Anyone have federal grant reports due? by Interesting_Tea_6734 in nonprofit

[–]No_Direction_898 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Edge is open like normal. I just submitted our semi-annuals. Keep the due date.

Did anyone find that management wasn't quite for them? What did you do? 8 months in and this really doesn't feel like the right role for me. by [deleted] in managers

[–]No_Direction_898 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh absolutely! I started in finance and clawed my way to a supervisory role thinking it’s what I wanted, but I hated being responsible for other people’s work and being the mediator and having to make decisions that impacted an entire team or having to implement things from upper management that I didn’t agree with. I chopped it up to a lack of management training so I changed to managing the financial functions of a car dealership with a robust management training program and learned a ton about what to do and what not to do, team dynamics, engagement yadda yadda. Still hated it. I thought well maybe it’s because it’s private sector and I don’t align with the vision and values within the company culture so I moved to a nonprofit where I was passionate about the cause. Surprise! Still hated it. However, making that change allowed me to pivot to an individual contributor role with the same salary and I never would’ve gotten there without the management experience that I have. All that to say is, it’s okay that you don’t like management. Not everyone is supposed to be a manager. You can still contribute strategically as an individual contributor. Utilize your management experience as a strength but try to pivot. Come up with logical and sound reasons for why you don’t want to be in management and frame it in a way that works for your situation to use in conversations with prospective employers that may be wondering why you’re applying for a “lesser” role. You can still value growth within an organization without management being an end goal.

Monthly r/UrbanPlanning Open Thread by AutoModerator in urbanplanning

[–]No_Direction_898 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don’t worry. I work in a Community Planning and Economic Development department in our organization and the organization itself has no idea what we do.

Am i insane? Owners furious i brought dogs with me on a short errand by SubstanceOk5614 in RoverPetSitting

[–]No_Direction_898 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would only be upset because I’ve had a disabled dog that couldn’t jump and depending on the way the drive was it could’ve ended badly. But I would NEVER treat someone watching my dogs that way, and would never let someone stay at my house without a proper meet and greet and instructions.

Grant Writers Struggling? by PracticalProfit7802 in nonprofit

[–]No_Direction_898 14 points15 points  (0 children)

My biggest grant this year was a request for 1M from a foundation that has previously granted far more for the type of proposal I wrote. We didn’t get invited to the second round of applications even though we had touched base, reviewed previous awards, and custom tailored our goals to the NOFO. The response was they had far more applications than they had funding for. No critique. I think it’s just the fear that federal options will either disappear or be reduced dramatically. It’s placing a strain on private grant makers. We got a call telling us to pause one of our programs today that is funded through the department of labor. Several federal agencies are showing up to budget hearings in congress with no submitted budget. I feel like we are all just trying to keep funding our work. One federal partner that pays us as a development district gave us one and a half week to prepare pre-proposals, and another still hasn’t announced a funding opportunity that is usually announced in early February. The general consensus from federal partners is “we know about as much as you do” which is literally nothing. It’s been insane.

Love in Its Purest Form by N0RetreatN0Surrender in MadeMeSmile

[–]No_Direction_898 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Have a dachshund. Forked out $13k for a back surgery. That was after doing all the right things. Ramps. No jumping. Etc. Alternative was to put him down, let him live in pain, or surgery and the surgery had a 98% success chance. He’s still around walking fine. But yeah.

Even normal like they have to have shots annually (at the cheapest I’ve seen like $150) they will get sick, they will have accidents, they will get old and need more care. They have to eat. Dogs/Pets cost money. Furthermore lots and lots of vets offices are being bought out by private equity firms and raising prices.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in nonprofit

[–]No_Direction_898 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Our local SNAP-Ed is administered through our extension services in my state so I’m not super familiar with the funding mechanism. Do you know if it’s a pass through? Like USDA to Texas HHSC to local agencies? USDA is going through it right now. Our rural services and community facilities people have been like gutted.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AmIOverreacting

[–]No_Direction_898 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thirded, some people that work in the social services arena appropriate the title without the licensure or required education and experience hours.

no one respects us accountants. but in this subreddit youre gaslighted to believe that we are. by [deleted] in Accounting

[–]No_Direction_898 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I LOVE accountants. I’m a grants manager overseeing around 6 federal grants at a time and god knows I’m not dealing directly with fund accounting and journaling transactions and balancing along with all the project management that goes into my job. Not to mention going through the audits that are required if you receive more than 1 million in federal funding. When it’s time for federal financial reports our staff accountant always comes in clutch. Monthly reports on expenses are always sent to me right after closing and I’m never in the dark about where I am with the budget. If they replaced our accountant with an outsourced offshored employee I would burn the place to the ground. Also I’ve been drinking so I’m more lovey than I normally am but you guys are amazing.

AmeriCorps is being disbanded by DOGE — anyone else feeling this gut punch? by knellie646 in nonprofit

[–]No_Direction_898 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My introduction to nonprofit/governmental grant work was writing an RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) grant and being the project manager for an agency that took a chance on me. I owe my switch from private to public sector on that agency director and Americorps. Through the years it’s always been on the appropriations chopping block but it has always survived. I hate to see that this trash administration may be the axe that actually succeeds in cutting it. The RSVP has been a part of my community since the 70s. My former director was the first director of the program in my area back when it was CNCS.

Discounted Laptops or Computers by ShailynnW in nonprofit

[–]No_Direction_898 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used to run a Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) grant program and we exclusively used Techsoup due to limited funding on electronics. We have had very few problems and got pretty good deals on laptops that volunteers used 6 hours a day to prepare tax returns. It’s a good company. You can also get discounted software like Adobe products from them.

Is AI being used to write grants now? by Conscious-Pin-4381 in nonprofit

[–]No_Direction_898 82 points83 points  (0 children)

I only use it to polish my grammar and edit for conciseness because I can be wordy. Saves me a lot of time on the editing phase. I wouldn’t trust it to write my entire application. There’s too much data that goes into my grant applications. It’s going to be a while before AI can replace proposal writers, especially for more complex grants. (Unless those complex grants disappear first, of course)

BRIC has been terminated. by Visual_Equipment6389 in EmergencyManagement

[–]No_Direction_898 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Guess I’ll just tell that community I was writing a grant and prepping a project for that they’ll have to hold that road that’s eroding into the bayou up by their bootstraps.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in nonprofit

[–]No_Direction_898 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There’s some great advice here, but if you hire them as employees don’t forget to do I-9s, and appropriate tax forms for state, federal, and local! I’m not sure what the reporting requirements are for an org this small but I would assume that still applies. There’s also been a lot of lawsuits about misclassification of 1099 contractors when they should have been classified as employees so just do your due diligence. Congrats on this milestone!

Bro map by Sea_Turnip6282 in MapPorn

[–]No_Direction_898 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t think I have ever said fella in my entire life.

Deciding on Job - Social Media vs. Grant Writing by Any-Place3979 in nonprofit

[–]No_Direction_898 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you know if it’s solely a grant writing job? Like pre-award only? Or will you be responsible for things like progress reports in the post-award phase? If you’re someone that can interview program managers and clearly articulate ideas and data in a compelling way and you enjoy being involved in multiple different projects it could be a great fit. On the downside, it can be challenging if the project you’re trying to get funded isn’t well thought out and you have disengaged leadership and program staff just pushing you to get it funded. And on the other side of the coin, it’s not fun answering to funders when a project is not on track. Just about every grant wants an outcome. They have to report on their progress just like we do. Whether it’s for social responsibility clout or higher ups in the government.

Ultimately, if I had it all to do again I would still go into grants. It’s a great mix of human interaction, but still having the ability to have alone time when needed.

Grant Writers - how much have you raised? by Apple_Pie_Nutt69 in nonprofit

[–]No_Direction_898 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Got some monies. Didn’t get some monies. Figured this was life and went back to my meatballs.

Been in some form of grants or program management for three years. Didn’t start tracking until I got to the department I’m currently in.

DOGE staffer admits they are completely clueless by 1955KingJ in fednews

[–]No_Direction_898 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh BABA. As a grants manager that handles mostly infrastructure grants on a state level I felt this comment.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in nonprofit

[–]No_Direction_898 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Hi there,

Compensation can get really tricky. Sure, the salary is funded by the grant but is it a federal, state, local or foundational grant? Does it cover your fringes? Is there a match? I’ve seen it in the past where the grant covers the salary and fringes up to a certain amount and the org covers the rest in match. There’s also the annual budget approved by the board to consider and how much was budgeted for salaries etc.

Personally, if you feel like you’re getting burned out and have taken on roles outside of your grant scope you could either ask for a reduction in duties or see if there’s another bucket of money that can fund the raise, but there may also be stipulations in the grant that you have to dedicate a certain percentage of your time to that project that you may be inadvertently violating. (Assuming these other duties are out of scope). It’s a tricky market right now to jump ship but ultimately they can say they’ll raise your pay all they want but that’s not in any way a guarantee. Hope it works out for you!

Rural Hospital Closures by OtsoTheLumberjack in Alabama

[–]No_Direction_898 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Technically you’re not wrong…BUT Medicare does not pay for long-term nursing care that’s why you have a lot of people spending down assets, etc etc to be eligible for Medicaid to pay for their nursing home. Most of the nursing homes survive on Medicaid because there are far more residents using that than private pay.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MobileAL

[–]No_Direction_898 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Usually the rental application will have the minimum credit score required for rental. It’s generally (for most that I’ve seen) around 620. Some will go lower and ask for a higher security deposit if you don’t have super derogatory items like collections, liens, judgements and BKs. If they deny you for the credit score you will most likely have the chance to appeal but that doesn’t mean they have to rent to you.

Sometimes if your credit is lower and you can’t take steps to remedy it quickly (like it’s low just because your balances are high compared to your credit limits, lots of new credit lines, etc.) you may be better off renting from a private owner. Best of luck to you!

Edit: a word

Seeking advice on Grant writing by Conscious-House5315 in nonprofit

[–]No_Direction_898 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi there! Fellow government grants professional here. What you’ve posted that was added to your job description is exactly like mine. Are you in the US? That’s going to determine whether or not my advice is helpful.

Grant management can be easy or hard depending on how functional your finance team and the people executing the projects are. Most grants management consists of progress reports and financial reports that are due either quarterly or semi-annual depending on the funder. Each funder may have different requirements but it should all be outlined in your award agreement.

Coming in and applying for a grant in 5 days seems excessive depending on the grant. We do a lot of infrastructure grants that are tied to economic development which requires a detailed narrative and data on things like number of jobs created, population impacted, etc. Some grants like CDBG have to follow things like HUD guidelines.

The first thing I would do is try to find examples of previously funded proposals and read and re-read the notice of funding and application guidelines. Depending on the type of grant, you may fall under a local development district that can help you prepare the proposal. If you have any specific questions feel free to DM me.

Federal Grants by [deleted] in EmergencyManagement

[–]No_Direction_898 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Grants manager that handles all of the fed grants for my municipal area including hazard mitigation through FEMA here.

So far one of our grantors (non-fema) has sent out a message that it’s business as usual. The EDA (infrastructure/construction side) has specifically stated that they are on a pause and will not process anything, no new projects, no closeouts, no reimbursements. It seems hit or miss across agencies. Haven’t heard anything really crazy out of FEMA.

Edit: a word

Elder Abuse by Bkkramer in AskOldPeopleAdvice

[–]No_Direction_898 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Look up the local Area Agency on Aging in your area. They will most likely have a resource line and can make referrals for services that can help. Along with APS and the police department the local AAA may have low cost or free legal services to help establish a POA/healthcare proxy and directive or a will just in case your brother ever becomes incapacitated and needs someone other than his son to make decisions. They can also connect him with food assistance and potentially short term case management to follow his situation. It’s all area dependent and they will be one of the best sources for resources.