From gathering data and researching issues to analyzing outcome measures, I can help your organization produce quality materials.
I have written both newspaper and magazine articles. The most interesting article to write—because of how little I knew about the topic when I started—was a guide for municipal managers on hiring road paving contractors, published in the Northeast Municipal Forum. The key to this article (aside from good research) was presenting the material so that a layperson, such as a town manager with no construction background, could understand it and follow the advice of the experts I interviewed. Do you know the three most important steps to maintaining a road? Read my article to find out!
I wrote an article for the Jamaica Plain Gazette about Japanese knotweed (an invasive plant that threatens our ecosystem)—and even scooped the Boston Globe, whose article on knotweed came out a few days after mine. My article on beggars for The Kennedy School’s The Citizen turned into a piece on homelessness and affordable housing after I talked to a homeless advocate; I also wrote about the impact of Referendum Question 2 (which eliminated bilingual and ESL classes).
I am skilled at synthesizing data and presenting technical information clearly. I have written reports on everything from non-profit management to emergency preparedness, from health care issues to qualitative and quantitative data from a focus group. I have also written reports for grant funders on the achievement of programmatic outcomes for grants; I often create complex database queries for the reports to gather both demographic information on clients and quantitative data on program outcomes. My report on Quality of Life Issues for the MBTA, written for my Kennedy School class on Leading Cities, involved a combination of interviewing MBTA staff and police officials, and crunching numbers on police force sizes and crime rates in transit systems around the country.
Presenting information effectively is as important as conducting the original research. While doing research for The David Project, I had to introduce statistics on oil reserves around the world. The visual image, which I created in Photoshop, is much more powerful than the numbers alone; it is also easier to read. Click on the image to enlarge it.
I have performed all aspects of the grant-writing process, including: identifying quality grant leads using foundation databases and other resources; talking to program officers to determine whether the program I have in mind is a good match for the foundation; working with staff to develop new programs to be funded; conducting background research using national, state, and local data sources; creating budgets; and writing and editing grant proposals.
I have submitted federal, state, city, and private foundation grant proposals for clinical and social service programs. I have submitted proposals through the federal government’s grants.gov online system, helping to raise $1.5 million in federal funds for the Joseph M. Smith Community Health Center.
In addition, I have done grants management, overseeing grants to ensure programmatic and fiscal goals are being met, adjusting budgets due to staff changes, and writing interim and final reports for funders. Check out my new Grantwriting 101 workshop--your staff can learn how to identify grant leads and write more effective proposals.
I created a website for the Franklin Park Coalition, one of several websites I have created. I worked with the Executive Director to plan the website's structure; then I researched and wrote the content for most of the pages. I also ran a focus group to get qualitative and quantitative feedback on further improvements that needed to be made to the website. At right is the color-coded map I created for the Park.
Designing curricula for local non-profits involved a great deal of research, to find primary sources and accurate, insightful data. I worked closely with senior staff to ensure I conveyed the messages they wanted to include in the curricula. From identifying effective programs to combat identity theft for a police association, to searching for egregious quotes by Yassir Arafat for CAMERA’s curriculum (www.camera.org) to compiling information on the diversity of Arabs in the Holy Land during the 19th century for The David Project (www.davidproject.org), research was the cornerstone of my work.
Be sure to check out the workshops I offer in Grantwriting and Design!