S3 E4: Grant Myths and Mistakes

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I'm Diana Marquis, host of About Fundraising, the podcast and founder and chief strategist for DM Group Consulting, a boutique consultancy that works with nonprofit organizations on their board Education, training, fundraising, planning and coaching for executive directors and development directors.

You can find me on LinkedIn and my website dmgroupconsulting.com.

One of my first jobs as a professional fundraiser was writing grants.

Honestly, my only qualification was that I could write well.

I honed my writing skills while working in radio and television, where I wrote commercials and scripts.

After working and writing in that environment, a grant proposal was easy.

Just follow the instructions right?

Yes, every grantor I've met have said the most important thing a grant writer can do is follow the instructions.

This is part of a successful grant proposal submission, but as we know, there is more to it.

Funders want to know what you're doing, why you're doing it, who benefits, and how you know you've done your job.

Oftentimes this information is only known by the ED or development director.

It's in their head, not written down.

So many times I've heard it's easier for me to do it than show someone else how to.

Of course it is, but that's not the way to grow an organization or build a team.

Sometimes starting a new job or working with a new client means changing the process.

To help an organization break out of this pattern, my clients get a Grant Readiness Checklist.

This is a list of documents that any grant writer needs to produce grant applications.

It includes basic items such as program descriptions, the organization's history, budgets, board roster, and other documents.

All this information is maintained in a shared document platform and updated by designated staff on a regular basis.

Another basic tool for a grant writer is a pipeline or list or spreadsheet or CRM report.

This helps track due dates, report dates, contract information, areas of funding interest, and anything else that will help produce quality, consistent grant applications, proposals and LOIs.

Your pipeline is kept full by spending time on research.

Research will tell you which foundations are a good match because you will be familiar with their areas of interest and their restrictions.

For example, if you run an after school program in a rural community, then you would not apply to a funder who supports after school programs in urban communities.

Foundations usually provide guidelines for what they want you to include in a proposal.

Sometimes there are word or character limits, other times there are none.

You have to be prepared for both.

This means having program narratives of different lengths, like 100 words and 300 words.

Both need to have the same basic information.

The longer one is simply more detailed.

If you have questions or if something is unclear, contact the foundation.

There are usually instructions on their website about how they prefer to be contacted.

A phone call or email can save everyone a lot of time.

If a foundation offers an information or training session, attend it.

This is not only going to give you valuable information, it also lets the foundation know you are truly interested in submitting the best proposal possible.

Also, having grant proposal deadlines at your fingertips will help you schedule your time and set priorities.

Informal research can be done by paying attention to who sponsors the events of organizations similar to yours.

Also, luxury lifestyle publications are another good resource to identify local philanthropists.

In Dallas, we have My Sweet Charity, an online publication and blog which functions as a social diary and news source dedicated to covering North Texas nonprofit philanthropic news and community fundraising events.

Another important element in your grant writing strategy is to have a system in place to avoid last minute late night flurries of writing.

Questions to Answer Are all your documents up to date and at your fingertips?

How long does it take to produce the first draft of a grant application?

How long does it take for someone else to review and or edit the draft?

How long does it take to make the corrections and get another review?

Who does the final read through and approves for submission?

And finally, who submits the final proposal with attachments?

All of these questions will help you develop a timeline for each grant proposal.

Here are some other things to keep in mind after you've done your research and identified a foundation that matches your mission.

First of all, if possible, contact the foundation and let them know you are interested in submitting a grant application.

There may be information they will share with you that is not on their website.

Read all the instructions carefully.

I cannot stress this enough.

Not following the instructions is the number one reason applications are turned down.

Clearly state the problem or challenge your organization seeks to address.

Include relevant data.

Do not use jargon or acronyms.

How will you address the problem?

Clearly state the action your organization will take, the staff roles, and how long it will take to do the work.

How will you evaluate your program or organization?

What will you achieve?

Your budget should align with your narrative.

For example, if you're talking about hiring new staff, your budget should reflect that.

If possible, use headings, bullet points and leave white space in the margins.

This just makes it easier to read.

Never submit the first draft someone you trust who is not part of your organization to read it for clarity.

Have all relevant support documents such as financials, the IRS letter in one place ready to be submitted with a proposal.

Submit your proposal two or three business days early, never at the last minute.

First time proposals seldom get funded.

Keep trying.

Foundations want to know if your still around and if you're serious about receiving funding from them.

Consider joining a professional association such as GrantProfessionals.org if grant writing is something your organization needs, contact me through my website dmgroupconsulting.com or email me at dianadmgroupconsulting.com.