Alanna Taylor is a visionary leader and strategic architect who has spent three decades transforming bold ideas into fundable realities. With a staggering 60% plus grant win rate and over a million dollars raised annually for her clients, she is a nationally respected expert in program design, funding, and sustainable growth for mission-driven organizations. As the founder of Granted Success, Inc., Alanna specializes in grant writing, fractional executive director services, and her signature Grant-Ready Elevation Audit—a powerful diagnostic tool that evaluates a nonprofit’s win-ability across internal operations, messaging, digital footprint, and fundraising strategy. Her work is deeply rooted in empowering Black women executive directors and the Black-centered nonprofit organizations they lead.
Takeaways:
- Founders, Stop Making Yourself the Executive Director: Alanna reveals a critical pattern in the nonprofit space—Black women founders who position themselves as the executive director are inadvertently creating their own boss through the board. Her advice: position yourself as the board chair, build a strong and diverse board, and consider launching a consulting business alongside your mission. If you can create a nonprofit, you can create a business.
- Win Rate Is About Discipline, Not Just Writing: A 60% plus win rate does not come from fancy proposals—it comes from the discipline to say no. Alanna carefully evaluates every RFP, reviews the terms and conditions at the end that most people skip, and declines clients whose programs do not align with a funder’s priority areas. Funders now want quantitative outcomes, not wordy narratives, and Alanna delivers exactly that.
- Sustainability Means Multiple Revenue Streams: Grants alone will not sustain a nonprofit. Alanna pushes her clients to create fee-for-service offerings, technical assistance programs, merchandise, published books, and private donor bases. Unlike restricted grant funding, these revenue streams give organizations the unrestricted capital they need to truly grow and thrive on their own terms.
Sound Bytes:
“My because is really meeting the needs of Black women who are in the nonprofit space.”
“You’re allowed to make money as a nonprofit. You are allowed to generate revenue. You are allowed to create a service and charge for it.”
“Look, I’m a great writer, but I am not Jesus. I cannot make this work.”
Connect & Discover Alanna:
LinkedIn: @alannataylor
Website: grantedsuccess.org
Website: grantreadynow.com
Email: [email protected]
🔥 Ready to Lead Different & Win Bigger? 🔥
How to Be a Good Leader When You’ve Never Had One by Mick Hunt isn’t just a book - it’s your blueprint to set up, stand out, and lead with confidence (even if no one ever showed you how).
Straight talk. Real Strategy. No fluff. Just the tools you need to elevate your leadership and life.
👉 Get your copy now and start leading on your terms → Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million
FOLLOW MICK ON:
Spotify: MickUnplugged
Instagram: @mickunplugged
Facebook: @mickunplugged
YouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast
LinkedIn: @mickhunt
Website: MickHuntOfficial.com
Website: howtobeagoodleader.com
Website: Leadloudseries.com
Apple: MickUnplugged
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.