Welcome to Working Capital!
Working Capital is dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations focus on their mission
by providing grant research, grant writing, online fundraising, evaluation, and related services.
About Working Capital
Whether your organization needs fine tuning of its existing fundraising efforts or is creating a plan from scratch, we are here to help. Working Capital provides a full line of services to increase the effectiveness of your organization’s efforts to secure funding. We are experienced in all aspects of the grant seeking process, from researching funding opportunities to editing and writing applications.In addition, Working Capital can provide training for staff or volunteers to strengthen your organization's fundraising skills and assistance in evaluation design and implementation, writing entrepreneurial publications, and long-term planning to help broaden your organization’s funding base. Since our founding in 1998, Working Capital has raised millions of dollars for our clients.Please explore this website to learn more about us or the services we offer. If you have specific questions or would like to discuss your organization’s needs in person, feel free to contact us directly.
Services
Working Capital offers a number of services that can be tailored to meet your organization’s needs.
Grant Research
Grant Writing
Grant Editing and Review
Training in the Grant Seeking Process
Evaluation
Entrepreneurial Publications
Long-Term Planning
About Us
Working Capital, founded in 1998 by Stephanie Surles, is a comprehensive source of fundraising advice and assistance for nonprofit organizations. Located in Minnesota, Working Capital has secured millions of dollars in funding for our clients.Stephanie Surles is an experienced grant writer, nonprofit professional, evaluator, and award-winning fiction author. Her grant writing has served groups ranging from small nonprofits to collaborations of multiple universities. Her educational background in law and public administration means Stephanie is a skilled problem solver who is vigilant about details and deadlines.The mission of Working Capital is to ensure that organizations, especially those that have limited staff resources or are in the initial stages of development, can access the knowledge, tools, and resources necessary to reach their goals. We accomplish this by combining our experience and skills in grant seeking and online fundraising with your knowledge and experience. We know that you are the expert on your organization, clients, and subject matter and can assist you in effectively communicating the needed information to funders, constituents, and donors.We work closely with our clients to build strong fundraising strategies and clear grant proposals. Ultimately, we want to work ourselves out of a job! We feel very strongly that grant seeking and online fundraising are skills nonprofit organizations need to understand. We can work with your organization to develop a long-term fundraising plan and build internal capacity so that your fundraising efforts can move in-house. We understand that resources, including time and money, are limited and want to help you leverage your organization’s resources in the most efficient and effective way possible.Since evaluation is a component of successful programs, we also provide services ranging from reviewing your organization’s existing evaluation efforts to designing evaluation plans to meet your organization’s needs.Answers to the more commonly asked questions may be found on our FAQ page. Also feel free to contact us with any questions or unique situations your organization may have.
Services
Grant Research and Funder Evaluation
Even a great project stands little chance of being funded if it is proposed to the wrong funder or the proposal does not meet a funder’s guidelines. Our experienced staff will identify the most likely targets for your organization through an extensive research process, which includes utilizing library and online resources and our own database of funders. We then refine initial results through review of each funder’s policies, priorities, guidelines, and applications to create a list of the most promising potential funders for your situation. All this information is then compiled in written form, detailing the funding opportunities, submissions deadlines, requirements, and our recommendations for amounts to request for your proposal in an easy-to-use document.
Grant Writing
Working Capital can generate grant applications in the configuration that works best for your organization. Once the needed information is shared, you can choose to have us work collaboratively with your staff members or write the application solo. In every situation, your organization owns the work product as it is produced and controls the work process. You have the final approval on every application before it is submitted. Simply tell us what your organization needs and we will work with you to structure the best way to achieve that goal.
Grant Editing and Review
Has your organization already developed a grant proposal? Are you comfortable that it is as good as it can be? If you have any doubts, we are here to assist you.Working Capital can review and edit proposals to evaluate your proposal, identify weaknesses, and make suggestions for improvement. In addition, we can ensure that the proposal meets the funder’s guidelines and application requirements. Since our staff has sat on the other side of the table and reviewed proposals for foundations, we can provide real insight into what funders are looking for, which is just the advantage you need.
Evaluation
More than ever, funders are requiring organizations to evaluate their programs and services. Simply stated, they want to know if money invested in your organization will yield the results your organization states.Whether your organization wants an objective outside review of existing evaluation efforts or needs help creating its first evaluation plan, Working Capital can help. Our evaluation experience ranges from evaluation design and review to internal organization evaluations to evaluations for funders such as the National Science Foundation.
Entrepreneurial Publications
Ensuring that your organization’s funding base is as broad as possible is smart management, especially in these difficult economic times. Utilizing the specialized knowledge your staff members possess to inform the public on issues of import to your organization is smart advocacy. Working Capital can help you do both.Publications, either hard copy or electronic, can disperse important information to a broader audience, thus expanding the base of people who care about your organization’s target concerns. They can also be sold, thus generating an additional and unrestricted source of funds. Working Capital has a strong history in this area, writing publications for clients that have sold hundreds of thousands of copies. Contact us if this is of interest to you.
Long-Term Planning
The best way to utilize an organization’s resources for fund raising efforts is to have a long-term plan. Unfortunately, the day-to-day activities involved in running a nonprofit organization can make it difficult to develop and update a comprehensive approach. Working Capital can help you identify short- and long-term goals and set priorities so that your efforts can be concentrated on the most important tasks, both now and in the future.
Contact
Contact Us
Sample Clients
The following provides a brief description of a sample of the organizations for which Working Capital has provided grant seeking, online fundraising, or nonprofit consulting services.
Agile Mind
Agile Mind provides comprehensive mathematics and science programs for middle and high schools. We dramatically improve student achievement by fostering classrooms that embrace engagement, collaboration and perseverance.
Austin Area Interreligious Ministries
An inclusive, interreligious, caring community that generates mutual respect, trust and social justice through education, advocacy, social services and community building.
Austin Independent School District
The Austin Independent School District serves more than 75,000 students in the Austin public school system. Clients within AISD include the Office of the Superintendent, the District Ombudsman, the Office of Planning & Community Relations, and the Office of Dropout Prevention.
Bike Texas
BikeTexas advances bicycle access, safety, and education. We encourage and promote bicycling, increased safety, and improved conditions. We unite and inspire people and provide a cohesive voice for people who ride bikes in Texas.
Campaigns for People
A nonprofit organization devoted to campaign and ethics reform in the state of Texas through grassroots organization, publications, media coverage, and legislative work.
Citizens Commission on Education Excellence
A nonprofit organization focused on educating and organizing Texans with the goal of reforming funding for public education.
Communities In Schools
For more than 40 years, Communities In Schools has been helping students achieve in school, graduate and go on to bright futures. Our school-based staff work directly on elementary, middle and high school campuses in Central Texas. In addition to providing individual student support, they work to provide whole school supports, helping ensure school environments are safe and inclusive for all students.
Families In Global Transition
A nonprofit educational organization focused on cross-cultural coping strategies for children and their families. FIGT works primarily with internationally mobile families, such as embassy staff and employees of global corporations.
Institute for Educational Leadership
IEL partners with under-resourced communities to equip leaders to better prepare children, youth, adults, and families for postsecondary education and training, rewarding careers, and civic and community engagement
Military Child Education Coalition
The Coalition works with schools and military instillations to meet the needs of children from military families. The primary focus of their work is on the educational needs of military affiliated children and their families.
