Fund your mission

Everything we teach, from a single workbook to the whole discipline.

The fillable worksheets, the book, the ten-module course, and a live workshop run over three weeks — all on one page, ordered by what each one asks of you. Start at the rung that matches this week, and climb only when the work asks you to.

Educational Workbooks

The paperwork, already laid out.

Seventeen short workbooks, one for each piece of a grant application, $5 each. Or take all seventeen for $50.

  • The Budget Narrative workbook on a walnut desk beside a sunlit window, with a brass fountain pen and a cup of black coffee.

    Budget Narrative Educational Workbook

    Turn your grant budget into a story funders believe. A budget shows what you’ll spend. A budget narrative explains why, and it’s often where reviewers decide whether your proposal is credible. This workbook walks you through writing one that gets noticed for the right reasons.

    What’s inside

    • What a budget narrative is and why it matters
    • Show your math and justify every cost
    • Checklist from personnel to indirect costs

    PDF workbook – $5

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  • The Church Credibility workbook seen from above on a worn stone-coloured table, with tortoiseshell reading glasses and a sprig of olive.

    Church Credibility Educational Workbook

    Show funders your church is worth the investment. Funders give to organizations they trust. This workbook helps you see your church the way a grant reviewer does, then strengthen the areas that need work. Rate your church across seven key areas, record your evidence, and map out the steps to build a stronger, more fundable organization.

    What’s inside

    • What credibility is and why funders weigh it
    • Documenting your work and telling your impact story
    • Self-assessment across leadership, finances, operations and more

    PDF workbook – $5

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  • The Deliverables workbook standing against a stack of linen-bound books on a plaster windowsill, beside a terracotta pot of rosemary.

    Deliverables Educational Workbook

    Show funders exactly what their money will produce. Funders want proof, not promises. This workbook teaches you to define clear, countable deliverables and build a plan to measure them: separate outputs from outcomes, attach timelines, and match your results to reporting requirements, then map your program from goal to outcome.

    What’s inside

    • What deliverables are and why funders care
    • Making deliverables countable, timed and trackable
    • Program plan from goal to outcome

    PDF workbook – $5

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  • The Financial Statements workbook on a leather desk blotter in a wood-panelled study at evening, beside a cloth ledger and brass paper clips.

    Financial Statements: Budget/Profit and Loss Statements Educational Workbook

    Budgets and P&Ls funders can trust. Funders look at your financials before they look at your mission. This workbook explains the difference between a grant budget and a Profit & Loss statement, and shows you how to prepare both so they tell a clear, consistent story, with sample statements that show you exactly how to lay it all out.

    What’s inside

    • Budgets vs. P&Ls, in plain language
    • Zero-based budgeting and monthly reconciliation
    • Templates for revenue, expenses, assets and liabilities

    PDF workbook – $5

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  • The Goals, Objectives, Strategies & Activities workbook on a marble café table in dappled afternoon sun, beside a glass of iced tea.

    Goals, Objectives, Strategies & Activities Educational Workbook

    Turn your big idea into a plan funders can follow. Funders want to see how you’ll solve a problem, not just that you care about it. This workbook walks you through the backbone of a strong proposal: a clear problem statement, a focused goal, S.M.A.R.T. objectives, evidence-based strategies, and specific activities, one guided worksheet at a time.

    What’s inside

    • Goals, objectives, strategies and activities defined
    • A quick guide to S.M.A.R.T. objectives
    • From problem to goal to action plan, with cited evidence

    PDF workbook – $5

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  • The Grant Readiness Checklist workbook on a copper clipboard resting on a limestone windowsill, ivy beyond the leaded glass.

    Grant Readiness Checklist Educational Workbook

    Get your paperwork in order before the application is due. Funders want to know your church is legitimate, organized, and ready to manage a grant. This workbook gives you a complete documentation checklist, from your EIN and W-9 to your Unique Entity ID, so you can gather everything in one place and stop scrambling when an opportunity opens up.

    What’s inside

    • Checklist of the legal, financial and organizational documents funders request
    • Guidance on your EIN, W-9, Form 990 letter and Unique Entity ID
    • A review section to plan for missing documents

    PDF workbook – $5

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  • The Grantor Research workbook standing on a library reading table beneath a green-shaded brass lamp, shelves of old books behind.

    Grantor Research Educational Workbook

    Find the funders worth your time. Not every funder is the right funder. This workbook shows you how to research a grantor before you apply: study their mission, past grants and eligibility rules, read their Form 990s, and make a clear apply-or-not decision, so your proposals go to funders who actually support work like yours.

    What’s inside

    • Aligning your proposal with a funder’s goals
    • Reading Form 990s and finding local funders
    • Worksheet ending in a clear apply-or-not decision

    PDF workbook – $5

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  • The Statement of Need & Impact Statement workbook on a scrubbed pine kitchen table in soft daylight, beside a stoneware bowl of pears.

    Statement of Need & Impact Statement Educational Workbook

    Prove the problem is real. Prove your work makes a difference. Funders want evidence, not just passion. This workbook shows you how to write a statement of need that makes the problem urgent and an impact statement that proves your solution works, using local data and real stories, in language that honors the dignity of the people you serve.

    What’s inside

    • Statement of need vs. impact statement
    • Local data paired with real stories
    • Problem, urgency, solution, audience and measures

    PDF workbook – $5

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  • The Letter of Intent workbook on a slate writing desk beside a brass wax-seal stamp, a stick of copper sealing wax and cream envelopes.

    Letter of Intent Educational Workbook

    Make a first impression funders remember. A strong Letter of Intent can open the door to a full proposal. This workbook shows you how to write a short, focused LOI that introduces your church, states your ask, and speaks the funder’s language, with guided worksheets and real examples for each section.

    What’s inside

    • What an LOI is and why funders use it
    • Leading with impact and mirroring the funder’s language
    • Snapshot, solution, the ask, and a call to action

    PDF workbook – $5

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  • The Mission & Vision Statement workbook propped on an old stone bench in a church courtyard at golden hour, beside a canvas tote.

    Mission & Vision Statement Educational Workbook

    Say who you are and where you’re headed, in a few clear sentences. Funders read your mission and vision before anything else. This workbook walks you through writing both, step by step, so your purpose is clear, specific, and aligned with what funders look for, from your first questions to a polished final draft.

    What’s inside

    • Mission vs. vision, and how they differ
    • Active verbs, the stranger test, peer benchmarking
    • Six steps from first questions to final statements

    PDF workbook – $5

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  • The Networking Strategies workbook on a dark marble cafe table by a rain-streaked window, beside two cups of coffee and a short stack of cream business cards.

    Networking Strategies Educational Workbook

    Build funder relationships before you ever need to ask. Many funders prefer organizations they already know and trust. This workbook shows you how to make networking a core part of your grant strategy, with a clear plan for who to meet, how to reach them, and how to keep those relationships going. Guided worksheets with examples take you from setting goals to tracking your follow-up.

    What’s inside

    • Why networking matters and the three parts that make it work
    • Lead with relationship, research first, report back on impact
    • Six steps from goals and outreach to follow-up tracking

    PDF workbook – $5

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  • The Organizational Overview workbook on a round oak table in a brick-walled meeting room, beside a glass of water and a closed notebook.

    Organizational Overview Educational Workbook

    Show funders you can deliver, before they ask. Funders want to know one thing before they trust you with their money: can this organization actually pull it off? This workbook helps you write a clear, credible overview of your church, covering your history, community, mission, impact, and reputation, so you highlight what matters most for the program you’re proposing.

    What’s inside

    • What an overview is and why funders rely on it
    • Leading with your track record and key numbers
    • History, community, mission, impact, reputation, growth

    PDF workbook – $5

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  • The Output and Outcome workbook leaning against a plaster wall on a walnut credenza, beside a brass desk lamp and a trailing pothos.

    Output and Outcome Educational Workbook

    Prove your work didn’t just happen. Prove it mattered. Funders want more than a list of activities. They want to see the difference your program makes. This workbook teaches you to tell outputs from outcomes, pair them together, and set measurable goals for change, from your inputs through to S.M.A.R.T. outcome statements and how you’ll measure them.

    What’s inside

    • Outputs vs. outcomes, and why funders want both
    • Pairing every output with an outcome
    • From resources to results to measurement

    PDF workbook – $5

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  • The Persuasive Writing workbook on a wooden lectern in a quiet sanctuary, warm stained-glass light blurred behind it.

    Persuasive Writing Educational Workbook

    Move funders from “interesting” to “yes.” Great programs don’t win grants on good intentions alone. This workbook shows you how to build a case that combines hard evidence with real human stories, following a clear five-step structure from the opening hook to the final ask, with an example at every stage.

    What’s inside

    • The balance of logic and emotion
    • Stating need, showing capacity, aligning with mission
    • Attention, Need, Satisfaction, Visualization, Action

    PDF workbook – $5

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  • The Program Assessment workbook on the seat of a navy armchair beside a cream wool throw, a brass floor lamp glowing in the reading corner.

    Program Assessment Educational Workbook

    Prove your program works. Then prove it’s worth funding. Funders want evidence that a program meets a real need, delivers results, and keeps improving. This workbook explains what program assessment is and why it matters, then gives you seven reflection worksheets to check your program from every angle: need, solution, mission, goals, track record, uniqueness, and budget.

    What’s inside

    • Why funders favor ongoing, honest evaluation
    • Metrics before launch, numbers with stories
    • Need, solution, goals, reputation, uniqueness, budget

    PDF workbook – $5

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  • The Program Description workbook on a reclaimed-wood workbench in a brick-walled studio, beside a roll of kraft paper and a carpenter’s pencil.

    Program Description Educational Workbook

    Show funders how your program works, not just what it does. Funders want a clear line from a documented community need to specific activities to measurable results, carried out by a capable team. This workbook shows you how to write a program description that builds funder confidence, then walks you through eight guided steps to put your own program on paper.

    What’s inside

    • Where funders decide whether your idea will work
    • Need, activities, outcomes and a participant’s journey
    • Overview, history, capacity, partners and cost

    PDF workbook – $5

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  • The Program Vision Cast workbook on a wrought-iron bistro table on a balcony at sunrise, a cup of coffee beside it and rooftops below.

    Program Vision Cast Educational Workbook

    Don’t just ask for today. Show funders where you’re headed. A strong ask gets you funded once; a strong vision gets you funded again. This workbook shows you how to cast a clear, believable 3–5 year vision for your program, then walks you through a guided flowchart that connects today’s community need to tomorrow’s long-term impact.

    What’s inside

    • How a vision signals sustainability to funders
    • A specific 3 to 5 year scenario with milestones
    • Flowchart from today’s need to long-term impact

    PDF workbook – $5

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The Books

One volume, the whole grant cycle.

Written by Dani M. Arthur and Jesse R. Arthur for the people who actually do this work inside a ministry. Hardcover or e-book — the content is identical, and so is the price.

The hardcover edition of Grant Writing Strategies for Churches lying face-up on a linen tablecloth beside a brass fountain pen and a pair of reading glasses, in low afternoon window light.

Grant Writing Strategies for Churches

The whole discipline in one volume, written for the people who actually do this work inside a ministry — the pastor, the administrator, and the volunteer who got handed the job. It runs the grant cycle in the order the work happens: preparing your organization administratively, assessing whether you are grant-ready at all, understanding how an application is read, authoring the proposal, and managing the funds once they arrive. The worksheet packet is included.

Hardcover – $50

Buy $50
The cover of Grant Writing Strategies for Churches displayed on a tablet propped in a wooden stand on a desk at night, lit by a brass lamp.

Grant Writing Strategies for Churches (E-Book)

The same book, delivered the moment you buy it. Identical content to the hardcover — the full cycle from administrative readiness through to managing an awarded contract, worksheet packet included — for anyone who would rather search a text than thumb an index, or who needs it tonight.

E-book – $50

Buy $50

Live Workshops

Live workshops, with your own organization on the table.

If you learn by asking, or a whole team needs to reach the same understanding at the same time, a workshop takes you through the work live, with your questions answered while the writer is still on the call.

No dates on the calendar right now.

We run these in batches, usually timed to the grant cycles our clients are working to. Tell us roughly when you would need one and we will let you know as soon as a date is set.

Ask about the next date

Past The Top Rung

When the answer is not another course.

Everything above is what we teach. These three are what we do — for the ministries that have run out of hours, or would rather have a professional beside them than a workbook.

  1. Have your readiness reviewed

    Paid · Reviewed by a grant writer

    Work through the Grant Readiness Checklist workbook above and send us what you have gathered. One of our grant writers reads it the way a program officer would — looking for the gaps that get an application declined before anyone reaches the narrative — and marks up what is missing. Clear the review and you carry a Grant Readiness Certification into your next application.

    About certification →

  2. Keep a grant writer beside you

    Paid · Monthly

    For the person who intends to do the writing themselves but would rather not do it alone. You bring the application you are actually working on, and we work through it with you — everything we teach, applied to your own deadline.

    See coaching →

  3. Hand the writing over

    Paid · Per engagement

    Some organizations do not need to learn grant writing this year — they need the grant. We research the funders, write the proposal and manage the reporting afterwards, and you get on with running the ministry.

    See grant writing →

Not Sure Yet

Tell us where your ministry is and we will point you at the right rung.

One short conversation is usually faster than reading a page this long — and we would rather point you at a five-dollar workbook than sell you a course you do not need yet.

Fund your mission

Free 20-minute fit conversation