Thanks to our partnership with GrantStation, we are offering our members access to a six-part GrantStation TargetED series, Grants Under Pressure — Thriving in a Tougher Funding Landscape.
This series is a value of $175 per person, but ANCA members can access it for free.
About the Series
With government funding sources shrinking, private grant competition rising, and demand for nonprofit services surging, it's critical to write grant proposals that are strategic, data-driven, and deeply aligned with funders’ evolving expectations. This beginner-friendly webinar series provides actionable tools, frameworks, and language to help your organization stand out and secure funding in today’s high-pressure environment.
Over six sessions, GrantStation President Alice Ruhnke will guide you through the entire grant proposal process. The series will offer an approach to proposal writing that can be used repeatedly and will help you secure grants more often.
TargetED sessions are designed in an easy-to-digest format to advance your grant-seeking and proposal-writing strategies. They include 30 minutes of practical content and 15 minutes of interaction.
Registration
Registration includes access to six live TargetED sessions, session recordings, and PDFs. Even if your schedule conflicts with the live sessions, you will receive the TargetED series recordings and PDFs. This offer is exclusively for ANCA Members and staff at Organization Member centers. This is an excellent opportunity to provide professional development to your staff's emerging leaders.
Not sure of your membership status? Check our map of current ANCA Members. If you’re not a Member, join here.
Series Topics & Dates
Each TargetED session is 45 minutes long and begins at 2pm ET (10am AKT / 11am PT / 12pm MT / 1pm CT).
- July 14 — Decode the Funder’s Playbook: How to Read Between the Lines of an RFP
- July 28 — Back It Up: Writing a Background That Builds Instant Credibility
- August 11 — Make the Case: Crafting a Needs Statement That Demands Attention
- August 25 — Prove It: Designing Evaluations That Show Real Impact
- September 8 — Plan Like a Pro: Build an Approach That Funders Trust
- September 22 — Dollars and Sense: Building Budgets That Instill Confidence
Throughout the series, you’ll learn how to align your proposals with emerging funding trends and strategic priorities, communicate economic impact effectively to strengthen your case for support, craft strength-based narratives that highlight resilience and community assets; design innovative, scalable programs that demonstrate long-term sustainability; develop strategic accountability frameworks to showcase measurable impact; and, use compelling storytelling to create memorable and persuasive grant applications.
Session Descriptions
July 14 — Decode the Funder’s Playbook: How to Read Between the Lines of an RFP
The demand for funding is increasing. The Request For Proposals (RFP) is your map to crafting a competitive proposal. But it’s more than just a checklist — it communicates priorities, tone, and strategy. During this session, you’ll learn how to dig deeper into funder guidelines to fully align your proposal, even if the language is vague or inconsistent.
July 28 — Back It Up: Writing a Background That Builds Instant Credibility
Increased competition means funders must quickly decide if your organization is trustworthy, effective, and aligned with their values. You must demonstrate that your organization has the experience and expertise to help funders achieve the change they envision. During this TargetED, Alice Ruhnke will show you how to craft a background section that establishes your credibility and reinforces your organization’s track record without overloading readers with history.
August 11 — Make the Case: Crafting a Needs Statement That Demands Attention
With growing community needs and limited dollars to go around, funders want to support efforts that solve critical problems. Your statement of need must demonstrate urgency, use relevant data, and connect clearly to your solution. In this TargetED, you’ll learn how to make your case with both heart and evidence so you show the importance of your project in your community.
August 25 — Prove It: Designing Evaluations That Show Real Impact
Funders increasingly expect to see tangible results from the programs they support. Does your proposal clearly show the difference your work is making? This session will guide you through the process of linking your activities to measurable outcomes — helping you prove your organization’s ability to assess and communicate its impact.
September 8 — Plan Like a Pro: Build an Approach That Funders Trust
A strong approach section tells funders not only what you’ll do, but that you can do it well. As competition intensifies, you need to present a plan that is detailed, logical, responsive to your community, and supported by evidence. During this TargetED, Alice Ruhnke will show you how to build an approach that inspires confidence in your programs.
September 22 — Dollars and Sense: Building Budgets That Instill Confidence
Funders now expect budget sections to do more than add up — they should demonstrate strategy, efficiency, and sustainability. This session will help you develop clear, defensible budgets that reinforce your proposal’s credibility and match the narrative.
Who should attend
This TargetED series is designed with beginners in mind. It is perfect for any member of a nonprofit organization seeking to strengthen their proposal writing skills.
About the presenter
Alice Ruhnke is the President of GrantStation. Having raised over $45 million from federal, state, and private grantmakers, she knows what it takes to get funded. As a former nonprofit program coordinator and director, and the Founder of The Grant Advantage, Alice has a deep understanding of the challenges that nonprofits face. Over the last 20 years she's worked in the trenches with hundreds of nonprofit organizations to improve their capacity to raise funds. Alice is an author and educator with a passion to share her expertise. Her insightful trainings on grant proposal writing and development, community change models, service projects, and measuring outcomes have helped over 4,000 individuals positively impact their communities.