great start.
We hope to see you at the Nonprofit Lab in Los Angeles. It will be a great day of learning, networking and skills building. Our Nonprofit Labs are a one day deep dive conference for nonprofit professionals. To register for the event, visit https://www.nonprofitlearninglab.org/losangeles