What happens when your nonprofit does meaningful work, but the results don’t look exactly like the projections you put in your grant proposal? Grant reports can be stressful when programs shift, goals change, or your nonprofit simply doesn’t have the budget for sophisticated evaluation. But that doesn’t mean your organization failed to make an impact.
In this episode, Holly Rustick welcomes back Sean Kosofsky, The Nonprofit Fixer, to explore creative ways nonprofits and grant writers can demonstrate impact beyond traditional metrics.
Sean shares several strategies from his “18 Ways to Measure Impact” framework, including mission achievement, goal achievement, reputation, technology, talent acquisition, resilience, social proof, people power, and even the problems your organization has prevented.
The conversation also explores why momentum matters when communicating with funders, how grant writers can tell a stronger story when projected outcomes change, and how demonstrating organizational strength can help deepen funder relationships.
If you write grant reports, manage grants, work with nonprofit clients, or raise money for a nonprofit, this episode will help you recognize—and communicate—the impact that traditional metrics may miss.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why momentum can be an important part of your nonprofit’s impact story
- How to communicate impact when projected grant outcomes change
- Ways to demonstrate mission and goal achievement beyond traditional metrics
- How reputation and social proof can strengthen your case to funders
- Why technology, talent, infrastructure, and organizational resilience matter
- How relationships, trust, and “people power” demonstrate organizational strength
- Why nonprofits should consider what their work has prevented—not only what they have produced
- How grant writers can use these ideas when preparing grant reports and renewal requests
- Why broader organizational impact can help strengthen conversations about general operating support
ABOUT OUR GUEST
Sean Kosofsky is The Nonprofit Fixer and a nonprofit strategist with experience leading nonprofit organizations and helping mission-driven organizations strengthen their fundraising, leadership, and organizational capacity.
CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST
Website: https://nonprofitfixer.com/
18 Ways to Measure Impact: https://www.nonprofitfixer.com/18-creative-ways-infographic
CONNECT WITH HOLLY RUSTICK
Website: https://grantwritingandfunding.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-rustick-0765b817/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollyrustick
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GrantWritingandFunding
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Thanks for listening!
Warmly,
Holly Rustick
Leading the $1 Billion for Good Movement: By 2030, aspiring and seasoned grant writers inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy & Grant Professional Mentorship will 1) WIN $1 Billion in Grants, and 2) MAKE $30 Million in their Grant Writing Businesses. We are on our way already.
