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GEMS - How to Cut Characters without Cutting Content

September 30, 2026 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (EDT)

Description

Session Overview:
This session equips participants with hands-on strategies to cut character counts without cutting essential content. Through real-world examples and rewriting exercises, participants learn how to craft tighter, more powerful narratives that meet funder limits without sacrificing impact.

This session teaches participants practical strategies for reducing word and character counts in grant narratives without sacrificing clarity, strength, or essential information. Participants will learn how to streamline language, eliminate redundancy, tighten sentence structures, and maintain the full integrity of their proposals while meeting strict funder-imposed space limits.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  1. Identify and apply practical editing techniques to reduce word and character counts without losing essential content.
  2. Recognize common areas where language can be tightened, such as eliminating redundancies, filler words, and passive voice.
  3. Understand the difference between cutting for brevity and cutting for impact—and maintain narrative strength while editing.
  4. Apply character-cutting techniques through a hands-on exercise rewriting a provided text passage.
  5. Tailor editing strategies to meet specific funder requirements, including strict character or word count limits.
  6. Build confidence in rewriting, refining, and tightening grant language quickly and effectively.


ABOUT THE PRESENTER 

Rachel Waterman is a Thinker, Writer, Advocate, Entrepreneur, Software Developer, Artist and Mother of two. She has held various community development positions including Peace Corps Volunteer, organizer, researcher, consultant, coach, City Master Planner, nonprofit Executive Director, and Mayor of the City of Lake Worth Beach, Florida. She holds a Master’s Degree in Community and Economic Development with a concentration in Applied Social Research, a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies, and speaks Spanish and Portuguese fluently. 

She is a Certified Fundraising Executive, a Certified Grant Professional, A Grants Professional Association-approved trainer, and the Founder & and CEO of Global Development Solutions (aka GDS Grants), the makers of GEMS- Grant Easy Management Software. Rachel lives and works remotely part of the year from Florida, USA, and part of the year from Florianopolis, Brazil.

Time

Wednesday 11 am - 12 noon VIRTUAL via Zoom

Location

Virtual Session

Virtual via Zoom

Pricing

Members - FREE

Nonmembers - $25

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Contact Information

Name: Callie Sharkey
Phone: (561) 910-6678
Email: csharkey@nonprofitsfirst.org
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