The Chronicle of Philanthropy isn't known for giving away money, but for talking about how to get it. They've come up with a contest to benefit a few lucky nonprofits. Here's the deal:

Starting next week, on September 2 at 2 p.m. Eastern time, our donor partner GrantStation, will be offering free webinars for TechSoup's nonprofit users in order to help them determine whether the product will work for their fundraising needs. They'll offer a second webinar "tour" of GrantStation on September 15 at the same time to review the ways that nonprofits can use the product to identify program-specific grantmakers, write compelling letters of inquiry, and create powerful proposals. Both of these free webinars are designed to help our users determine whether GrantStation will support their fundraising and grantseeking efforts.

In addition to the upcoming webinars, starting on September 16 and running through September 17, GrantStation will be offering a special, limited-time discount on a one-year membership — reducing the regular admin fee by $300. Eligible nonprofits can request the one-year membership for only $99 for the promotional period. Read more about it here, but don't place the product in your "cart" until the start of the promotion so you get the special discount.

It's GrantStation day! Don't forget to take advantage of our special offer from GrantStation. If you request it before 5 p.m. Pacific time tomorrow (Wednesday), a one-year membership is available for only $99.

Related

• Introduction to GrantStation and follow-up discussion (TechSoup Talks!)
• An Introduction to Grant Reports (Learning Center)
• Writing a Winning Grant Proposal (Learning Center)
• Grant-Writing and Evaluation Resources (TechSoup Blog)

The New York Times reports that Larry Brilliant will be stepping down as executive director of Google.org and taking on the role of chief philanthropy evangelist at Google.

Brilliant explains the move in a blog post and gives some clues about the new direction that Google's philanthropy department will be taking. "During our review it became clear that while we have been able to support some remarkable non-profit organizations over the past three years, our greatest impact has come when we've attacked problems in ways that make the most of Google's strengths in technology and information." He's referring to projects that have leveraged Google's programming capabilities like Google Flu Trends, RechargeIT, and Google PowerMeter.

Brilliant's indication seems to be that Google's philanthropic focus will be more on collaborative projects like these and less on direct grants. Some people are cynical: as the New York Times article quotes Siva Vaidhyanathan, "The habits and ideology of the company will lead the philanthropy rather than the needs of the communities or the planet."

Nathaniel at Change.org is more hopeful. "More than anything else, Google unlocks the power of information," he says. "It's not hard to understand how that core capacity could be the driving force behind their entire philanthropic strategy." Nathaniel discusses the changing world of philanthropy, and highlights the importance of cooperation between nonprofits and for-profits — not just monetary support — in effecting scalable change. Of course, none of this will impact Google's free and discounted services for nonprofits (previously discussed).

For more on Google and philanthropy, check out Jim and Becky's excellent article.

Don't forget to visit TechSoup Stock tomorrow and take advantage of our very special GrantStation offer. Wednesday and Thursday only, qualified users can request a one-year GrantStation membership for only $99 (the usual TechSoup Stock admin fee is $399).

For more information on GrantStation, take a look at our recent GrantStation webinar.

As you probably already know, tomorrow is our special GiftWorks promotion. For one day only, nonprofits with budgets of up to $200,000 can request the discounted GiftWorks license (the usual cap is $50,000). What you might not know is that the usual one-request-per-year limitation is also being lifted for the day. For tomorrow only, you can request a second license if you've already requested one this year. That's great news!

Last week, Kami led a very successful webinar on GiftWorks. If you missed it, be sure to check out the recording. And don't forget to come back for the promotion tomorrow. We'll be here bright and early at 8 a.m. Pacific time.

The Foundation Center just alerted us that they're offering scholarships to California nonprofits with budgets under $1,000,000 for their grantseeker training courses this Fall. This is a great opportunity to get some hands-on experience in writing proposals, cultivating relationships with grantmakers, and more. Download the scholarship application (100 KB DOC) for more information and class descriptions.

Don't forget that TechSoup has some fantastic articles on grants and fundraising.

One of TechSoup's busiest days of the year is almost here. Next Wednesday, September 24, GrantStation memberships will be available for only $99 through our special one-day promotion.

Kristen at Nonprofit SOS has been running an interesting series of posts on evaluation, not only in grant writing but throughout a nonprofit's day-to-day activities. As volunteers and donors become more educated about where they can spend their time and money, objective measures of your organization's impact should be discussed often, not just when it's time to look for grants. Kristen also points out a blog that's new to me, 79 Grant Writing Resources.

Finally, TechSoup has some great articles on fundraising and grant seeking.

We had a great webinar and online event

Mark your calendars for TechSoup's free online event and webinar on Thursday, August 14.

Making the Most of Your Google Grants donation of In-Kind Advertising

Did you know that Google gives grants in the form of in-kind advertising? Have you heard of Google Grants but don't know how to get one? Then don't miss TechSoup's free event where you will learn about Google Grants and how your nonprofit can receive up to $10,000 to use towards a donation of Google AdWords, Google's in-kind advertising program.

Take part in the live webinar, Thursday, August 14 from 11:00 A.M.-12:00 P.M. PDT. We'll follow-up the webinar with a free, all-day, asynchronous (not live) online event, where you can ask any further questions that pertain to your organization’s specific concerns in the TechSoup Community forums.