For many nonprofits, grant reporting feels like homework. The award is in hand, the deadline is looming, and the report gets written quickly to check a box. We understand why. Staff are stretched thin, and reporting can feel like a distraction from the actual work. But we encourage organizations to see grant reporting as something more: one of the best opportunities to build trust with a funder. Done well, it can shape how a funder sees your organization long after the check clears. Why Grant...

The last week was a big one for my family. After a summer spent at home serving as my Junior Consultant, my youngest son, Carson, started kindergarten. Sending him off to school with his Bluey backpack was exciting and more than a little emotional. More than just a life milestone, starting kindergarten is an especially big step for Carson. He was diagnosed with autism at age 3, but thanks to the amazingly kind, caring, and dedicated staff at our school district's Early Childhood Center, he...

Five years into working as a grant consultant, I still have to stop and pinch myself sometimes. I’ve gotten to meet incredible people, contribute to amazing causes, and do it all while taking care of my kids (thanks to everyone who’s been patient during those moments with a screaming child in the background). I’m also struck by how much the field has changed in that time. When I started this work, “artificial intelligence” sounded more like a bad sci-fi plot than a practical tool for...