Cynthia Adams

I’m fairly confident that by the year 2021, philanthropy, not only in the U.S. but throughout the world, will wear a new face. These changes will open an expanded door of opportunity in the area of grantseeking for nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and regional governments.

The search for new income for almost any nonprofit is never ending. And often, we simply get paralyzed by indecision, trying to figure out how to move forward. We know it’s critical to devise a plan on how to secure the funds our organization needs to operate and grow.

Building a good relationship with funders is as important today as it has always been, but how do you build any sort of camaraderie if phone and face-to-face contact seem to be “out” and text and email are “in”? The answer, I believe, is simply learning how to communicate well.

Sometimes, no matter how many trainings you take, no matter how many articles you read, no matter how many times you polish your proposal, you simply aren’t successful in your grantwriting efforts. In short, you’ve tossed the boomerang out there, but it just won’t come back.

In today’s philanthropic climate, an important key to unlocking the grantmaker’s door is to become bold in your thinking. Encouraging leadership to embrace new ways to fulfill your organization’s mission is a major step in that direction.