#grantsalert

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AWESOME ALERT: Paula Love to Carry The GrantsAlert.com Torch Into the Future

For months I have been looking for the right person to take over and continue the work of GrantsAlert.com.  A few weeks ago this wonderful woman called me and clearly understood all the work and love I have devoted to this site and she declared her interest in securing the site, breathing new life into it and moving it into the future.  That woman was Dr. Paula Love and the more I learned about Paula the more convinced I became that if she decided to actually purchase GrantsAlert.com, I would be placing it in the best hands possible.

Here’s the good...No, great news...I am passing the GrantsAlert.com torch on to Paula and I couldn’t be more excited or thankful. 

For some background on Paula, I found an excellent piece written by MCH Strategic.  They said:  “ Known in the industry as the Matchmaker of Funding or the Funding Doctor, these phrases truly capture the essence of RFPMatch.com’s Dr. Paula Love. She is a renowned funding expert with decades of experience delivering grant strategies for for-profit and nonprofit organizations, state and local educational agencies, schools, and institutions of higher learning. Without a doubt, Dr. Love knows funding from every perspective, from the classroom to the boardroom. Her nearly 40-year career has earned her great respect as a highly successful funding guru, but it is a little known fact that this work actually began at an early age. Young seven-year-old Paula rallied a community, raising so much money for cystic fibrosis that she made the front-page headlines in a prominent newspaper. Her desire for funding continued into her high school years, where she led her classmates to raise the bar in fundraising. And that passion for helping others continues today, bringing funding resources to companies, classrooms and organizations. Dr. Love is a highly skilled funding consultant with a wealth of insight to offer to every company and organization she assists, helping improve processes and efficiencies while uncovering new opportunities for financial growth.”

In the coming weeks and months, Paula and her talented team are going to be working on the site and transforming it into an even more powerful tool for America’s educators and workforce development folks who need the information and guidance Paula and her team can provide. I cannot wait to watch all this unfold and know that I am making a great decision in handing my baby over to Paula.  She shares my passion and desire to make a difference...to do good by helping others do good.  I really am a very blessed man.

Thank you to all my friends and colleagues who have used GrantsAlert.com and/or contributed in some shape or form to its success.  It’s been a great ride...and it’s only going to get better with Paula Love at the helm. 

Here’s Paula’s contact info:

RFPMatch.com

Dr. Paula Love, President

P.O. Box 706

Newton, NC 28658

800-766-8002 ext. 1 (office)

704-462-2342 (direct)

443-474-7004 (cell)

[email protected]

www.rfpmatch.com

[grantsalert]

Will she or won’t she?

May have found an awesome person who just so happens to have an equally awesome team of passionate and dedicated people to take over the work of GrantsAlert.com…stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed because this could be the perfect match.

[grantsalert]

Will she or won’t she?

May have found an awesome person who just so happens to have an equally awesome team of passionate and dedicated people to take over the work of GrantsAlert.com...stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed because this could be the perfect match. 

[grantsalert]

It’s time...to move on. www.GrantsAlert.com For Sale

For the past decade I have been a hunter…hunting for grants and funding opportunities to help America’s K-12 teachers and schools. I have enjoyed doing this work and sharing this information with you so you can better prepare our children to become future ready. But, all good things do indeed come to an end. It’s time to find someone who feels as passionate as I do about education and helping our teachers to take hold of the reins and move this site forward.

I cannot give this site away since I have invested a good sum of money in building it. However, if you are interested in becoming the new owner of www.GrantsAlert.com, reach out to me by email and let’s talk.

Thank you,

Joe Mizereck

[email protected]

[grantsalert]

It’s time...to move on. www.GrantsAlert.com For Sale

For the past decade I have been a hunter...hunting for grants and funding opportunities to help America’s K-12 teachers and schools. I have enjoyed doing this work and sharing this information with you so you can better prepare our children to become future ready. But, all good things do indeed come to an end. It’s time to find someone who feels as passionate as I do about education and helping our teachers to take hold of the reins and move this site forward.

I cannot give this site away since I have invested a good sum of money in building it. However, if you are interested in becoming the new owner of www.GrantsAlert.com, reach out to me by email and let’s talk.

Thank you,

Joe Mizereck

[email protected]

[grantsalert]

Our Greatest Challenge: Lifting 14.7 Million Children Out of Poverty

Over the last few months I have read a couple hundred articles and reports on poverty in America and the reality is we, yes, WE have a crazy huge and truly unimaginable problem in our land of opportunity and plenty...poverty is alive and growing in our America and we have to smash it. For those who see poverty clearly and understand its impact on lives, especially young lives, our society and nation...they get it...they know that in order to deal with this immense multi-level multi-pronged challenge that destroys lives, drains talent and potential and costs billions, we have to go to battle for all the souls, all the individuals, all the people, and especially, all the children whose lives and futures are at stake. This is a challenge that America clearly and sadly is not meeting when in 2013, 14.7 million or approximately 20 percent of children in the U.S. lived in poverty. This is a challenge we must meet. No greater challenge stands before us...not ISIS...not climate change...nothing is more important than changing the trajectory of life for our 14.7 million children. Their futures are part of our futures. They will either help strengthen the fabric of our nation or tear it apart...and in doing so touch our lives and the lives of our families and communities in either positive or negative ways. So the question is: how? How do we begin to meet this challenge? The good news is: thousands of individuals and organizations have already rolled up their sleeves and are working diligently every day to help those caught up in the vicious and draining life of poverty. But, they need help, from me, from you, from all of us...and this is the first step. WE have to realize that this is something we are all in this together...and to smash this problem, to save lives, to recapture the talent and potential, to help single moms become self-sufficient so they can better help their children, we have to work together. And, this will require leadership, champions who are willing, ready and able to lead the way. People who are willing to do the right things for the right reasons even if it may cost them. Will this be easy?  Absolutely not. Just ask anyone who has been involved in this war over the past 4 decades. But, what is "easy" is to understand that without a strong and vibrant society made up of educated, caring, engaged, productive and healthy citizens, America, the land of plenty, the home of the free and the brave, will perish...and that would be tragic.

So, what can I do here via GrantsAlert.com?  I can pay greater attention to finding resources that can help our schools and communities fight and win this war for the lives of our children and the future of our nation. This is my commitment. 

Let’s roll up our sleeves and lift 14.7 million children out of poverty... and let’s do this together.

Joe Mizereck

[email protected]

[grantsalert]

For the FundRaiser Crowd

Some teachers are really good at the “grants game.”  Many others are far more comfortable with running “fundraisers.” Today, I am speaking to you...the “fundraiser” crowd.  And you know as well as I do that carrying out fund raising campaigns can be tricky, but when done well can be very rewarding for everyone involved.

Yes, it can be difficult to get students excited in participating, let alone convincing parents and volunteers to actively get involved. With the right fundraising products and a dynamic approach, a successful fundraiser doesn’t have to be a burden on anyone. The key to a successful fundraiser is preparation: by following these seven steps, your fundraiser will practically run itself!

1.     Rally Your Troops

Your fundraising staff consists of participants, parents, volunteers, and anyone else who will be helping with your campaign. Participants need to know well in advance that the fundraiser is coming, and when fundraising with children, parents will need to be kept in the loop as well, so be sure to send letters home with full details, and your contact information.

Volunteers are your support staff, so use them well! Divide up the responsibilities (responsibilities will depend on the type of campaign you’re running, so speak with your consultant for this step), and delegate to the people you feel are best suited to each role. If everyone knows his or her role beforehand, fundraising will go smoothly!

2.     Know Your Purpose and Monetary Goal

Think about what the purpose of your fundraiser: are you looking to buy supplies for your classroom? Uniforms for your sports team? Funds to host a concert? Whatever your funds will be going toward, determine your goal.

Once you know what your funds will be used for, establish your monetary goal. Knowing how much money is needed to buy your new uniforms, supplies, etc., will make budgeting a breeze.

3.     Plan Your Budget

Many programs require products to be purchased in advance, (not all – but some do!) Before you call your Fundraising Consultant, sit down with your group or committee and decide on a budget. That way, your consultant knows how to work for you within that budget.

Based on your planned budget and monetary goal, you can get a good idea of which fundraiser will work best for your group.

Not sure which is the best fit? That's where your Fundraising Consultant comes in!

4.   Advertise Your Campaign 

People need to know about your fundraising campaign to support it, so be sure to start advertising well in advance. If you’re planning an event where people will have to buy tickets, start advertising about a month in advance. For fundraising sales, 2 weeks in advance should be enough.

Advertise with posters and flyers. Ask local businesses if your team can place posters on their windows and post flyers on community bulletin boards. Send emails and mailings to all your contacts, and tell everyone you know about your fundraiser. A great fundraising tip is to contact your local TV and radio stations, and your local newspaper. They will often include your fundraising information in their community news.

5.     Motivate Your Team 

Be sure to keep your team motivated and excited with great incentives like prizes, fun activities and other rewards. When you set goals and offer incentives, your team members will be more excited about participating, and work harder to ensure the goals are met.

6.     Always Say “Thank you.”

When it comes to fundraising, how you say "thank you" is as important as how you say "please". Always follow up your fundraising campaign with a letter of thanks to your supporters and team members. They deserve it and will remember how their time and efforts were valued the next time you need their help.

7.     Use FundRaising.com Consultants to Help You Succeed

No one offers such a rich array of fundraising products, services, tools, and expertise than the folks at FundRaising.com.  When you engage these assets you strengthen your team and make it all the more likely that you will reach your fundraising goal so you and your students can do what you need to do. 

When it comes to Fundraisers...FundRaising.com is #1.  When it comes to Teacher Grants, Classroom Grant and School Grants...GrantsAlert.com is #1.  

You want both on your team.  

Good luck.

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Know These 7 Faces

Had a call this week from a parent who has volunteered to come up with a list of prospective donors to her child’s school for a significant campaign. I appreciate this kind of parent and when they call me looking for help I try to give them something that will help them succeed.  In this case, I suggested, before she do anything else, she get her hands on a book titled The Seven Faces of Philanthropy by Prince and File, 1994.  Why did I suggest this book as a first step? Because this parent wants to identify ten to twenty people who will write checks with a lot of zeroes.  Before she can expect to see that happen she needs to know where she needs to look for these people and once found, understand what motivates them to lend their support to good causes.  Prince and File lay it all out very clearly.  Here’s where you will find your prospective major donors and here’s why they would consider helping you.

More importantly, Prince and File describe how you need to communicate with these individuals.  For example, if one of these prospects has clearly demonstrated through her giving history that she does good (donate) because it’s God’s will you don’t want to be talking about how great an investment a gift would be.  You would do that with an Investor Face, not a Devout Face. Knowing the various faces and the corresponding languages can make a huge difference in the success of a campaign.

So, what are the various faces of philanthropists?  Here they are:

Communitarians—Doing Good Makes Sense.

Devout—Doing Good is God’s Will.

Investor—Doing Good is Good Business.

Socialite—Doing Good is Fun.

Altruis—Doing Good Feels Right.

Repayer—Doing Good in Return.

Dynast—Doing Good is a Family Tradition.

I know your minds are swirling at this very moment about people who possess these various faces.  And that is the first step to success…knowing when and where to apply these faces and being able to speak the various languages that go along with the faces.  And I assure you, you will make little if any progress if you mix up the faces or the messages.  You may get a sympathy donation…but little more.

I hope that sound I am hearing are fingers pounding keys to order this book.