Getting grants for your non-profit: A conversation with Christine Curtis-Carr

Transcript

[00:00] Floyd: Come on. Hello, I'm Floyd Miller, the host of It's Everything West Texas, and I mean everything. Some of our topics are going to make you laugh and some will make you cry. I guarantee you all of them will make you think. It is the podcast that highlights people and issues in West Texas. As a neighbor, we want to talk with you. The goal is not necessarily to get agreement, but it is about understanding. Subscribe today and never miss another podcast. Hello, my name is Floyd Miller and I am the host of It's Everything West Texas. And as always, we're trying to bring you great programs, programs that you can learn something from and hopefully maybe even be inspired. I tell you, today I have someone in the studio that has really inspired me. This is a person that I think I'll be connected with for the rest of my life. She'll be on my Christmas card list from now on, and I will explain that to you a little later. In the studio today, we have Christine Curtis Carr of Curtis Carr Consulting. We get those triple Cs in there several times. So welcome to the studio, Christine.

[01:36] Christine: Thank you, Floyd. I'm, I'm glad to be here.

[01:38] Floyd: Well, I am very happy to have you here today. And I really kind of feel like I should be talking more about you. I kind of feel like this ought to be a testimony and that ought to be testifying. And I don't think I will, but who knows what might happen before the program is over. But first of all, I'd like for you to just tell us a little bit about yourself, whatever you feel comfortable talking about.

[02:06] Christine: You bet. Well, I am an Abilene, Texas native, so I grew up here. I graduated from Abilene High School and then went to acu, married my college sweetheart, Brandon Carr, and then we moved all over the place. So we lived in a few different cities, another country, and then eventually found our way back to Abilene, Texas, I guess about 15 years ago now. And we just haven't looked back. It's been a wonderful, wonderful place for us to call home.

[02:37] Floyd: Well, I just have to ask you, what, what country did you live in and what took you there?

[02:41] Christine: Yes, so we lived in England, the city of Manchester. My husband at the time was a full time musician and the group that he was involved in, they were called the Earlys, were busy touring the world and the rest of the band lived in Manchester. So we decided to go there and take up residence for a year while he toured. It was a wonderful experience. We still keep in touch with our friends from over there.

[03:08] Floyd: Well, that's great. So after coming back to Abilene, what have you been involved in? What's.

[03:16] Christine: Yes. So while my husband was finishing up his touring days, I enrolled in a program at the University of Texas, Dallas Public affairs with a concentration in nonprofit management. And I knew that I wanted to bridge my career at the time into nonprofit work. So when we returned to Abilene, I started at the Abilene Education foundation and I served there for 13 years. Eight of those were as the executive director, really serving the teachers and the students of Abilene ISD and thoroughly enjoyed it. While I was there, I fell in love with one aspect of the job, probably more than any of the other parts, and that was the fundraising, grant writing, and just the development aspect of the job or the.

[04:08] Floyd: What do you think called you to nonprofit in the first place? What was it about that space?

[04:17] Christine: So I. A few things. One, I feel that the nonprofits of the world are really going to make the impact in our community that is needed for real change. That's a personal belief that I hold. And when you see a nonprofit that is trying to do really big things, but they just can't quite get all the pieces to align, particularly with the funding, that is where I feel personally called to offer my gifts. Because at the end of the day, you need the funding to make the impact.

[04:54] Floyd: Absolutely. So tell us a little bit about Curtis Carr Consulting. What is that?

[05:03] Christine: Yes. So there's three C's in my name. So I just kind of like the. I like the way that it sounds. So I rolled with that. When I decided to leave the Education foundation and really enter full time the world of grant writing and some fundraising, I decided that I wanted to, although primarily focus on the grant writing, also broaden my appeal. So in addition to that, that business that I run, which is myself and I have a couple of employees, we help build infrastructure for nonprofits. So some nonprofits will contract with me. They need to put some processes and procedures in place in order to receive the funding. So everything I do in my consulting work is really about raising money for the organization. Sometimes it's short term, sometimes it's long term. So making sure all of the pieces are in place in order to be attractive to funders. So they want to partner with you. I think that's really important. Sometimes a nonprofit will have this really big idea, but if they were to get, you know, $500,000, they might not be able to execute it because they haven't thought through what capacity is required to execute at that Level, So kind of helping organizations get all the pieces in place to pursue the funding that they need. And then, of course, some organizations are already there, and we just go in and identify the funding and help them, their goals.

[06:33] Floyd: Okay, we're going to talk a little more about the nonprofit and what you're doing. But as, as a businesswoman, what is it like running your own show? More or less.

[06:53] Christine: Sometimes it's very, very long hours because you have to handle the business aspect. Right. So you have to make sure your financials, your books, your payroll reports, all of those types of things are handled. And then you're also doing all this work for your client. So there are times where I'm. Sometimes I think, oh, my word, this day will never end. And then there are other times where it's a little bit quieter, you know, and I have a little bit more time to be creative or think through a project. But it is always different. And that's one thing that I love about it. There is a lot of dynamic people that I get to meet, and I get to learn a lot about a lot of different organizations, and I get to leave. I. What I would say is just mine, I guess, my little footprint with different organizations as well. So it's. It's a very. No week is really ever quite the same.

[07:48] Floyd: Oh, okay. So do you have a. A certain size business that you work with? Is there, I guess, is there a space that you really feels like that's your niche?

[08:06] Christine: Yes. So I primarily work with nonprofits, 501c3 nonprofit organizations that are what I consider grant ready. So I actually have a document on my website that you can download for free that talks through what some of those steps need to look like in order for you to be able to apply for a grant or really be attractive to a funder who might want to offer you a grant opportunity. Because a grant is a lot of times I hear from different people, oh, can you get me some of that free money? But it's never really quite free. Right. The funder has different expectations that they expect you to meet if they decide to grant you the funds. And you need to make sure that you are set up to do that. For example, just as I'm running my own business, I have to keep my financials accurate and clean for my tax return. As a nonprofit, you need to be doing the same thing. So running your nonprofit like a business and making sure that you can provide the information that is required when not only you're applying for the funding, but also when you're Having to follow up with an evaluation to show how you spent the funds.

[09:14] Floyd: And how long have you been writing grants on your own or writing grants for other people?

[09:21] Christine: So I have. Oh, gosh, I've been running grants a long time, just on my own with the consulting, with my consulting business, about two and a half years.

[09:34] Floyd: And so without divulging any information that shouldn't be divulged, could you kind of give us a range of some of the different types of companies you work with?

[09:52] Christine: Yes. So I've worked with, you know, organizations that have $20 million budgets, and I've worked with some organizations that have less than $100,000 operating. What I always encourage my clients to look at is to see if they are really prepared to apply for funding. Because if you have $100,000 operating account, if you have all of the pieces in place, you know, you have a board, you have your bylaws, you have a vision for where you want to go. If you have a budget, if you're staying in that budget. Right. If you have other fundraising efforts, those are all pluses to getting you additional grant funds. However, if you are missing half of those pieces, then someone is probably not going to have trust that they can give you a $25,000 grant and you will be able to execute it. So it can be real easy to be to say, oh, well, the $20 million agency is going to get more funding. Well, maybe, but maybe not. If they don't have everything in place that they need to have in place to get additional funds at the level that they need them. Does that make sense?

[11:13] Floyd: Yeah, it is. So, so, so it's. When you, when you say you have to be grant ready, it, it basically, I guess, means that for the person that's going to be granting the money, everything needs to line up.

[11:34] Christine: You need to have your house in order. Right? You need to have your house in order. I know you do some financial planning as well. It's a very similar concept. You need to know where your money is currently going, how you raise money, where your gaps are, and why you have the need. Most grant funders do not want to come in and fund 100% of a project unless you have a vision for how you plan to grow the organization as a whole. So if it's like a capacity building, they might be willing to put in a larger amount. But if you have $100,000 budget and you go in and you ask for a $200,000, chances are low that you're going to receive the funding. Most funders, grant funders, they want to be somewhere between 20 to 40% of your overall fundraising pie. So they want to see that you are collecting individual donations, that maybe you have some long term stability, whether that's through interest income from an endowment or you have a plan to get there. Maybe you have a couple other smaller grants and even earned income. There's a lot of nonprofits, particularly in the arts field, that have ticket revenue or book sales or museum sales. So just looking at how you raise money overall compared to your expenses, and then when you go to seek grant funding, making sure that that percentage aligns with your overall pie.

[12:59] Floyd: Okay, so I know that you write grants, but if someone wanted to. To do something else in addition to the grants, like a 5k run or something like that, do you, do you get into that space from an organizational standpoint or do you. You just kind of. Maybe. Maybe you know somebody that they could.

[13:29] Christine: Yeah, I. I'm always glad, especially for local organizations here in the Abilene, Texas area. I'm glad to try to connect them with other people that I know might be a fit. But no, that is not my area of. I don't want to say I can do them.

[13:47] Floyd: Right. Right.

[13:48] Christine: But it's not. My good friend Kim Osborne says it's not my zone of genius.

[13:53] Floyd: Oh, okay. And that's probably the zone we all need to stay in, isn't it? You said that you believe that it is the nonprofit world, I guess, that will really change the world or make a. Make the great impact. And why do you feel that way? How did you come to that conclusion?

[14:20] Christine: Well, several different reasons that I have come to that conclusion. I feel like the nonprofit realm right now is at a crossroads in our culture. Until recently, I'd say the last maybe 10, 20 years, depending on the organization, nonprofits were generally run by volunteers. And there's still a volunteer component that is very important, governed by boards that are also volunteer led. However, I feel the changing landscape in the nonprofit culture has afforded itself. For nonprofits to really move the dial in our culture in a positive way. They are tasked with some of the most difficult issues facing our society, whether it's animal welfare, serving the hungry, informing citizens about what's going on in their community. These are very important pieces that make up our culture. And I think what we'll start to see, or what I hope to see in the next 10 years is a shift where nonprofits have a stronger voice at the table and where nonprofits in general are actually solving some of these large societal Issues that they have been tasked to solve. But I think it's going to take a little bit of a shift. Right? We're going to have to start to really invest in these nonprofits and we're going to have to expect them to function a little bit more like a business. Not exactly like a business because they're different structures, but a little bit more like a business and also give them the freedom to do things like market themselves right, to be able to go into the world and really advocate for the change they're wanting to see. I'm keeping it broad because there are so many nonprofits that do different types of work. So I'm keeping my statements broad on purpose. But when I see one on one, the work of nonprofits and what they can do with their limited resources. What if they had unlimited is not possible. But what if they had just twice the amount of resources? What could they do then? What if we didn't ask our nonprofits to be so scrappy? What if we gave them more funding opportunities to really move the needle? Maybe we could cure some incurable diseases. Maybe we could see a shift. Maybe we could have a better perspective locally or even regionally about what's going on in our community. I just think there's a lot of room for growth in the nonprofit sector. And then in the upcoming years.

[17:18] Floyd: Now I want to talk about nonprofit boards a little bit. You talked about two different nonprofits now. And I've. I've served on just about any kind that you can serve on. I mean, I've served on as a board member on nonprofit boards where you have to get in there and roll up your sleeves. And I mean, and you, you're really doing, you're doing a whole lot of the work yourself. And then I've served on boards where you have staff in place. The staff basically runs it. I mean, the board does sign off, approve things. They're more of a, maybe a visionary board, set direction more than, you know, get down there and get their hands dirty and, and everything. So do you, do you see it going more towards the last type board I described?

[18:38] Christine: I think it really depends on a few different things. One, where the nonprofit is in its stage of development, also the board, the vision that they have for that organization. Because there are some boards that, you know, when you're talking about the hands on now, when you're really hands on, like really like doing all the things, typically you're in startup mode, right? And there's really no other way to do it. You're just Trying to get the, you're trying to get the thing to fly, right? You're just trying to get it off the ground.

[19:11] Floyd: Yes.

[19:12] Christine: So that's pretty typical because a lot of times a nonprofit will start, you know, because someone sees a need in the community and they decide to do something about it, which is a really beautiful thing. So that's very typical. What you want to see happen over time is for the organization to stabilize where you can bring in some full time staff and then the board is still involved. But there's a clear sort of direction between what the board will do and what the board doesn't do and what the staff will do and what the staff doesn't do and how you can work together as a team. Right. To further the vision of the organization. The best boards that I have ever served on or ever had the pleasure of working with, the board and the staff, particularly the executive director. It is not a hierarchy, it is a circle where it's continue. They're in communication, they're working together to forward the mission. The processes are in place. Right. Everybody knows, like, oh, if this happens, we know we need to do this right. We know it's time to file the 990 this month. I mean, everything kind of starts to flow and then when new ideas come to the table, the executive director or the CEO, however the structure might be set up, they will work together with the executive committee or the board to create that new program or growth within the organization, making sure that there is capacity along the way to meet that new vision or goal. So a little bit of both. Right. There's a place for the scrappy startup. A lot can be done in the scrappy phase and you can raise a lot of money. Like I am never going to underestimate people who are just believe in what they're doing and get out there and get it done. There's, there's a lot to be said for that.

[21:05] Floyd: Okay, do you have a. Well, I guess. Well, I know you have success stories. We're going to talk about what a little bit in a few minutes. But have you seen some of the companies that were scrappy? I mean, maybe that you started with, they were scrappy, but now they, they are at that different level where they're not so scrappy. Are they getting pretty close to that?

[21:41] Christine: Yes, absolutely. And yes, absolutely. I don't want to mention any client names, but that is very rewarding when you see an organization that. Because that scrappy section, when you're growing from scrappy to mature or just stable Organization. It's messy. It's messy and it can be difficult, it can be uncomfortable because you have to answer some uncomfortable questions. You can make some mistakes and have to redirect your efforts, which can be difficult when you're a volunteer. When you're like, man, this was, I thought this idea was going to work. We tried. It didn't work and we have to switch directions. That can be difficult. But you know, when you, when you finally reach that common goal that you've set for yourself, whether that's a vision, whether that's a new building that's going to serve more people or more of your, more of whoever your clients might be, is your nonprofit, you know that when you reach that goal can really be a moment of self satisfaction for all of those that were involved.

[22:49] Floyd: Well, I do want to, you know, I said earlier that you are my Christmas card list forever and I just kind of want to tell the audience why. A couple of years ago we started the, well, the West Texas Tribunes will be 20 years old next May, but it was, it was a for profit newspaper. And a couple of years ago I really wrestled with that decision whether to go from profit to a non profit. And I had some, there were some goals in mind and one of them was that I wanted to set something up that I thought could go on for forever or at least go on considerably beyond me. And I really didn't know exactly how to put all of this together, but one day, one night, I was actually watch looking at LinkedIn and I really didn't know you, but I knew your name. You'd come to our Kiwanis club a couple of times. I think you were lieutenant governor then maybe. And so I said, well, I'm going to, I'm going to just send a little message over and, and see what, what happens. And I'm glad that we, I'm glad that I did. And I wanted to talk today with you about one particular grant. We got a grant from an organization called Press Forward. They have an initiative to help newspapers all over the country. That landscape is changing and they have, the goal is to raise like half a billion dollars this year. They gave out $20 million. There were 900 media outlets that applied and 205 of them received grants. And the West Texas Tribune was one of those papers. And so I wanted to just thank you very much for that. I think when you were going after that, when you, you felt like it was something worth going after.

[25:31] Christine: Absolutely. And the West Texas Tribune is a great example. You had history you had readership. I personally have enjoyed the paper. I think you had an article, maybe it was a couple back about joy that I've kept on my fridge. So good. But what that was, that was a perfect alignment because what they were looking for fit what you were already doing. And that is what I like to do with my consulting company. You were doing the work, you were already doing the work. I just had to come in and help craft it in a way that a funder could see what you were already doing. And that's what I always tell my clients. Like you're the ones doing the thing. All I'm here is to help you find either find appropriate funders. And sometimes I think with this one, it was an email that you had received that you sent to me and I've researched it for us. So just to help tell your story in a way that is authentic and attractive to potential funders. Grant funders. So.

[26:48] Floyd: Okay.

[26:48] Christine: So very well deserved.

[26:49] Floyd: Well, thank you, thank you, thank you very much. We've, we've gotten a lot of positive feedback on that. And so it just kind of drives me to take it a little further. Maybe I can get out of that scrappy state. But I really appreciate that. So if a person comes to you and you say yes, they are a fit, we can work together. What happens after that depends on what they need.

[27:30] Christine: So I try to do much what I call just pre vetting with a client beforehand as possible once we realize that we are a fit. Because sometimes we're not. Sometimes an organization can be structured in a way that it's really not my strengths and I will, there's a couple other people that I partner with at times and so I'll refer them out. But if I feel like I could, like we're a good fit, I'm gonna be able to find you some funding. Then I'll send them a proposal, they'll take a look at it, we'll negotiate whatever we need to negotiate there and then we'll have a signed contract and we get started. I like to spend a lot of time in what I the research phase. So there are a lot of software programs out there where you can put in your parameters and it will spit out, you know, a hundred plus 200 grant leads. But what I do is I take the time to look into the ones that I feel are really truly good fits. Because what we want to do is maximize our time together and get the most funding that's appropriate for where you're at and what you need. Right. So it doesn't really do us any good to apply, right, to a funder that looks great on paper. But when I pull up their information on my back end, which is I pay to have that information, then I can look and see. Well, they've never actually given to anyone in Texas before or they've only given to the same organizations year after year after year. So even though they sound like they might be a fit, we probably don't have. We probably have next to no chance of getting funded. So, you know, just really trying to do the research upfront to make sure that it's a good fit. And then I like to reach out to funders. I mean, relationships are everything. The world is much smaller than it used to be. And even when I'm working on a federal grant, I will reach out to the contact that's on the Federal Register, like the Register there, and say, hey, I have some questions, and they get back to you. I mean, people are people, and they'll get back to you. And so just trying to build those relationships over time feels really important, you know, for anybody in the fundraising field, but especially grant writers.

[29:40] Floyd: Christine, I really appreciate you coming in today. Is there anything that you would like to say to the audience about grant writing or anything before we conclude here today?

[29:55] Christine: You know, I do have a blog on my website, seekurtiscar.com which just gives some pointers and tips if you. You're in that scrappy phase and you're like, man, I would love to partner with somebody, but we just can't quite afford it yet. I do have a lot of resources on my website, free for nonprofits to explore some of that on their own. I'd encourage your audience to take a look at that, including the RU grant Ready. There's some great information in there. And of course, reach out to me through my website if you would like to talk about partnering.

[30:28] Floyd: Okay. Well, Christine, I really appreciate you being here today. I appreciate the work that you're doing, and I know that a lot of nonprofits could benefit from knowing you. So thank you for being here today. It's everything. West Texas is a production of KACU and is sponsored by the West Texas Tribune and Floyd Miller Investments, secured services and investment advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth Inc. Members SIPC/Finra. Osaic Wealth Inc. is separately owned and other entities and are marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of FSC. Floyd Miller can be reached at 3300 S. 14th St, Suite 100 in Abilene, Texas, 325676, 0138. I'm Floyd Miller, your host. Subscribe today.