How-To Guides

A step-by-step guide to writing donor upgrade appeals - segmentation, ask amounts, copy structure, channel-specific templates, and the metrics that prove it

A practical guide to donor wealth screening for nonprofits-what data is used, major providers, how to run a batch screening, how to use results ethically, and

What the U.S. Economic Development Administration funds, who qualifies, how nonprofits apply through Grants.gov, and the Uniform Guidance plus 13 CFR

What the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funds, who qualifies, how to apply through Grants.gov and the EPA's Grants Solutions portal, and the compliance

Excel is a perfectly good grant management tool - until it isn't. This guide covers the honest threshold at which spreadsheets stop scaling, the symptoms that

A practical comparison of federal grants and foundation grants for nonprofits - application process, compliance requirements, reporting, audit implications

A practical guide to fiscal sponsorship - how the two main models work, what the sponsor and sponsoree each take on, common use cases, how to vet a sponsor

Foundation Directory Online is the most comprehensive U.S. foundation database. This guide covers what it includes, how to search effectively, pricing tiers

How to communicate with foundation, government, and corporate funders during and after the grant period - reporting, interim updates, site visits, declines

How to fundraise when the federal budget, foundation strategies, or economic outlook is uncertain - scenario planning, donor communications, reserves, and

An honest Giving Tuesday strategy guide for nonprofits - who should invest heavily, who should skip it, the planning timeline, email sequence, and how to

A line-by-line guide to writing a grant budget justification-personnel, fringe, consultants, travel, supplies, indirect costs, and the methodology for