Series Description:
Funding is tighter. Competition is stronger. Reviewers are making faster, more rigorous decisions than ever before.
But tighter funding does not mean fewer opportunities, it means higher standards. The organizations that continue to win are those that present their work with greater clarity, stronger positioning, and sharper strategy. In competitive review processes, small weaknesses in positioning, outcomes, partnerships, or budgets can determine whether a proposal is funded or declined.
The good news? With targeted, strategic adjustments, every section of your proposal can be strengthened.
Over six TargetED webinars, Alice Ruhnke will share practical tools, structured frameworks, and improvements you can apply to your next proposal, helping you stand out to reviewers and compete more confidently in saturated funding markets.
Session Descriptions:
April 13th
Competing in Saturated Funding Markets
During this TargetED, Alice Ruhinke will help you strengthen your organizational background, executive summary, and strategic positioning so funders immediately understand why your organization is the right investment.
April 27th
Turn Your Need Statement into a Compelling Investment Case
During this session, you’ll learn how to identify root causes, not just symptoms, and align them with program strategy. Instead of relying on deficit-based appeals, you’ll see how to present a data-informed, root-cause analysis that positions your program as a deliberate, results-oriented response.
May 4th
Strengthening Outcomes and Demonstrating Economic Impact
During this TargetED, Alice Ruhnke will show you how to build outcome frameworks that are specific, measurable, and aligned with funder expectations including economic and community-wide impact.
May 11th
Leveraging Partnerships as a Competitive Advantage
Successful programs leverage the strength of community partners. The strongest proposals clearly demonstrate why those partnerships matter. During this session, Alice Ruhnke will show you how to turn partnerships into a measurable competitive advantage.
June 1st
Budget Strategy, Cost Justification, and Financial Credibility
In competitive funding environments, organizations that demonstrate clear financial credibility gain an immediate edge. During this TargetED, Alice Ruhnke will help you align your financial story with your program strategy so every number reinforces impact, stewardship, and sustainability.
June 22nd
Renewal and Long-Term Funder Retention
During this session Alice Ruhnke will show you how you can use reporting, strategy, and relationship management to increase lifetime funder value. You’ll see how to approach grants with renewal in mind from day one.
**All sessions are 45-minutes long and begin at 2pm ET.
Who should attend:
This advanced series is designed for grant writers, development directors, nonprofit executives, and consultants who are already submitting proposals and want to increase their competitiveness in tighter funding environments.
It is especially valuable for organizations that are winning inconsistently, competing in saturated funding pools, or looking to strengthen underperforming sections of their proposals.
After each webinar, you’ll receive:
- slides and handouts; and,
- a link to the webinar recording.
Can’t attend live and still want to watch the webinar?
Want to review the materials after the session?
You will receive an email with the full recording and any handouts within 10 business days after the webinar.
After you register, you will receive the following emails:
- A sales receipt for your bookkeeping records
- A confirmation email from Zoom with the login credentials
- Instructions for other attendees if you registered a group
If you do not receive these emails within 48 hours of registering, please email or call 1-877-784-7268.
GrantStation does not refund registration fees. Fees may be applied to any webinar scheduled within 30 days.
Alice Ruhnke
Alice Ruhnke is the President of GrantStation. Having raised over $45 million from federal, state, and private grantmakers, she knows what it takes to get funded. As a former nonprofit program coordinator and director, and Founder of The Grant Advantage, Alice has a deep understanding of the challenges that nonprofits face. Over the last 20 years she's worked in the trenches with hundreds of nonprofit organizations to improve their capacity to raise funds. Alice is an author and educator with a passion to share her expertise. Her insightful trainings on grant proposal writing and development, community change models, service projects, and measuring outcomes have helped over 4,000 individuals positively impact their communities. Alice earned the Grant Professional Certified (GPC) credential in 2025, a distinguished certification that recognizes expertise in grantsmanship through a rigorous, experience-based examination.
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