Linda Gatten Butler, MSW, ACSW, LISW, has her Masters in Social Work from the Ohio State University with emphasis on planning and administration, is an member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers, Founder and Past President of the Miami Valley Ohio Chapter of AAGP, national AAGP board member, and a Licensed Independent Social Worker. She is a senior fundraising consultant and President of Butler Consulting for 14 years, specializing in grants seeking and managing services, with more than 35 years of clinical, administrative and fundraising experience in both the private and public sectors of health, mental health, education, environment, arts, faith-based, housing and human services for over 100 non-profit and public organizations in the Miami Valley of Ohio.

"Organizational Development: Are you Grant-Ready?" offers the beginning to advanced grant professional some tools and techniques to prepare your organization in getting started, building capacity and becoming grant-ready by addressing:

• the "3Rs of grant seeking" as fundraising;
• a "CHECKLIST FOR SUCCESS" that provides a process to engage prospects/organizations, and offers results-oriented products;
• a strategic planning approach to involve staff and board; and
• a process, tips and steps to deal with infrastructure issues such as information gathering, budget development and funding research.

Andrea Burkett has worked in the Social Services and Non-Profit sector for over 12 years. As Director of Programming, she was responsible for sustaining and expanding programs to at-risk populations. With a focus on government grants, Andrea successfully took this organization from a small grassroots agency to a large, fiscally sound organization. Her most significant accomplishment to date is raising over $5 million in government funds in just two short years. Currently working at a local government funding organization, Andrea is able to speak and educate from both perspectives: that of the grant seeker and grant funder.

"Understanding the Difference Between Local, State, and Federal Government Grants". Government grants are government grants, right? Wrong... The skill sets and specific steps necessary for preparing a successful proposal differ according to the funding source. There are vast differences both among and between local, state, and federal government processes and prioritizations. Therefore, the chosen approach in preparing a successful proposal must also differ. Understanding the differences is half the battle. Knowing what to do with these differences is the other half. "Understanding the Differences Between Local, State, and Federal Government Grants" will provide audience members with a comprehensive understanding of how to decipher the unique qualities of differing government funding sources.

Anita Cates, CEO and Lead Facilitator of M.O.R.E. Consulting, LLC has over 20 years experience in the non-profit arena. She has worked for nonprofit organizations and has managed youth development, workforce development and welfare to work programs. Ms. Cates has written many grants to support and sustain various programs and considers herself a “builder” of new programs.  Ms. Cates established M.O.R.E. Consulting, LLC in response to increasing requests from small community-based and faith-based organizations. Ms. Cates holds a Bachelors Degree in Urban Studies, a Masters Degree in Sociology and is currently enrolled as a doctoral student in Sociology.

"Transforming a Wonderful Program into a Winning Proposal." Are you a beginning grant-writer, nonprofit professional, or visionary who is seeking grant funding for a wonderful program? "Transforming a Wonderful Program to a Winning Proposal" is designed for the grant-writer that needs a basic understanding of what it takes to develop a competitive proposal. This high energy session is interactive and examines organizational mission, structure and resources as well as programmatic issues related to goals and objectives, target population, program need, and collaborative relationships.

Jennene Charles Colky has served the nonprofit community for nearly 30 years, holding a number of executive and development staff positions. Since 1990, Jennene has provided training and consulting services to a wide variety of nonprofit organizations, specializing in helping them develop and implement successful strategies for the acquisition of grants from private foundations, corporations and public funding sources.

Jennene earned certification as a Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) from the National Society of Fund Raising Executives (now the Association of Fundraising Professionals) in 1989, serving from 1988 to 1990 on the Board of Directors of the Chicago chapter. She also has served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Consultants to Non-Profits, and was President of that Board in 1996-97.  She has been Treasurer of the Illinois/Chicago Metro chapter of the American Association of Grant Professionals (AAGP) and is a charter member of AAGP.

In addition to her private consulting work, Jennene has been a contract consultant with the international fund raising firm of Skystone/Ryan based in Cincinnati focusing on capital campaigns, and has been a trainer with Grant Writing USA since 2004, conducting approximately 35 workshops on grant seeking each year throughout the United States. 

Prior to entering the nonprofit sector, Jennene was an advertising copywriter employed by ad agencies in New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. where she developed print and broadcast campaigns for a broad variety of national, regional and local accounts.

Cheryl L. Kester, CFRE is a partner in the grants firm Thomas-Forbes & Kester, LLC. She frequently makes conference presentations on grants topics and presented at the 2004, 2005 and 2007 AAGP national conferences. She has published in “Grants and Foundation Review,” the “National Charter School Clearinghouse Newsletter,” and the AAGP Journal. She is a CFRE subject-matter expert and an experienced grant reviewer. Prior to joining Thomas-Forbes, she was Director of Grants and Foundation Relations at John Brown University. Kester holds a B.A. in Honors English from John Brown University and an M.A. from Georgetown University.

"Grants 101: An Introduction to the World of Grants." Grantseeking 101 offers a fast-paced introduction to the grants world.  We cover basic terminology and discuss different types of funders. Next is a discussion of the resources available to help you find funders and how to use these  resources. You will learn how to determine who are the best funding prospects for your organization to pursue. We then show you how to read guidelines and how to put together strong proposal packages.

"Now What?!: Managing the Grant After It’s Funded." Do you lie awake nights worried that the grant isn’t being spent the way you promised in your proposal? Do you get hijacked into implementing the program instead of writing the next proposal? Join us for a presentation on grants management best practices and a discussion of how variables such as your organization, the program being funded, and whether you are staff or a consultant affect where you should be on the “spectrum of control.”

Katie Krueger works as Grant Writer/Resource Development Manager for Sun Prairie School District in Sun Prairie, WI. She edits Find Funding, an e-newsletter and website for grant writers and teaches Introduction to Grant Writing at the University of WI, Union. In her six years of grant writing experience, she has worked and consulted for non-profits, international non-governmental organizations, publications, school districts, and individuals. She things grant writing - getting paid to write down the dreams of others and sell them to other believers - is one of the best jobs there is.

"Beyond Email: How Online Tools Can Improve Communications From the Grants Office". Learn how free or low-cost online tools such as web pages, e-newsletters, blogs, and podcasts can help your grants office communicate more effectively. Participants will get a) an expanded understanding of online tools that can improve their communications, b) a customized assessment of their own unique communication needs and specific strategies on meeting them, and c) a resource kit teaching them how to get started with these tools ASAP.

Martha McCabe has worked in grants management for over 25 years, securing millions of dollars from federal agencies such as USAID and DHHS; corporate funding by Cargill Foods and Hasbro, to foundations such as the Tiger Woods Foundation and the Sunflower Foundation.  Martha is the Grants Coordinator for Catholic Charities, Inc. in Wichita, Kansas.  Prior to coming to Catholic Charities she worked as a grants officer with not-for-profits in Washington, DC; Geneva, Switzerland; and Little Rock, Arkansas. 

“RFP Juggling 101 – Tracking Grant Announcements.” The rapid growth of electronic media and application on-line submission becoming the industry standard presents the grants-seeker with what appears to be unlimited sources of funding. But appearances can often be deceiving.  Martha will share  tracking tools that enables her to identify and submit 60 or more grant applications annually, while also meeting reporting demands on another 30 or more active grants ranging from $500 to $ 5 million (in her one person office!). 

Kris Parmelee founded the company in 2000 and built the successful organization based on drive, determination, and knowledge. Clients have included a wide variety of nonprofits, small businesses, academic institutions, and government agencies. Offering strong expertise in grant strategy, the firm has authored over $12 million in proposals and worked on a wide range of projects designed to enhance organizational effectiveness. She is a member of AFP, the AAGP, the Society for Nonprofit Organizations, the Alliance for Nonprofit Management, the National Association of Women Business Owners, and the company is a State of Indiana and City of Indianapolis certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE).

"Researching Prospective Foundations" focuses on sharing the ins and outs of a prospective foundation research strategy that yields top potential matches and presents a plan for developing a grant seeking strategy. Learn the steps to conducting thorough and relevant research of prospective foundations and how to maximize your limited resources. This workshop walks you through the research process from start to finish and is packed with tips and tools to help you get the best results.

For seven years, Johna Rodgers has served as Grant Writer for the Green River Regional Educational Cooperative, a consortium of 32 Kentucky school districts. For 15+ years, she has used her writing and business management skills to support and manage organizations of all types, including the arts, low income housing, abuse shelters, and more. Today, Johna writes proposals that serve five to 50+ schools, working with superintendents, principals, and community partners to fashion practical proposals that make participants and funders happy and keep everybody out of jail! To date, that has meant a total of $32 million for the region.

"Hit By a Bus: Writing a Budget That Tells a Story Long After You're Gone" that tells a story long after you’re gone! If the money’s what we’re all after, why do we cringe when it comes to the budget? In this fast-paced, hands-on session, we will eliminate scary financial sheets and replace them with user friendly road maps that tell a story – the same story related in the proposal narrative. Through a participant-led exercise, we’ll create a detailed budget that will let funders see your professionalism, your understanding of the process and project, and the good things your plan will accomplish! And, if you are ever hit by that bus, your boss will be able to carry on without you! Hmmm…