What to Bring
- One real funding opportunity
- Laptop or tablet (recommended)
- Curiosity
- Questions
- Your experience
Alignment Lab
Event Description
Every hour we spend chasing a misaligned opportunity is an hour not spent building relationships with funders who are aligned.
Bring one real funding opportunity.
This is a working session, not a lecture. Participants bring their own funding opportunities and work through them together using the Alignment Kit.
Registration includes the Alignment Kit workbook.
Event Timelines
1
What does "alignment" actually mean?
10 minutes
We will be looking at:
- organizational fit
- program fit
- language
- funding priorities
- geography
- population served
- award size
- giving history
2
Keyword ecosystems
10 minutes
Using the Alignment Kit we will:
- determine broad keywords
- AND adjacent keywords
- some cartwheeling
- find hidden language
Everyone works on their own opportunity.
3
Looking beyond keywords
15 minutes
Where do we search?
Mission pages
Annual reports
990s
Past awardees
Funding announcements
Board leadership
Patterns
4
Making a decision
Working through the Alignment Scoresheet.
Not just:
GO
NO GO
But:
- Go
- Seek Further Clarification
- Educational Submission
- No-Go
And most importantly…
Why?
5
Learning Outcomes
2 hours
By the end of the workshop participants will have:
- completed an Alignment Kit analysis for a real funding opportunity
- learned a repeatable process for evaluating alignment
- practiced identifying language and funding patterns
- developed greater confidence in deciding whether to pursue an opportunity
- left with a completed workbook they can continue using after the workshop
Frequently asked questions
Find more details about the specifics of the course
What Should I Bring to Class
How Much Time Will You Give My Opportunity
By limiting the class size to just a few students, I hope to provide 20 minutes of Alignment analysis on each opportunity that is brought into the lab.
Do I NEED Grant Writing Experience
There is no pre-requisite for this class. It does not matter if you are completely new to prospecting or experienced. The studio environment is a place where we work together and learn from each other.
How and When will I receive the Alignment Kit
Once you have registered for the class, the Alignment Kit will be sent with your receipt, class confirmation and virtual meeting link.
What If I donʻt have a current opportunity
We encourage you to bring at least one opportunity and if you do not have one, we also welcome an opportunity where you applied and were rejected to determine if Alignment was the reason for rejection.
Will the session be recorded
No, and we discourage you from recording it. In the future, The Fundraiser Lab will have classes recorded and available online for members to access.