History
| Outlaw BBQ Company
1997 - 2006
Guide on the Side would not exist without Steve and Grace McGraw, founders of Outlaw BBQ Company. What began as a family catering business grew into an operation that served tens of thousands of people each year.
Their BBQ was served at the Oregon Convention Center, Expo Center, Warrior Dash, NASCAR, and even at Backstreet Boys concerts. The McGraw family also ran restaurants in Gresham and Clackamas, earning loyal customers who enjoyed their pulled pork, ribs, brisket, meatloaf, Cajun beans, cornbread, and signature sauces.
Guide on the Side's founder, Cody, worked with his parents and siblings to facilitate crews ranging from small gatherings to large events with hundreds of workers.
Out of this experience came our value: together as one.
| U.S. Army
2006 - 2013
Cody began refining the facilitation skills that would later become Guide on the Side's playbook for clients while serving in the Roaring Tiger Battalion at Olivet Nazarene University. The program was one of the top ROTC programs in the nation at the time. Over a year, he facilitated a weekly group of 86 cadets. His responsibilities included organizing FTXs, leading Sink or Swim challenges, and enduring all-day ruck marches. Daily 5 a.m. runs in the Chicago cold were part of the routine.
Out of this experience came our value: calm under pressure.
| SCOUT
2013 - 2017
This was Cody’s first taste of funder facilitation on a shoestring budget. While serving in the military, he noticed many fellow soldiers made decisions based on which places offered them discounts. He took this insight and began facilitating presentations and pitches to funders across Oregon. This experience honed his skills in presenting ideas, building relationships with people who control resources, and crafting compelling asks under tight constraints. Ultimately, he secured investment, and the app went on to achieve over 50,000 downloads.
Out of this experience came our value: balance.
| INCIGHT
2018 - 2020
This was where Guide on the Side first learned the art and process of grant writing, when Cody served as Development Director for INCIGHT. Back then, identifying funding opportunities meant combing through a giant orange or yellow book called The Oregon Foundation Data Book. Cody was fortunate to learn the ropes from one of INCIGHT’s founders, Scott Hatley, who guided him through the strategies and mechanics of successful grant writing.
It was in this role that Cody secured some of his first grants, gaining hands-on experience in crafting compelling proposals, tailoring requests to funder priorities, and navigating the nuances of nonprofit funding.
Cody also had his first immersive experience in funder facilitation, thanks to Vail Horton. He attended and facilicated events of all kinds, from $2,500-a-ticket private donor gatherings to large-scale fundraisers on the floor of the Moda Center. These experiences provided firsthand insight into what drives funder engagement, how to create meaningful interactions, and how to orchestrate events that connect people with resources to the work they care about.
Out of these experiences came one of Guide on the Side’s values: get stuff done.
| Street Roots
2020 - 2023
This is where much of Guide on the Side’s approach was crafted. Cody served as Capital Campaign Director for Street Roots under the leadership of Executive Director Kaia Sand. Together, Cody and Kaia facilitated dozens of meetings with some of the West Coast’s most prominent philanthropists, honing skills that would become central to Guide on the Side’s work in funder facilitation and grant writing.
Cody also learned from Desmond Hardison, one of the foundational leaders at Street Roots, who showed him that there is no reason to be fearful in the presence of wealth. Cody and Kaia facilitated conversations in funders’ homes, traveled to Palm Springs, met donors at coffee shops, and even incorporated yoga into relationship-building sessions. Alongside these efforts, they submitted numerous grants and successfully raised millions of dollars.
It was through this intensive, hands-on experience, combining strategic fundraising, relationship facilitation, and grant writing, that Guide on the Side solidified the practices and values that continue to guide its work with clients today.
Out of these experiences came one of Guide on the Side’s values: creative excellence.
| Guide on the Side
2023 - Present
On June 23rd, 2023, Guide on the Side was officially incorporated, bringing together all the grant writing and facilitation skills Cody developed through Outlaw BBQ, the U.S. Army, SCOUT, INCIGHT, and Street Roots to support our clients.
Our work has included writing successful grant proposals for organizations such as Friends of Noise, INCIGHT, Our Village Gardens, and New Coyote Consulting, as well as facilitating funder engagement for groups like the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, 1,000 Friends of the Children, Boom Arts, Lift Urban Portland, New Story Homes, Oregon Food Bank, and Theater Diaspora.
We have secured grants and facilitated relationships with foundations including the Wheeler Foundation, the Larson Legacy Foundation, CareOregon, Swindells Foundation, Henry Lea Hillman Foundation, David and Christine Verniers, Ronni Lacroute, and the Oregon Community Foundation, among others.
Guide on the Side provides facilitation training for organizations such as Oregon Metro, the Oregon Convention Center, and Mortenson Construction, and has assisted entities like Prosper Portland in grading grant applications and distributing over a million dollars in funding.