Grants & PR by Pia Hallenberg

Grants & PR by Pia Hallenberg Grant writing. 501C3 consulting. Storytelling marketing. Crisis communication. Ghostwriting.

I'll let you in on a secret: I love being in The Paulsen Building when no one else is here. Except Ms. Paulsen 😉It's qui...
07/25/2026

I'll let you in on a secret:
I love being in The Paulsen Building when no one else is here.
Except Ms. Paulsen 😉
It's quiet and calm - the HVAC is running slower - traffic outside is much slower - fewer sirens - aaaaaaaaahhhhh...

This is funny because when I started my business, I promised myself to take the weekends off.
I'd rather get in at 6 am during the week, if it meant I had Saturday and Sunday off 😊
Because you gotta rest.
But some weekends, like this one, there's just a few more hours of work that have to be done - so here we are:
Me and Ms. Paulsen working on a Saturday 💟

My tiny branding vision board from last night's Amplifying Women's Voices event by Cyndi Donahue!Such a fun little exerc...
07/16/2026

My tiny branding vision board from last night's Amplifying Women's Voices event by Cyndi Donahue!

Such a fun little exercise - I should do this more often.

When you work in grant writing and development, some days are weighed down with rejection and doubt. Today was a heavy d...
06/23/2026

When you work in grant writing and development, some days are weighed down with rejection and doubt. Today was a heavy day.
I mean, I did well - I had two business meetings.
One was lukewarm, the other was very promising.
So that's good.
I also had a marketing meeting that went very well.
I'm still waiting for a callback on another deal that's kind of important. And I just feel, well, spent.
On my way back to my office, I walked through Nordstrom and sprayed myself with Gucci perfume, and got a fancy iced coffee - but even that didn't help 😆
I'm sending out a late-day swarm of emails, and then I'm headed home. And that's okay.
Thanks for the troll picture, Sam Weber! It fits me to a T today.

Yes, that's a blanket over my shoulders in the office 😆This European loves a little AC when she's trying to sleep on a h...
06/15/2026

Yes, that's a blanket over my shoulders in the office 😆

This European loves a little AC when she's trying to sleep on a hot evening - but she will never understand why summer temps outside means freezing temps indoors!

Playing with filters on a hot June day in my office.

I was a journalist for 20 great years. I developed many transferable skills, such as writing and editing. And one of my...
06/09/2026

I was a journalist for 20 great years.
I developed many transferable skills, such as writing and editing.
And one of my favorite skills: my hustle 🙂
Today, I created a barebones website for a client using a standard website/marketing hosting platform I'd never used before.
Yes, I lost a little sleep last night - building a website wasn't part of the initial conversation, gah - but I pushed the hustle button and got it done.
Do you have a hustle button? What does it do?

Did your parents always tell you to clean your room?Well, I'm hear to tell you to clean up your records 🧼 I'm not talkin...
06/04/2026

Did your parents always tell you to clean your room?
Well, I'm hear to tell you to clean up your records 🧼

I'm not talking finances (which I know very little about) - I'm talking DONOR records 🗃️

The reason is simple: it doesn't matter how many donors your organization has, if you can't easily reach them ⚠️

You don't have to do it all in one day.
Maybe start with returned mail 📨
Check for typos as you go 🔠
Update phone numbers 📲

Spend time plowing through it all - and it does take a lot of time - one hour at a time - but it's worth it.

Plus when you are done you feel like that moment when you slip into freshly laundered sheets 🥳😀💕😍😎😻🫶

Cup of coffee for inspiration ☕️

Yesterday, I was reminded of how important ethical storytelling is.Whether it's your fundraising video or a new batch of...
06/02/2026

Yesterday, I was reminded of how important ethical storytelling is.
Whether it's your fundraising video or a new batch of political commercials, please don't take advantage of vulnerable people.

It's your job as the communications professional to remind your subjects of how a video testimony can impact their lives.
They don't know.
Today, a TV commercial doesn't go away after it's aired 25 times. It lives on YouTube and social media FOREVER. And that may turn out to be a curse for your interview subject, who thought they were just gonna be on TV for a few minutes.

And for all of us in fundraising, can we just agree to NOT re-traumatize the same people we helped back on their feet?
Thank you.

Happy Monday morning out there! I have a question: what do you find the most odd, complexing or mysterious about applyin...
06/01/2026

Happy Monday morning out there!
I have a question: what do you find the most odd, complexing or mysterious about applying for grants?

If you are a 501C3, what are common documents grantors ask for? This also applies to some surprisingly small grants:☀️ L...
05/29/2026

If you are a 501C3, what are common documents grantors ask for?
This also applies to some surprisingly small grants:

☀️ Latest annual report.
☀️ Last tax filing.
☀️ List of board members, their contact information and professional affiliation.
☀️ A profit/loss statement.
☀️ A copy of audited financials.
☀️ Various line items from your financials.
☀️ A void check.
☀️ IRS incorporation letter... this list is not complete, just so you know. Every grantor is different.

Why do they ask for all this stuff?
Because they want to know that you are legit. As a 501C3 you manage other people's money (grants) so there's a high bar to meet - and it takes time to get there.

Thursday tip - all non-profits keep records of donors (I hope 😄)Be SUPER consistent with your record entries, people. Al...
05/28/2026

Thursday tip - all non-profits keep records of donors (I hope 😄)

Be SUPER consistent with your record entries, people.
All records should follow the same pattern. Like:
First name
Last name
Street
City
Zip
State
You get it 🙂
If you do a lot of mail merging, omit punctuation from your addresses! It chokes up the merger.
Years ago, I manually cleaned up almost 5000 records - it took three full work days - and it's just something you don't want to ever have to do.
So look it up! Call the constituent. Do whatever it takes to get things as accurate as possible - onwards and upwards 🚀 🫶

Address

The Paulsen Center, 421 W Riverside Avenue #1081
Spokane, WA
99201

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+15092800075

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