Today we’d like to introduce you to Shavonn Richardson.
Hi Shavonn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
“Too many nonprofits don’t have the tools to help those they serve. I saw a need and decided to do something about it.” – Shavonn, Founder of Think and Ink Grants®
Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother. As a nurse by trade, she regularly took in and cared for seniors with nowhere to go and no one to care for them. She also housed single mothers and their children and people just needing a hot meal and a place to stay. I grew up thinking this was normal. Imagine coming home from school and meeting a newly adopted family member on a regular basis. Starting at a very young age, I welcomed it with open arms and thought everyone’s family opened their home to the less fortunate.
As I grew up, I realized this wasn’t the case. My grandmother, a trained nurse, and woman of faith was doing what she was called to do. As I progressed in my career, I was instantly drawn to helping others. Realizing, I was the fourth generation of my family to do so, it all made sense.
I saw firsthand, as a nonprofit leader, how difficult it is to get grants. After losing my grandfather to prostate cancer, I co-founded the nonprofit Blue Flowers Org in 2014 and walked the journey so many nonprofit leaders walk of running a nonprofit. We were one of the lucky ones – we won 100% of the grants submitted through a very deliberate and proven process I still use today.
Later, I saw the grant-seeking experience through the eyes of a funder – I worked as a program manager for a corporate foundation office responsible for distributing over $1.3 million in grants and sponsorship to Atlanta nonprofits. It was a privilege to read multiple applications, learn what stood out in some applications, and see opportunities for improvement in others.
From my vantage point, I realized nonprofit organizations were in dire need of help. I saw nonprofit organizations experience so many problems finding and winning grants with very few real solutions. I thought, “what do nonprofits really need to move the needle? How can I help them transform their grant-seeking strategy?” The gap between the availability of professional help and the ability of nonprofits to meet funders’ expectations was miles apart.
Seeing both sides of the grant “giving” and “seeking” equation, I saw a crystal clear vision of what resources were available to help nonprofits succeed and what funders actually expected from nonprofits. The two were worlds apart.
I realized I needed to help nonprofit organizations overcome these issues and provide access to specialized and practical knowledge to help them be more competitive in winning grants. Realizing this, I committed myself to do what I was called to do, just like my grandmother did so many years ago. Think and Ink Grants® was created as the solution to what so many nonprofit leaders struggle with.
Founded in 2016 in Atlanta, GA, Think and Ink Grant Consulting® (DBA Think and Ink Grants®) provides customized, practical, and real-world solutions to help nonprofit organizations “think” through effective grant-seeking strategies and “ink” competitive proposals. We are not a one-time solution but a constantly evolving solution that rapidly adjusts to the needs of our clients. We specialize in grants supporting women, children, health, and education – supporting the most vulnerable members of our society. I am proud to be Founder and CEO of Think and Ink Grants® and be in a position to help so many.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Many businesses do not make it past year five. We are fortunate that with the support of our clients, faith, and an outstanding team to have made it past year five and beyond. We don’t take our success for granted. We commit ourselves to give back to the community that has given so much to us.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We specialize in grants supporting women, children, health, and education – supporting the most vulnerable members of our society. Led by our holistic approach to helping nonprofits increase grant funding, we provide outsourced, end-to-end grant-seeking support through five services:
1. Grant consulting: devise cutting-edge grant-seeking strategies
2. Grant research: find funders passionate about supporting your work
3. Grant writing: write competitive grant applications to increase funding
4. Grant reporting: create effective processes and complete reports on time
5. Evaluation: define metrics of success and evaluate community impact
We are a Black-owned, woman-owned business.
We are unique because we:
1. Specialize in grants supporting women, children, health, and education – no one does it better.
2. Are the trusted partner, understanding our client’s needs, communicating their voice, and transforming our clients’ grant-seeking strategy.
3. Have the specific knowledge to help save nonprofits valuable time and resources by doing it right the first time.
4. Deliver efficient, practical, and time-saving solutions that drastically move the needle further than going at it alone.
5. Provide end-to-end support of grant research, where we find the grant, write the grant, where we track deadlines and write funder required reports all under one umbrella of Think and Ink Grant Consulting®
6. Are committed to advancing the grant professionals industry. We create, employ, and teach other grant professionals the most sophisticated and cutting-edge tools and expertise in the country.
7. Uphold the highest level of ethics in our industry. Our team members are members of the Grant Professionals Association and several are Grant Professional Certified (GPC) grant professionals.
8. Keep close and stay up to date with the changes that are going on in society. We monitor how these changes affect the type and amount of funding available, keeping our clients first in line to receive the latest insights and are in the position to recommend the right solutions.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Being authentic, transparent, and true to self.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thinkandinkgrants.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkandinkgrants/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thinkandinkgrants/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shavonnrichardson/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinkinkgrants
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6oSUdGAEwJPH1_HFedl3yA
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6881249995220234240/
