Instrumentl

How are over 300 grant professionals using AI? The Instrumentl team surveyed over 300 grant professionals and found: - 49% of nonprofits who raised less than $10,000 in grant funding used AI. - 74% of nonprofits who have $1-2 million in grants have integrated AI into their workflow. - 91% of nonprofits who have between $2-10 million in grants rely on AI to help support their operations. Why? Teams managing more grants need tools that help them remain efficient, and AI is proving itself for those who know how to use it. Curious about how your peers are using AI? The full report is ready for you.  👉 Read it here: https://lnkd.in/gF-j6cfF

Instrumentl's team wanted to understand how nonprofits are using AI today. After surveying 300 grant professionals, we learned that they're using AI for more than just meeting character counts.

🚀 Exciting news in the world of grant making! Instrumentl's (https://lnkd.in/dy-ZsF6K) latest survey reveals how AI is revolutionizing the grant-seeking process. Here are some key takeaways: 📊 71% of nonprofits using AI can submit grant proposals in under a week, compared to the average two-week timeframe. 💡 Organizations raising over $200k are more likely to adopt AI tools, with usage increasing as grant funding grows. 🖋️ 46% of respondents use AI primarily for drafting proposals, while larger organizations prefer it for proofreading and editing. 🤝 Experts recommend a "human-AI hybrid" approach, using AI as a starting point and refining with human judgment. Want to learn more? Check out the full report from Instrumentl and explore how AI can help streamline your grant writing process.(https://lnkd.in/dFCYdSez ) These findings align with my earlier articles in the Funding Frontier Digest, where I discussed how AI tools are transforming grant research and proposal writing. (1- https://lnkd.in/dEjcyUry , 2- https://lnkd.in/dz9MsgCB ) The survey results confirm that AI is indeed becoming a game-changer in our field. #GrantWriting #AI #NonprofitTech #FundingFrontierDigest #grantmaking Instrumentl Ryan Carruthers

Take a moment to read THIS very important report by Instrumentl on the Grant Funding Landscape in New York State. Two very significant trends to watch: 1) There are significant disparities among funding for nonprofits in rural areas vs. urban centers. Per capita funding was lowest in Wayne, Wyoming and Orleans Counties -- all rural counties located in Western New York and the Finger Lakes. 2) Median grants awarded are very low -- $10,000 is the median grant amount awarded in New York State and that median is far lower in rural areas, again underscoring the disparity. Check it out and comment below... Rochester Area Community Foundation Greater Rochester Health Foundation United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes Women's Foundation of Genesee Valley Katrina Korfmacher Simeon Banister ACT Rochester Ryan Carruthers Angela Braren https://lnkd.in/eyEQinfm

Using AI to meet character counts in grant proposals is only the tip of the iceberg. We asked expert grant professionals how they’re using AI to streamline their processes. Here’s what they had to say 👇 🔗 See how your peers are using AI. We surveyed over 300 grant professionals, compiling our latest AI Grant Writing Report results — link in the comments! 🔗 🗣 Margit Brazda Poirier, M.S., GPC, of Grants4Good® "AI can often get you 80% of the way there, making it easier for smaller teams to edit and enhance drafts. This approach saves time, but the quality of results depends heavily on the prompts used." 🗣 Meredith Noble, founder of Learn Grant Writing "The number one mistake I see grant writers make that leads to the most frustration using AI or why they don't continue to use it is because they're not providing context. Context is everything. Without it, AI tools can't give quality answers." 🗣 Katelynn Martin, Stewardship Officer at Design Outreach "Every once in a while, I get an application that wants me to be so stingy with words that it’s a challenge. I tell [AI] to reduce it to the number of characters allowed without losing any of the meaning. I always have to tweak it, but it’s taken the burden off." 🗣 Matt Hugg, President & Founder, NonprofitCourses "There's a saying that a writer's biggest fear is a blank page. AI can be a big help in giving you a starting point. But by no means is it an ending point, too... So let AI give you something to work with, but never any final copy." 🗣 Mary Gladstone-Highland, CFRE, CNP, CEO of Spark Group Consulting "If you are comfortable using AI to reduce your tedious tasks, then you will free up your time to engage in more relational work, which is critical to grant-writing." AI is a tool, not a replacement. The prompts you use, the context you provide, and your human touch make the difference. 🤝 See which challenges grant teams are using AI to solve in our AI Grant Writing Report — link in the comments! 🔗 #GrantWriting

I won't lie.. December kinda has been a struggle for me 😓 With the holidays, Giving Tuesday, and year-end giving...it's been hard to capture the attention of nonprofits. I was fundraising director for many years, and I don't blame them tbh 😭 Grants aren't always the priority, but you do need a solid plan for 2025. As my last-ditch effort, I made this silly little video promoting our new 📈 performance dashboard 📊 I hope that it entertains you as much as it does my friends lol 💜 ✨

🤖AI GRANT WRITING📑 Super excited to have Angela Braren with Instrumentl on the show this week to chat about AI grant writing and how it can revolutionize nonprofit grants! Discover the benefits of using AI in the grant writing process and how it can help you secure funding for your projects. 🎬https://lnkd.in/gYqxQDtx

"Everybody uses AI to write grants." — Not entirely true. Over the last 2 months, Instrumentl surveyed over 300 grant professionals. We wanted to see how they use (or don't use) AI. What we learned was strange— sorta. Here are my two favorite takeaways: 1️⃣ (An obvious finding) As organizations raise more grant funding and/or manage more grants, they're more likely to use AI. - This makes sense. Teams need to become more efficient as they scale. AI has obvious benefits here. 2️⃣ (this one is surprising) Smaller nonprofits use AI for writing grants, while larger ones use it for editing. - I was stumped by why this might be, so I spoke with several experts like Margit Brazda Poirier, M.S., GPC, Meredith Noble, and Kim J. - Margit shared that smaller orgs likely use AI to save time. "AI can often get you 80% of the way there, making it easier for smaller teams to edit and enhance drafts." - Meredith was as surprised as I was. Speculating on why larger orgs don't use AI she told me, “I, too, am surprised to see so many survey [larger] respondents using AI for proofreading and editing versus drafting. That might suggest grant writers are only using Grammarly. Drafting proposals is hands down the best use case for AI, specifically using Perplexity for research.” - Kim offered an insight into why larger orgs may be hesitant to use AI for the writing parts. With her large nonprofit clients, the topic of AI is met with resistance. They’re often concerned about writing quality and authenticity to their missions. 🔗 Check out the full report in the comments #grantwriting #nonprofitfundraising #aigrantwriting #grants

The first quarter of 2025 is projected to be a busy one for grant deadlines! Our team at Instrumentl analyzed over 45,000 grant deadlines between 2022 and 2023. It showed that most grant deadlines take place in Q1, followed by Q3. However, the peak month in Q1 is March. So, hustle during January and February to get ahead of the first peak in March. Then, regroup during the summer before the second peak in the Fall. Check out the full report to see which months are the busiest in the comments. #GrantFunding #InstrumentlInsights #GrantStrategy

Only 1 in 4 new grantees win funding from private funders. 😧 Instrumentl analyzed over 4,000 funders and 1.4M grant awards, and the results are clear: Most grants go to repeat awardees. So, if you’re searching for new funding sources in 2025, how can you stand out? We asked seasoned grant writers, and here’s their advice: 💡 Loretta Skiff, Owner at Planet Grants LLC: “You should mirror the language and priorities of the funder throughout your narrative to enhance how the application fits within their guidelines.” 💡 Dr. Bev Browning, Author and Grant Trainer: “The best way to stand out is to align the language in the application narrative responses with key terms and words from the funder's website.” 💡 Teresa Huff, ACNP, Nonprofit Grant Strategist: “Nonprofits often don't do enough due diligence before applying. Look into past awards, study their giving trends, and take time to build relationships.” 💡 Shannon McDonnell, Associate Director, Development at Safer Together: “The best way to make your application stand out is to do your homework. Research the foundation. Show how you align with their mission.” 💡 Zoe Harrold, Ph.D., Owner at Clear Horizons Consulting: “Build a connection with private funders to learn about the types of programs and projects they are most interested in funding. Find the aspects of your project that align with the funders' priorities.” 💡 Staci Mathias, Grants and Huntington Manager at Habitat for Humanity: “Facts, data, and research are essential in any application, but I have found stories and testimonials pack a bigger punch.” 💡 Katelyn M. Irwin, Development Grants Associate at Age Well: “Highlight a unique story that pulls on their hearts but also aligns with their mission.” 🔗 Read the full report on the causes getting the most funding in the comments. 👉 A huge thank you to these experts for their advice: Loretta Skiff, Bev Browning, Teresa Huff, ACNP, Shannon McDonnell, Zoe Harrold, Staci Mathias, and Katelyn M. Irwin