Mark Klosterman’s ‘Thou Shalt Not Lie about Grants’ is that rare book that comes to open your eyes about something you used to not take seriously. I previously thought grants and getting them is totally out of my field of experience—as it turns out, with the right knowledge and by doing the right things, you could tap into this veritable funding source. Grants are a fairly common source of funding for non-profit organizations. Klosterman’s book provides information to avoid ending up at the receiving end of a “grant scam.”
Get this book to know how to avoid becoming a victim of scams—especially those that are pervasive online. Another thing worth commending is the author’s writing style—finding a dash of humor in what’s supposedly an “instruction manual” is a refreshing experience that makes the whole thing entertaining. Klosterman walks the extra mile to make the book as entertaining as possible, without losing credibility. Overall, this is a highly useful book that could spare you a lot of trouble if you’re considering government grants. Klosterman knows what he writes about—he has successfully received grants over the years and merely shares what he has learned. Get a copy of this book today. It is one of the easiest-to-understand references for getting grants, if there ever is one.
– Meghan
This clever and amusing romp through the Elysian fields of free money most people think of when they think about grants will rein in your flights of fancy without making you depressed to begin applying for an actual grant. Klosterman has been winning grants for a number of years and has enough experience to give a well-rounded, realistic view of what can be a rough slog through a thicket of bureaucratic minutia to the land where people give you money, as long as you’re doing something useful for the greater good as defined by the grantors.
Beginning with establishing common ground and clear definitions for the jargon of grant-land, and moving steadily through the things one must do to qualify for a grant – with a pit stop at how not to get taken by grant scammers – Klosterman guides the reader along quickly, offering cogent explanations of what needs to be done, the best way to do it, and a rationale for why things are done that way. As many of those explanations refer to the IRS, he reminds readers often that there are questions that can and should only be answered by them, and lauds their friendly and efficient customer service in the non-profit department. If you’re interested in learning how to access money for your non-profit, this book is worth the paltry price. I recommend you print it and put it in a three-ring binder for regular reference, and that you put some blank loose-leaf paper in there for notes, questions, and keeping information in one place.
– Lisa Napell Dicksteen, President, Skill Share; LMN Editorial
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mark Klosterman’s book. It is full of important tips that will help you be concise and precise (his 2 great commandments) which is the name of the grant-writing game. This book impressed me with the importance of following directions precisely, as stipulated by any foundation, and to be concise; in other words, “less is more”. I have in my home library two large books on the “how to’s” of grant-writing, and I found that Mark’s E-book had more information to help me get started and to stay on track than these other books of 200+ pages. Mr. Klosterman also injects humor into his book, which made it fun to read and not as ‘dry’ as one would usually think of this topic. I am happy I have this book in my repertoire, and I know I’ll be referencing and relating back to it multiple times.
– Barb Van Horn, President, Support-A-Soldier
