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Home > Grant Writing & Funding > Scaling Smarter: How D Increased Income, Took Vacations, and Reclaimed Their Time
Podcast: Grant Writing & Funding
Episode:

Scaling Smarter: How D Increased Income, Took Vacations, and Reclaimed Their Time

Category: Government & Organizations
Duration: 00:19:54
Publish Date: 2026-03-20 11:00:00
Description:

Are you a grant writer making money, but still stuck doing everything yourself? Join my free live training on March 24th, where I’ll show growth-stage grant professionals how to double their revenue without doubling their hours by installing systems, building predictable demand, and stepping into a CEO role. Register now at grantwritingandfunding.com/mentorship-webinar.



D Abshire of Aim for Funding shares how joining the Grant Professional Mentorship helped them move from burnout and 60–80 hour workweeks to a more sustainable, profitable grant writing business. In this conversation, D opens up about doubling her income with fewer clients, taking her first real vacation in years, and building the systems and boundaries that gave her both business growth and personal freedom.


They also talks about the power of coaching, community, and having a proven framework to follow—especially when you know something needs to change but you are not sure how to change it. D’s story is a powerful reminder that success does not have to happen overnight to be life-changing.


ABOUT OUR GUEST

D Abshire (they/them) is a lifelong learner, community volunteer, nonprofit

board member, and Development professional who fell into writing grants

during the COVID-19 global pandemic and then fell in love with the process

and observable positive impact grant funding had upon community-based

organizations.


D has developed expertise in facilitating and implementing strategic steps to

get small- to medium-sized nonprofits funded with their first community and

foundational grants and has helped to grow all client bottom lines by three

hundred to five hundred percent over the past three years.


By utilizing skills developed through a career in technical corporate training

and team building, D crafts a blend of Development approaches with

organizational leadership to establish diverse revenue streams, enabling

nonprofits to focus on what they do best. These organizations have gone

from merely surviving to thriving, all utilizing a blend of funding types that

fit their needs and the unique expression of their Missions.


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Thanks for listening!


Warmly,

Holly Rustick

Leading the $1 Billion for Good Movement: By 2030, aspiring and seasoned grant writers inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy & Grant Professional Mentorship will 1) WIN $1 Billion in Grants, and 2) MAKE $30 Million in their Grant Writing Businesses. We are on our way already.

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