Take Five
Nonprofit Conference

Before a funder invests in your project, they need to understand why the problem matters, who is affected, and why action is needed now. A compelling needs statement does more than present statistics, it creates a clear and persuasive case for why funding is essential. This session will guide grant professionals through the key elements for writing an effective needs statement, including identifying a current concern, describing causes or contributing factors, and defining the significance of a problem to bring the need to life for reviewers. Participants will also learn practical strategies for connecting data to community realities and communicating urgency. Pro tips and techniques will help make organizing and writing this critical section of a grant proposal easier and more impactful.

Andrea Hoff, MPA, GPC, OCPC, ICPS is the Owner & President of You Thrive Training & Consulting, LLC, a company that provides training and consulting services in the areas of behavioral health prevention, nonprofit leadership, and grant writing. Andrea has worked in the behavioral health field for over 30 years, is certified in Ohio as a behavioral health prevention consultant (OCPC) and international behavioral health prevention specialist (ICPS). She is a certified QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Instructor and Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Training (SAPST) Instructor and uses Gallup CliftonStrengths assessments in her coaching work. Andrea is also a certified grants professional (GPC) with extensive experience in grant writing. She is a Past President of the Miami Valley, Ohio, Chapter of the Grant Professionals Association (GPA) and is an approved GPA speaker. During her career, Andrea raised nearly $60 million to support a variety of health and human services. She graduated summa cum laude with her Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Dayton.