Hotline

By Cassie J. Moore

Tips on getting training as a grant-proposal writer

Understanding the Internal Revenue Service's nonprofit designations

How major-gift officers earn their stripes at universities

The Chronicle's Philanthropy Careers section asks its readers to submit questions about job hunting, recruiting, and management challenges in the nonprofit world. In our advice column, we respond to some of those inquiries with tips about resources and suggestions from experts.

Previous editions of Hotline are available at http://philanthropycareers.com. Send your questions about job hunting, recruiting, or managing in the nonprofit world to hotline@philanthropy.com.

Q. I am interested in writing grant proposals. How can I get some guidance in getting started?

A. Plenty of resources are available to help you, says Gail Vertz, executive director of the American Association of Grant Professionals, in Kansas City, Kan. With such a wide range of tools, you can tailor your approach to fit your time or financial limitations.

Ms. Vertz suggests Grant Writing for Dummies, by Beverly Browning, a grant-proposal writing consultant in Buckeye, Ariz. Beginners can also check out The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grant Writing: An Essential Resource for Securing the Funds You Need, by Waddy Thompson, development director for Symphony Space, a nonprofit performing-arts center in New York.

Other resources are available online, says Mr. Thompson. He recommends checking the Foundation Center's Web site for online tutorials and courses on grant-proposal writing and links to sample proposals.

More books and online resources can be found via The Chronicle's Nonprofit Handbook, available on the newspaper's Web site.

If you're looking for a classroom experience, Ms. Vertz suggests starting local. She says your town's United Way, Salvation Army, or community foundation will often "offer a one-day or a half-day training from a grant professional in the community, and those types of workshops are really invaluable, because they not only give training on proposal writing, but they also provide an opportunity for networking."

She adds that universities and colleges offer grant-proposal writing courses as well. For those interested in a more intense experience, Ms. Vertz recommends the five-day workshops led by the Grantsmanship Center, of Los Angeles, which are hosted by nonprofit groups throughout the country.

"It's a very in-depth class," she says, adding that the center will even provide you with a post-workshop review of the grant proposal you develop during the course.

Though there are many books to read and classes to attend, nothing beats learning by doing, says Mr. Thompson.

"What I recommend to a lot of people is that they look for volunteer opportunities, because there are PTA's, community choruses, kids' soccer teams — all kinds of grass-roots organizations for which there is grant money out there in the world, and they need someone who can write," he says. "So if a person is a good writer, and they've done their research by reading one of these books and looking at examples [of proposals] on Web sites, then I think they can get some good experience doing grants as a volunteer."

Q. Our corporate foundation sometimes gets grant requests from charities that fall under sections 501(c)(4) or 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Service code. Doesn't that mean they can lobby? We only give money to 501(c)(3) organizations, but would welcome an understanding of the other IRS designations for nonprofit groups.

A. Section 501(c) includes many different types of groups, such as 501(c)(4), which are civic leagues and advocacy organizations and 501(c)(6), which covers trade associations. The most common of the tax-exempt groups registered with the IRS are 501(c)(3) groups, which are religious or charitable organizations, some of which actually can lobby on a limited basis. Both 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(6) groups may engage in lobbying with less restriction.

For a more complete explanation, including the ways that 501(c)(3) groups may engage in lobbying, see the IRS Publication 557, "Tax-Exempt Status for Your Organization," available for download from the IRS Web site.

Q. Do you know of any universities with gift-officer training programs?

A. You can find several sources of training for this job, which is generally a more senior-level job within university development.

Several universities and colleges offer classes in major gifts as a part of the curriculum for a certificate or degree in fund raising or nonprofit management. Roseanne Mirabella, a researcher at Seton Hall University, compiled a list of universities that offer these degrees, as well as a description of classes provided. Some institutions offering classes in raising big gifts are Columbia University, in New York; Indiana University, in Indianapolis; New York University; Rollins College, in Winter Park, Fla.; and the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City.

Universities and colleges offering in-house training for their staff members include Stanford University, in California, and the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia.

Carol L. Sisk, director of learning and performance at the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center at Stanford, developed a two-day training course in partnership with the Advantage Performance Group, of Larkspur, Calif., for fund raisers at the university who are interested in seeking large gifts. Instead of a lecture, the training is completed in small groups of three to five people. Senior staff members at Stanford lead the course, as opposed to external consultants.

"Everybody comes to the table with their own knowledge and experience," says Ms. Sisk. "This is a good way to have everybody engaged and sharing knowledge and information with each other."

If the college at which you're employed doesn't offer training, there are further alternatives. Both Michael Mattson, executive director of development in the Office of Gift Planning at Syracuse University, in New York, and Gina DeSalvo, associate director of the Fund for Arts, Sciences & Engineering at Tufts University, in Boston, praise the CASE Summer Institute for Educational Fundraising, held at Dartmouth College, in Hanover, N.H.

"That's a good basic class for advancement, for alumni relations, annual fund, some major gifts, and some gift planning," says Mr. Mattson. Ask your employer if it will pay for some or all of the cost of attending this type of outside conference.

If you're unable to attend a conference, or your college doesn't offer training, don't fret: If you have co-workers, you have learning opportunities.

"Try to find a mentor in the school that you're at," says Ms. DeSalvo. "And try to learn from them, and listen to how they close their deals, how they make a cold call, how they initiate conversations. I think those are some of your best teachers, because you're with them day in and day out."