Instructor: Amy Belkin Email: belkina@sou.edu Phone: Phone contact by appointment only. Blackboard: http://courses.sou.edu Office Hours: As this is an online class, I will check my email daily and respond within 24 hours, unless otherwise stated. You may schedule phone or office appointments by email. Class Schedule This online course will have two face-to-face sessions, one during the second week of the term and one during finals week. This is an instructor-paced course, not a self-paced course. A schedule is provided that may be changed over time, if necessary. All changes will be posted in Blackboard. Make sure to check Blackboard often for updates. Required Text Ellen Karsh and Arlen Sue Fox. The Only Grant-Writing Book You ll Ever Need (GWB) Barbato, Joseph and Danielle S. Furlich. Writing For A Good Cause. (GC) Additional readings may be provided online. Course Description This course surveys nonprofit managers primary areas of responsibility, including strategic planning, organizational change and development, locating and securing grants, and developing outcome-based assessment tools. It emphasizes assessing and evaluating grant-based programs. The primary focus of the course is learning the elements of writing a grant and then putting that knowledge to work to create a grant proposal. The work for this course is laid out to cover the basic elements of writing a grant for a nonprofit organization good writing that is creative and descriptive is essential to grant writing today. You will learn how to research an organization and analyze projects for grant proposal consideration. You will write a cover letter, develop a project overview, learn about an environmental scan, and create a project budget. We will focus on how to tell the organization s story and what funders need to hear to properly evaluate a grant application. You will also learn who the funders are and how to match an organization and project with potential funders. Course Objectives In this course, you will learn what grants are, who funds grants, and the differences in funders. You will learn what organizations apply for grants, what types of grants are available, and how to choose appropriate grants and potential funders. You will learn the steps to create a grant and will write various elements of a grant proposal as a term project. By the end of the class, students will be able to: Evaluate types of organizations that seek grants. Identify and select different kinds of grants. Prepare a written summary describing the background and purpose of a nonprofit organization for a grant application. Develop a project proposal, including statement of need, project timeline, and initial project budget. Tell the story of a nonprofit organization and a project in compelling language. Prepare a plan for effective project evaluation. Assignments Readings The texts and supplemental readings provided online by the instructor, including lecture notes, provide the primary sources of information for this course. Readings and assignments must be completed during the week they are scheduled. Unless otherwise indicated, all assignments are due to the instructor on Fridays at 11:00pm, unless otherwise stated. 1
Grant Project You will write the fundamental portions of a grant for a local nonprofit organization that you choose. Your grant proposal does not have to be for a real project, but if you would like to work with a nonprofit and develop a grant that may actually be submitted, you will receive extra credit. Covering the grant writing process will require you to stay current with each week s assignments. By the end of the term, you will have researched and written the fundamental elements of a grant proposal. This assignment is due by 11 pm on Friday, March 12. In the last class that we meet in person, you will also be asked to make a live presentation of your grant proposal. You may do your project individually or you may pair up. If you pair up, I expect you take full responsibility for communicating and working together in whatever ways work for the two of you. I do not want to hear that one person did more work than the other person, so it s incumbent on you both to ensure this is a pairing that enhances the experience, not detracts from it in any way. I would also expect the work of two people to be more thorough and of higher quality as working in pairs allows for more brainstorming and collaborative writing. However, this is an online class, so working in pairs may be more difficult than working alone. I ll let you decide. If you work in pairs, I expect the individual weekly assignments to be completed and handed in by each person. While this means you will both be doing the same work, it will also allow you to merge the best ideas and writing into the final paper (the grant proposal). While I do want you to produce quality work, I don t want you to get stuck on the minute details of grant writing. It is important to me that you understand the process and can write the basic sections by the end of the term. If you work with nonprofits now or plan to in the future, I believe this approach will serve you best. You will follow these steps in developing your proposal (complete instructions for this assignment will be provided during the term): Choose an organization You may choose any local nonprofit organization in the region that submits grants or could submit grants to offset operating expenses and/or program funding. I recommend that you choose an organization that holds some meaning for you or that you have a particular interest in. Nonprofit Certificate students will want to select an organization that they wish to work with throughout the remainder of the year. Students will post on Blackboard the organization they have chosen by the end of the first week of class. Research the organization You will research your organization online and/or in person. Find out about who they are, their mission and vision, the history of the organization, their programs, their budget, and other pertinent information available to the public. Conduct a Leadership Interview Contact the executive director of the organization (on the phone or in person) to find out the direction of the organization, the niche it serves, its clientele. Ask about the need in the community that the organization serves and what this leader feels will be significant challenges in the next year. Explain your class project and ask what this person might suggest for a grant proposal. Be clear with the executive director about the course requirements: you are not required to develop a proposal for submission to a granting agency; your proposal need only be submitted to me. Develop a Project Your grant project may focus on funding a new or existing program, and should be realistic and meaningful, at least in theory, for the organization. You might develop a proposal as part of a capital campaign (new building, expansion, computers, new playground, etc.) or to fund operational expenses (personnel, overhead, administration, etc.). You will need to create a case, if you will, to lobby for the grant, and one that is compelling enough to pique interest funders receive dozens of applications and have a limited amount of money to distribute. You will need to believe in your request and have the necessary details to convince board members to take notice. You will decide the scope of the grant, the timeline for the project, the budget, and the need. Whatever you choose, it must be important enough to the community to be able to compete successfully against other grant proposals, and solid enough to withstand the questions and concerns of potential funders. You will also decide which funders to target 2
with your proposal. The interests of funders should match the nonprofit organization s mission and the project that s proposed. If you have questions about the assignments, please post them in the course Q&A forum that I've set up on Blackboard chances are good that others are also wondering the same thing! Late Assignments It is important to make every effort to submit assignments on time. Having said this, I am aware that illness and family emergencies arise from time to time. Please contact me as soon as possible in the event that you are unable to complete an assignment by the due date. Points may be deducted for late work. Class Participation Active participation in class discussions, both in person and online, and engagement with the materials presented represent an important part of your learning for this course. You must play an active role in the course and should work cooperatively to foster an open, collaborative, and safe learning environment. Grading for all participation will be based on observation and assessment by the instructor. It can be especially challenging to communicate in an online course. I will do everything I can to help you to succeed and have an excellent experience in this class. You may email me at any time and I will get back with you usually within 24 hours. It s incumbent upon you to communicate with me. I won t know if you do not understand something unless you tell me. I will not know if you are having difficulty writing a section unless you tell me. I will not know you are finding it difficult obtaining necessary information about the organization unless you tell me. I m here to help you but I have to know what you need. So, please keep in touch; let me know if all is fine and let me know if you need me to explain something in a different way. I view good communication, including well thought out questions, as strength, not weakness. Grading and Student Evaluation Final grades are based on a combination of the assignments, in-class participation, presentation of the final paper, and the final paper. Participation: 20% Assignments: 40% Final project: 40% Grading Scale 93-100% A 90-93% A- 87-89% B+ 83-86% B 80-82% B- 77-79% C+ 73-76% C 70-72% C- 67-69% D+ 63-66% D 60-62% D- 59% and Below F Student Expectations and Responsibilities The general rule for college level work is that for every hour spent in class, an additional two to three hours is spent outside of the class in preparation. This is a minimum expectation. Given the nature of this 3
class, some students will find it necessary to spend more or less than the minimum per class hour outside of class. Please see me if you encounter difficulties with class workload. Civility in class and in all online postings are expected of all members of the class. Anyone who disrupts class to the extent that others educational opportunities are diminished or acts inappropriately in the instructor s judgment will be asked to leave the class. Aside from the basic rules traditionally listed above, I would ask that you follow the following guidelines I use when facilitating groups: be impeccable with your word, don t take things personally, don t make assumptions, and always do your best. Disability Policy Southern Oregon University recognizes that students with a disability may have special needs and it is the college s commitment to provide equal access to educational opportunities. A student in need of academic support because of a documented disability may be eligible for academic accommodations through Disability Services for Students. Disability Services is located in the Student Access Center, Stevenson Union Room 134 or call 541-552-6213. 4
All assignments (reading and written) must be completed by 11:00pm on Friday in the week in which they are assigned unless otherwise noted. This schedule and outline of assignments is subject to change. Week # Week of Topic Assignments 1 Jan. 4 2 Jan. 11 Jan. 12 5:30-7:20 PM 3 Jan. 18 4 Jan. 25 5 Feb. 1 6 Feb. 8 7 Feb. 15 8 Feb. 22 9 March 1 10 March 8 FINALS WEEK March 9 5:30-7:20 PM March 12 Course Introduction. What is grant writing? Common proposals. Types of grants: federal, foundations (Oregon & Northwest), local government grants, Funders guidelines. Source and forms of nonprofit revenue. Class meets in Medford HEC, 101 S. Bartlett, Medford Interview techniques: get the facts. Interview by phone or in person a leader at the nonprofit you choose for project. Research your nonprofit online. Types of grant proposals. Choosing a project. Creating a work plan. Storytelling or the art of telling the story. Persuasive grant proposals begin with compelling writing Organizing background materials. Project need. Environmental scan. Researching funders. Matching funders with an organization s mission and project type. Staffing and project supervision. Project evaluation. The budget. Cover letter. Executive summary. Common attachments. Complete grant application. Class meets in Medford HEC, 101 S. Bartlett, Medford Final Paper Due Read GWB ix-35 Complete Discussion Board posting Choose nonprofit for your project. Read GWB 340-383; GC 55-83 Complete Assignment: Grant Sources Panel discussion Choosing your class project The process Read GWB 104-184; GC 275-313 Assignment: Interview report Proposal form Assignment: Tell Me a Story Read GWB 104-136; GC 145-186 Assignment: Needs Statement Read GWB 281-287 Funders Read GWB 161-184 Administration Read GWB 200-204, 307-310, Assignment: Transmittal Documents Final Paper/grant application Final Presentations 5