Welcome to WritePath
Welcome to WritePath, an independent development and fundraising services company located in Aptos, California. Founded in 2004, WritePath is dedicated to providing the strategic planning, research and grantwriting support non-profit organizations need to communicate the importance of their work to the philanthropic community and to the public at large. WritePath also works with regional foundations and other private charitable institutions to evaluate and strengthen the effectiveness of their grantmaking programs.
WritePath Strategies
520 Pine Street
Aptos, California 95003
831.662.4520
writepath@sbcglobal.net
Philosophy
The WritePath approach to fundraising is based on the belief that there is more than enough for everyone. We believe that bringing awareness of human needs to people with the resources to help fulfill them is the first step towards creating a world that can take care of itself.
In our experience, there is much more to fundraising than the acquisition of dollars and cents. At WritePath, we help establish trusting relationships between people and organizations that are built to last. We do so by transforming needs into solutions and supporting non-profits in taking positive action toward ensuring a sustainable future.
Our work is defined by years of pragmatic business experience mixed with a generous measure of compassion. With this perspective in mind, we help organizations strike a balance between fulfilling their humanitarian purpose and maintaining sound business practices.
Through resource coaching, WritePath assists non-profits in better understanding their own organizational “money trail.” We help them examine how money flows into and out of their organization, and uncover and move beyond roadblocks to increased abundance.
Acknowledging that non-profit/foundation communication is a two-way street, WritePath is dedicated to providing support services for the philanthropic community. We work closely with foundations to strengthen their capacity to work with the non-profit communities they serve. In addition, we assist philanthropies with refining their evaluation and reporting systems in ways that foster greater communication of results and empowerment of grantees.
Bio
Paola Bruni is an award-winning editor and writer with nearly 20 years of writing experience in both the corporate and philanthropic sectors. Since founding WritePath in 2004, she has successfully raised millions of dollars for non-profit organizations located in communities throughout Northern California. These results, along with the fact that the majority of WritePath’s clients are long-term, are a testament to the deep sense of trust and confidence Paola inspires through her work.
Prior to transitioning to the non-profit world, Paola wrote commercially for over 15 years, working in print production and design for The Gap Stores, Inc. and Design Vectors in San Francisco. As the owner of OnPress Print Communications, a full service print collateral agency in Burlingame founded in 2001, Paola’s client roster included Wells Fargo Bank, Kaiser Permanente, and the Meridian Hotel, among others.
Paola is an avid reader of contemporary literature (Geraldine Brooks, Lief Enger, Octavia Butler, Ray Bradbury are several favorites), and studies martial arts and meditation. She currently lives in Aptos, California with her husband Kip Allert and their beautiful and sweet American Staffordshire pooch named Hapa.
Non-Profit Services
WritePath has provided strategic guidance and expert grantwriting services for our clients since 2004. We have obtained millions of dollars in grant funding from public and private sources for our clients. These grants have enabled our clients to provide advocacy on behalf of children with chronic and life-threatening conditions, hospice care for the uninsured, grief support for children, job preparation for at-risk youth, teen pregnancy and obesity prevention programs, and orthopedic surgical intervention for indigent children in developing countries worldwide.
We have also successfully acquired capacity building grants for non-profits seeking to build board governance, develop strategic plans, or facilitate organizational restructuring.
Fundamental to WritePath’s work is research and evaluation. We study trends in the grantmaking world, and help clients to distinguish their programs from among the thousands of proposals submitted each day. Processes involved in developing an effective grants program include:
- evaluation of organizational and program strategies
- identification of potential funding opportunities
- grants management planning
- timely completion of LOIs and grant applications
- providing outcome measures and objectives
- building lasting relationships with funders
WritePath services continue to support non-profit organizations once funding has been received. Most grants require some sort of post-award evaluation process at least once during the life of the funding. These evaluations can be crucial to the continuation of the funding and the success of future applications for the same project.
Foundation Support
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of non-profit organizations and their programming is of particular interest to Foundations seeking to make wise investments.
WritePath provides an experienced, analytical approach to the evaluation of programs.
We work with Foundation clients to develop criteria for the effective critiquing of non-profit clients and their programs, and offer assistance throughout the evaluation process.
Services offered:
- Analyzing private and corporate applications
- Assessing proposals for anecdotal, statistical, and financial data
- Scoring and ranking grant proposals
- Working with review panels
- Developing standards for proposal review
- Conducting site visits and evaluation of current grantees
Through a highly participatory approach, WritePath helps funders to determine what they want and need to know, and how best to collect data from prospective non-profits and current grantees. Our process help to ensure that funding is used appropriately and with the highest integrity.
WritePath evaluations and reports are provided in a user-friendly format and tailored to meet the needs of each Foundation client we serve.
Testimonials/Featured Clients
It is an honor and a pleasure to work with Paola. She has amazing capacity to put the intentions that rest in the heart onto paper, and over the past 6 years, she has successfully sustained Children's Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition’s principal programs with grant funding. She approaches each project with a comprehensive strategy that addresses the immediate needs and secures a foundation for future growth. Her writing skills are impeccable and her attention to detail ensures that each project is well planned and executed in a thoughtful and timely manner. She is truly a gifted and vital member of our team.
Devon Dabbs
Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition
Executive Director
www.childrenshospice.org
Paola Bruni possesses a unique combination of razor-sharp insight and intelligence that is always delivered from a place of deep compassion and heart. Paola is gifted at seeing and speaking the unseen and provides a great bridge for others to track and manifest their vision and mission from idea to reality.
Deborah Price
Founder & CEO
The Money Coaching Institute
www.money-therapy.com
Hospice of Santa Cruz County (HSCC) is fortunate to have worked with Paola for over six years. Paola established a formal grants process for HSCC and has since managed research and facilitated development of proposals on our behalf. Her writing is clear and reflects the mission and vision of our organization. She has a strong pulse on the local and national funding environment and consistently connects us with foundations whose funding criteria match our programs. Her strategic thinking and ability to mold program goals into clear, measurable objectives and outcomes has leveraged larger grant awards for Hospice. In addition, Paola provides art direction and writing for collateral materials such as annual reports and newsletters. Paola is a vital part of our development efforts.
Cathy Conway
Hospice of Santa Cruz County
Director of Development
www.hospicesantacruz.org
It has been a real pleasure working with Paola Bruni. Operation Rainbow has benefited tremendously from her insights in grant writing and presentations for fundraising in general. Paola is very quick in understanding the “soul” of an organization and communicating it to prospects. She is efficient in the use of her time and is always looking of innovative ways of getting to the end result. The three years she has been working with Operation Rainbow have been most fruitful. I recommend her highly.
Laura Escobosa
Operation Rainbow, Inc.
Executive Director
www.operationrainbow.org
Paola Bruni has an uncanny ability to get to the "heart" of a non-profit's story. She has helped us present our work in a more compelling way to prospective funders and she regularly identifies new opportunities as well. Paola is a valued contributor to New Door Ventures' success and we highly recommend her.
Tess Reynolds
New Door Ventures
Chief Executive Officer
www.newdoor.org