A to Z Grant Writing

A to Z Grant Writing Course Description

Do you love writing and building rewarding, long-lasting relationships? Do you have a passion for a cause? As a grant writer, you can help nonprofit organizations, schools, religious institutions, and research organizations acquire the funds they need to operate and to thrive. In this A to Z Grant Writing class, you’ll learn how to put together a Gold Medal Proposal Package—one that will capture the attention, and the funds, of donors.

This informative course will equip you with the skills and tools you need to enter this exciting and fulfilling field. No matter who you are or what level of experience you have, you can be a successful grant writer. You’ll find the A to Z of writing and submitting successful proposals right here. This is one of the best online grant writing courses around, whether you’re already involved in a related position or are looking to take your first step into this rewarding career. If you’re looking to find out how to write a grant proposal, read more below!

Upcoming Sessions

New sessions start every month, so you can sign up anytime. View upcoming session start dates below.

October 16th, 2019
November 13th, 2019
December 11th, 2019
January 15th, 2020

Course Mechanics

Total Course Hours: 24

Duration of Access: 6 weeks

Course Type: Online

You will spend about two to four hours each week completing two engaging lessons in an enjoyable, interactive online learning environment.

Expert instructors develop and lead every course, and you’ll be able to interact with them and with fellow students in lively online Discussion Areas.

Lessons are released every Wednesday and Friday at noon during your session. Upon completing a course with a passing score, you’ll get confirmation of completion from the Savannah Tech Continuing Education department.

Course Outline

Week One

Lesson 01 – Welcome to the World of Grant Writing!

Wednesday

In the first lessons, you’ll cover the basics of grant writing services, as well as tips for getting into the grant writing field and for finding funders. Then, the lesson will walk you through the information you need to gather and organize, and show you how to use the Research Information Sheet (RIS) to keep your research focused and on track.

Lesson 02 – The Research Information Sheet (RIS)

Friday

Many people are often surprised at how much research needs to go into finding a potential funder who is a good match for your program efforts! Finding funders takes a lot of time, effort, and planning, and this lesson will walk you through the information you need to gather and organize. You will gain an invaluable tool here—the Research Information Sheet (RIS)—which will help you keep your research focused and on track.

Week Two

Lesson 03 – Funder Application Guidelines

Wednesday

You’ll look at some creative tips for networking with community members and foundation representatives to help you find contacts and support. Then you’ll learn how to make that crucial initial contact with a potential funder. You’ll also meet some development team members and learn how to put a team of your own together. Then you’ll get acquainted with your collaborative partners, and discover how to put together a successful site visit.

Lesson 04 – Getting Organized

Friday

Now that you have a feel for what kinds of information to gather in your search for good match potential funders, you need to know how to effectively organize it. You’ll begin with a big-picture overview of the grant writing process, so you’ll know where your research fits in each step of the way. Then you’ll get some proven techniques and tools for organizing an efficient and smooth-running development department. A grant writing campaign means submitting an ongoing calendar of proposals to a wide variety of potential funders, and an organized office is the only way to accomplish this goal!

Week Three

Lesson 05 – Networking and Positive Communication

Wednesday

Developing community relationships is crucial to finding support for any worthy cause. So today you’ll look at some creative how-tos of networking with community members, VIPs, and corporate, foundation, and government representatives to help you find contacts and support in your community. Then you’ll lay the groundwork for making that crucial initial contact with a potential funder. This might be a bit nerve-racking at first, but with the proper preparation, it can be extremely rewarding.

Lesson 06 – Teamwork, Collaboration, and Site Visits

Friday

Research, relationship-building, phone contacts, organizing—does it all rest on the shoulders of one grant writer? Happily, the answer is no! Today you’ll meet the development team members who implement the grant writing campaign and get some ideas for how to put a team of your own together. You’ll also get acquainted with the collaborative partners who work side by side with you and your organization, and you’ll discover how to put together a successful site visit.

Week Four

Lesson 07 – Letters and the Courage to Ask

Wednesday

It’s important to know how to present yourself, your organization, and your proposed program effectively. In this lesson, you’ll explore the elements of two all-important letters: the letter of inquiry and the letter of request. Most funders will want either one or both of these letters, so knowing how to write them is essential. You’ll also learn how to ask for the right grant amount and how to overcome any fears you may have about asking for support.

Lesson 08 – The Gold Medal Proposal Package: Part 1

Friday

You’d be amazed at how many organizations go about their grant writing campaigns backwards! To spare you a great amount of extra work, stress, and unnecessary discouragement, you’ll walk through a vital technique: the Rollover Concept. You’ll also begin a detailed exploration of the elements of a Gold Medal Proposal Package, including your organization’s history and background, mission statement, goals, major accomplishments, and many other documents and materials that potential funders require.

Week Five

Lesson 09 – The Gold Medal Proposal Package: Part 2

Wednesday

Picking up where you left off in Lesson 8, today you’ll see how to write your need statement, proposed program paragraphs, measurable objectives, timeline, and evaluation plan. You’ll also get a good idea of what kinds of financial documents and materials funders expect in complete proposal packages, including your organization projected income and expense budget, audited financial statement, proposed program budget and request, and future funding paragraphs.

Lesson 10 – Feedback and Final Reports

Friday

What happens to your proposal after you apply for a grant? If you’ve ever wondered about this, today you’ll discover all the hoops it goes through once it reaches the program officer’s desk. If your application should be declined, you’ll see how to turn that into an opportunity for future success. And if your proposal should be accepted, you’ll learn about the essential thank-you letter, how to put together the final report, and how to acknowledge and provide benefits to the funders supporting your program efforts. You’ll also understand how crucial it is to diversify your funding base!

Week Six

Lesson 11 – Business, Individual, and Government Proposals

Wednesday

Today you’ll learn about the A to Z of creating business (for-profit) and individual artist proposal packages. You’ll also get some important tips and techniques for putting together proposals for government funding sources, which, as you can imagine, will be more complicated and much lengthier than proposals to foundations, corporations, or individual donors.

Lesson 12 – Proposal Presentation and Board Motivation

Friday

In the last lesson, you’ll learn about the importance of presentation when it comes to your proposal package. And you’ll also gain some insights into what your board of directors can do for you regarding fund raising, as well as get some ideas about how to get them motivated to do it!

Course Requirements

Course Prerequisites:
- You do not have to take any other courses before taking this class.
- Anyone can enroll.
Instructional Material Requirements:
- The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Hardware Requirements:
- This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac device.
- You must have working headphones or speakers.

Software Requirements:
- PC: Windows XP or later.
- Mac: OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 or later.
- Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
- Adobe Flash Player. Click here to download the Flash Player.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to download the Acrobat Reader.
- Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins

Other:
- Email capabilities and access to a personal email account

About The Instructor

Linda Vallejo has over 30 years experience as a professional grant writer and grant-writing instructor. She has written proposals for a variety of nonprofit organizations, universities, schools, and county and city agencies with interests ranging from the arts, education, environment, health and human services, and faith-based programs to community and economic development projects. Ms. Vallejo has written and received over $30 million in grant funds from foundation, corporate, government, and individual donors for her many clients. She also holds a Master of Fine Arts degree and is a practicing professional artist exhibiting her art nationally and internationally.

Cost & Payment Options

Cost: $125

Payment Options: Credit & Debit Card payments are accepted online.

How To Register

Registering can be completed online in just 5 easy steps.

1. Click the “Register Now” Button below.

2.Click “Add to Cart”.

3. Select a session start date from the drop down menu under Session Date. Click the “Continue to Checkout” button to move on to the Sign In page.

4. Use either Returning Students or New Student to access or create your account. If you are a new student, you will be asked to create an account by creating a username and password and providing your contact information. Select Continue or Continue to Payment Options to move on to the Purchase page.

5. Provide your preferred payment method, confirm your payment, and you’re set!

Registration-Button-for-Continuing-Education

Recommended Courses

Students who enrolled in A to Z Grant writing also enjoyed the following courses:

Advanced Grant Proposal Writing

Nonprofit Fundraising Essentials

Get Grants!

Becoming a Grant Writing Consultant

Introduction to Nonprofit Management

Writing Effective Grant Proposals

Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010

Accounting Fundamentals

Creating a Successful Business Plan

Offered in Partnership with Ed2Go

In partnership with Ed2Go, Savannah Technical College is proud to offer a collection of over 400 courses for your to chose from. Whether you’re looking for personal enrichment or professional development, these six-week online courses are the perfect way to learn a new skill or enhance your existing ones.