Barbara Floersch

I was initially surprised by the length of the book, having received a hard copy to review from Rootstock Publishing (through a Library Thing Early Reviewer Giveaway) --- but this is not a "how to" but a "why to" book---- and what intense inspiration is packed inside these 90 pages!
The book can be tackled in one sitting and is uplifting and empowering to read. I will refer to it again and again.
I was blessed to have worked for an organization as Floersch describes that is "a professional home that will stay with you for a lifetime, and bring lasting benefits to the community you care about." Regardless of the stage you may be at/in, how to approach and practice grantsmanship as outlined here, is a true testament to the author and all other nonprofits that work tirelessly each day for social justice.… (mer)

I was excited to receive this book through Librarything's Early Reviewers, however I became more and more confused by this book the more I read. This short piece attempts to explain how proposal writers can use partnerships with funding organizations to create social change. It is clearly not a "how to write proposals" book as it relies on language familiar to those who have some experience with proposal writing, however I found that many of the suggestions were somewhat surface level and left me wanting more depth and explanation. This may be because I have proposal writing training as an academic (this book targets proposal writers for non-profits). Even still, it seemed that many of the suggestions, like researching funding organizations that align with your project and/or mission of your organization, were pretty basic. Personally, I was left wanting more and would have liked to see additional resources for proposal writers included given the brevity of this work.… (mer)

“You Have a Hammer: Building Grant Proposals for Social Change” by Barbara Floersch is introduced as not an how-to book but a Why? book. It promises to help you re-think your grant-writing habits and it delivers. For someone new to grant proposals, this book is an invaluable tool with great background information and perspective. For seasoned grant applicants, it validates all of the work involved and helps shifts focus to how grants can help implement the most effective and sustainable changes in a community. This book teaches us to consider all the components of a grant in a new light. It includes a several chapters toward the end that consider ethics. This book would be a great read for new employees as well as veterans. Thank you to Ms. Floersch for writing a truly unique book.… (mer)