Category Archives: Grants

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Beware! Know When a Grant is a Mistake to Apply For

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I know your nonprofit organization is probably eager to attract some grant money to help support your good work. The idea of a funder handing a large check to your nonprofit probably makes your heart flutter. Visions of popping the champagne might come to mind.

And that’s what grants are there for!

But you should know that not all grants are good for you. Before diving in, I suggest that you first get clear about the difference between a grant that can be helpful to your organization and one that actually doesn’t do you any favors.

Pursuing a grant strategy is a major endeavor and you want to go in with your eyes wide open!

Grant Application Consideration #1

Grants generally take up to 6-12 months to be awarded after you apply— and that’s not counting the time it takes to prepare your application. In fact, good preparation (read: grant writing) is quite time-consuming itself!

[Recently, especially with COVID-19 grants, emergency or “rapid response” grants have had shorter turnaround times. But that is rare.]

A waiting period of many months is often too long for an urgent project. Sometimes board members, or even Executive Directors, are unfamiliar with grantseeking and may think that grants offer a quick and easy way to fund the organization. This is generally NOT the case.

Grant Application Consideration #2

Grantmakers often change their priorities and can be unreliable. You don’t want your organization to be dependent on only 1 or 2 grants that could disappear next year! You can protect your organization’s well-being by having many different sources of income in case any suddenly slow down or dry up.

What are those other sources of income? Think individual donors, events, fees for services you provide, or social enterprises you run.

My point: Any grant strategy should be part of a MUCH LARGER fundraising plan.

Grant Application Consideration #3

Grants are only temporary and have no guarantee of continuing. Your organization needs to be sustainable – that is, have a strategy to ensure that you can survive or thrive past the duration of any specific grant.

While grants can and should be part of the mix, you can’t expect them to be anything more than a short-term fix for a year or two. And if they end up being long-term, when then, you will be pleasantly surprised!

Living grant-to-grant is like living paycheck-to-paycheck without a guaranteed job – not a good idea if you can help it!

Grant Application Consideration #4

Grants are actually NOT free money! Sorry if this bursts your bubble.

There is a LOT of work involved in seeking and managing different types of grants.

Your nonprofit organization has to decide if it’s worth dedicating the needed time, effort, and other resources in exchange for the possible cash you could receive in the form of a grant.

In addition, some grants come with strings attached. You have to consider the agreement you’re making to accept money from any particular funder. For example, sometimes a funder demands way too much work in exchange for a grant that will only partially cover your expenses. What would you do then?

Grant Application Consideration #5

Your organization might simply not be ready. If you are not prepared with all of the information, people, and other resources you’re going to need, you will be wasting your time and money pursuing grants. You need to make sure you are able to take this on.

For example, funders may see your organization as not yet organized enough — with the right capacity — to make the best use of their grant. And they might be right!

You may find that a given grant application or proposed project doesn’t fit with your organization’s stage of development right now. Or perhaps you have to address some internal challenges before you can put your best foot forward to a funder.

As you can see, it’s not always the right time for any given nonprofit organization to seek and manage any given grant. I encourage you to carefully consider your options and adopt a clear-eyed perspective about the grant opportunities that come your way. In fact, you might want to share this information with others at your organization who may need to see the larger picture.

When you are sure a grant would be truly good for your organization, you’ll be set to start your grant seeking and grant writing journey.

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Today’s Changemakers: Discover a Rich Career as a Nonprofit Professional

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If you are just graduating from college, you have so many choices before you! A big one is your future career. Do you want to devote your profession to making a real difference in the world? Will work in the nonprofit sector suit you?

If you are thinking about it, as I did when I was a recent college graduate many moons ago, you will want to consider many factors:

  • What really needs to get done?
  • What are you good at?
  • What do you enjoy doing?, and
  • What will be financially sustainable?

(By the way, these are also good questions to ask yourself if you are considering a career in government service or socially responsible businesses.)

Passion is Not All You Need

Notice that I am suggesting not to just focus on the issue or cause you are passionate about, but also the actual skills you will be bringing to the job. With a newly minted degree, you probably have up-to-date knowledge about your field. And that is so helpful! But you also need to know the answer to the question: “Yes, but what can you DO for us?”

And there is a lot that needs doing! Nonprofit jobs make up about 10% of private sector employment in the U.S. That’s a good chunk – accounting for over 11 million positions.

No matter what specific job you end up in, you’re virtually guaranteed to be involved – directly or indirectly – with fundraising. It’s the lifeblood of the nonprofit sector. One important component of fundraising is grant seeking strategy. It’s a skill you would be wise to pick up because it will help open doors for you.

I recently wrote a blog post describing the Top 12 Traits of a Good Grant Writer, but regardless of your specific job title, knowing how to attract grants can be an important feather in your cap or tool in your toolbox (choose your favorite metaphor).

Now, most of us don’t come to the nonprofit sector because we want to be fundraisers, per se. Instead, we are compelled by an organization’s mission, activities, outcomes, and the like. But don’t overlook fundraising! You will add enormous value to your (current and future) employers if you bring experience and expertise in one or more aspects of revenue generation strategies.

Basically, those of us with fundraising backgrounds are always in demand.

Where to Begin?

New-College-Graduates-Careers
Newly minted college graduate interviewing for her first job to become a nonprofit professional. (Photo: Courtesy of AdobeStock)

What’s that? Your resume is kind of thin in that regard? Not to worry. You can find opportunities everywhere that will help beef it up. Stepping up to take a little initiative with an organization you’re interested in goes a long way.

Are you good at schmoozing? Researching? Storytelling? Running numbers? Are you closely tied to the community you want to serve? How about multi-tasking?

If any of that described you, grant writing just might be up your alley.

You may have been one of the fortunate students who took a grant writing course in school. If you were extremely lucky, your instructor had some recent real-world experience in the field. If so, great!

But odds are that you, like most people in the nonprofit sector, never studied grant writing or grant management. Instead, most people try to learn the needed skills on the job — and that can take many years.

To help address this situation, TechSoup and I teamed up recently to co-create an on-demand course series on Grant Writing and Management. This learning track consists of 5 courses that form a “starter kit” for grant writing.

In the courses, we travel step-by-step along the “Grant Roadmap,” where you will learn to:

  • First ensure the organization’s readiness for grant seeking.
  • Then plan and draft an entire grant proposal package.
  • You will perform a mock review to make sure it is complete.
  • You will also learn to research and approach your most likely funders.
  • And manage the grant after it is awarded.

Here is the welcome video for the course track:

TechSoup and Writing to Make A Difference’s Grant Writing & Management course Welcome video.

In all 5 courses, you’ll engage with me through videos, interactive activities, and quizzes. You will also find dozens of samples, templates, checklists, and other resources. And each module comes with its own transcript for easy reference.

Special Discount for Recent Graduates

We are pleased to offer recent graduates a 20% discount on the Grant Writing and Management course track! To get the discount, just enter code: GRANTMGMT20 when you sign up. The discount expires on 6/30/21, but the good news is that the courses themselves have no expiration date — take them whenever you wish.

By the way, the course track makes a great graduation gift for any graduate considering the nonprofit world! [Hint, hint.]

For Best Results…

TIP: Take the time to identify an organization that interests you. Try to contact them to see if they would like to partner with you. To get the most out of the courses, you will need lots of information about the organization and its programs – and some of it will probably NOT appear on their website.

Be sure to let them know that if they work with you, they will get a free grant proposal template out of the deal – quite an incentive!

The Bottom Line

Get some training and experience in fundraising/grant writing and you will boost your marketability in the nonprofit sector, regardless of your primary focus. Hey, maybe you’ll even get a foot in the proverbial door!

P.S.: For more help, thinking through a nonprofit career path, I suggest this great article  from WildApricot.com.

Register Today: Grant Writing & Management
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Top 12 Traits of a Good Grant Writer

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If you’ve worked in the nonprofit sector for any length of time, you have already figured out the central role that fundraising plays. No nonprofit can do the good work it does without financial support. Even volunteer-run organizations have funding needs at some point.

This process started for me as a child. I wanted to do something to help improve the world around me. I saw a lot of needs going unmet. What could I do?

You guessed it: I ended up Trick -or-Treating for UNICEF and then selling lollipops to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. That is, fundraising.

But that story is not limited to youngsters. Adults with careers in the nonprofit sector—like you—also must focus on fundraising skills. While fundraising does take many different forms, a large number of nonprofit workers find that even if their job titles do not include the words “grant” or “fundraising,” they are expected to be involved in some grant writing.

And, of course, some of us eventually focus primarily (or entirely) on the grant side of things.

If this sounds familiar, or if you aspire to become a nonprofiteer, ask yourself if you have what it takes to shine in the grant writing world:

1. Strong writing and storytelling skills

If you have a knack for crafting messages to engage readers, or you know how to tell a good story, you’re already on your way (even if you were not an English major).

2. Content knowledge as a specialist or generalist in your field

You don’t have to be an expert on all of the details; that’s what your colleagues are for. But you need to be constantly adding to your understanding, and be willing to learn quickly.

3. Passion for the nonprofit’s work

Of course, you can only spread enthusiasm for supporting an organization if you have that passion yourself. As you learn more about your organization’s mission and why it’s important, you will probably become even more of a fan.

4. Training and on-the-job experience

Courses and books  can help you get started. But you also need to get some hands-on, real-life experience. Coaching and mentoring during that process can elevate you to a new level of understanding and skill.

5. Resourcefulness as a self-motivated, tenacious researcher

You’ll need to research appropriate funders, as well as specific pieces of information about your organization or its issues of concern. You just need the right tools and contacts to follow the right leads.

6. People skills

You have to be good at building and maintaining relationships by listening and working with a team on each grant proposal. Grant writing is not just about hiding behind a computer screen!

7. Strategizing Skills

Your colleagues will often look to you to help them strategize which grants to pursue and how. You are the knowledgeable guide who can lead them to design work that is attractive to grantmakers.

8. Multi-tasking and prioritizing skills

With so many deadlines and projects to manage, you need to know how to handle it all with graceful and flexible planning. You might have heard the quote from Douglas Adams: “I love deadlines. I especially love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by!” Wouldn’t it be great to be able to do that? Instead, grant writers go by the maxim: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!”

9. Ethics and integrity

Funders and your organization will both need to be confident that they can trust you to do the right thing and do it consistently. You need to be clear on the ethical obligations involved with professionally soliciting and managing funds.

10. Administrative skills, both big picture and nitty-gritty details

This includes the ability to follow both a funder’s guidelines to a “T,” and any internal requirements at your nonprofit. You also need to be able to organize and track your work, as well as handle the myriad of pesky document processing issues that pop up (e.g. word count, layout, etc.).

11. Ability to learn from rejection and persist

Even the best grant writers can’t win ‘em all. Learning from mistakes comes with the territory. Actually, I think rejection is UNDER-rated! When you are rejected repeatedly, it should be a red flag that means you’re doing something wrong. You will need to learn more, get better advice, do more research, and ask more questions.

12. Confidence based in knowledge and preparation

Bottom line: You need to feel confident that you have the background, support, and tools to get the job done well.

If you have most or all of these characteristics, you’re well-equipped to help your nonprofit attract and manage a nice portfolio of grants. If you have identified a few traits you want to cultivate further, consider ways to develop those skills. You and your nonprofit will be glad you did!

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5 Key Priorities to Include in a Grant Proposal

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If you have read my post What Do Funders Look for in a Grant Proposal? you know how to frame your grant proposal effectively to best appeal to prospective funders. With that in mind, let’s turn our attention to planning exactly what information to prioritize in your grant proposal narrative.

I have designed a handy acronym summarizing the five key things you will need to convey to funders about your proposed program or project. The five keys speak directly to the core interests of funders, conveniently spelling out FIRST.

FIRST
Photo: Courtesy of TechSoup

Let’s look at each of the FIRST items closely.

1. Facts and Figures

Let’s begin by answering the basic questions:

This is a great place to cite information or statistics that describe the context you’re working in. Remember: While the funder reading your grant proposal probably has some general knowledge about your issue, they may not be familiar with your particular setting or set of issues.

2. Importance of the Issue

Funders are going to need to know why you’re so focused on the problem or issue you have just identified. Imagine them asking you, “Why should I care about the problem you are addressing?”

The answer may be obvious to you because you live and breathe it every day. But it may not be so clear to others.

A shorthand way of saying that is, “So what? Who cares?”

Another way to think about it is, “What would happen if you didn’t do your work?”

Sketching out your program’s “Importance,” coupled with the “Facts and Figures” we just discussed, is the process of gathering the evidence to support the “needs statement” that grant applications request. The needs statement is one of the core elements of a grant proposal, but it doesn’t need to be a scary piece to write.

Just remember that it should include both the Facts and Figures and the Importance of the issue. Just outlining the problem without emphasizing why it’s important is simply not enough. You cannot assume that the funder can connect the dots.

Don’t forget to mention the issue’s importance as it relates to your organization’s overall mission.

3. Results You Envision

Let’s move on to what your program or project is doing to address that community need.

What are the results you envision? That is, what will your success look like, in both the short and long term? Sometimes results are called “outcomes” or “impacts.” The results you are planning need to be very measurable, both quantitatively (in numbers) and qualitatively (how significantly people’s lives are improved). If you need help here, go back to your organization’s mission statement or strategic plan and cut it down to size to fit your program in a one-year grant period.

You will have to really think about what your work will mean for the clients or community you are working with. How does that work lead to something better for them — now and in the future?

If your community members were to ask you, “What’s in it for us?” what would you say?

Other ways to frame this question would be, “What difference do you plan to make at the end of the day?” or “What changes or community benefits will we see?”

By the way, you may have noticed that I am encouraging you to first think of the results or outcomes you’re aiming for. This is because funders are most interested in what you are really trying to achieve. This idea might be a bit different from the way you are used to thinking of your work. When a funder asks, “What do you do?” your answer should be more about your intended results and not your specific day-to-day activities.

4. Solution You Are Proposing

After funders know your intended results, they will then be interested in the nitty-gritty of how you will do that.

Let’s talk about the specific solution you chose to implement. This is your plan to achieve your results, and we need details here.

Remember to be clear about the steps you will take, as well as your program’s size and scope. Is it just getting started, perhaps as a small pilot project? Is it expanding? Or maybe it’s already operating at full-scale?

Once you describe the solution you chose, think about why you chose that particular solution. The more evidence you can use to back up your choices, the better.

While you want to show that your solution is solid, you should also think about ways your solution is unique. Funders are not interested in reinventing the wheel. But they do want to know the unique, future-facing contribution your program or project will make.

To stand out as particularly interesting, you need to highlight what distinguishes your program from other similar ones. You must show how your work is innovatively addressing the specific need that your community has expressed. I am sure you can come up with brilliant ways to position your program or project as a unique contributor. This might be a good thing to bring up at a staff or board meeting.

CAUTION: If your program is “too unique” (that is, special in unfamiliar ways), you may generate initial resistance. Try to relate your work to things the funder already knows and trusts. Be ready to explain unfamiliar terms or concepts.

5. Track Record and Testimonials

The final item in our FIRST acronym is T for Track record, including another T: Testimonials.

Funders are interested in knowing how your program has already made a positive difference in your community. That is, what results have you already successfully achieved? If your project has been around for a while, describe your track record in ways that encourage the funder to trust you to get the job done and use their money wisely.

But what if you are a brand-new organization, or embarking on a new project or program? While your organization or program itself might have little or no track record, the people who make up the board and staff do. Focus on their relevant credentials, experience, and expertise. What makes them perfectly positioned to ensure your success?

When describing your track record, you can also talk about your past results from the point of view of your clients. This would be in the form of testimonials that appear in representative client stories or case studies. Testimonials also help illustrate the human context your clients are living in and the importance of your solution in their lives.

Thoroughly outlining your FIRST priorities is a critical first step to writing your grant proposal. You can then move this information into whatever grant proposal format your prospective funder requests.

Download this infographic to help you keep these 5 key priorities in mind!

Where to Learn More

In the Grant Writing and Management learning track on TechSoup Courses, we develop each of these five FIRST priorities with a fictitious (but realistic) sample program in mind. You can then apply the process to your own work. If this sounds like it could benefit your organization, check out the course details to learn more.

Grant Writing and Management Course

This article is a part of a three-part series, including: What Do Funders Look for in a Grant Proposal? and How to Assess Return on Investment for Grant Writing and Management.

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What Do Funders Look for in a Grant Proposal?

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Ah — the quintessential question! Wouldn’t it be great to get inside the head of your intended funders to find out what really knocks their socks off? Or how about being a fly on the wall at a meeting where they make their funding decisions?

Unfortunately, I can’t read the tea leaves for you. But I can tell you two very important things to keep in mind.

1. Each Funder Is Unique and Should Be Treated as Such

If you’ve read the first blog post in this series, you already know that each funder has a particular set of funding criteria and specific goals that they are trying to achieve with their philanthropy. They also have certain values or ideas that guide them in making their funding choices. Your grant proposal should demonstrate that your organization and the funder are both on the same page.

As you research potential grantmakers, be sure to read (and reread) their published funding guidelines, priorities, and requests for proposals (RFPs). Find out who they have funded before and if and how your organization could fit strategically into their funding portfolio.

For best results, I recommend also interacting with the funder before you submit your grant proposal (as discussed extensively in the Grant Writing and Management course series). A dialogue of any sort will help you “read between the lines” of the funder information you find online.

2. Familiarize Yourself with a General “Bottom Line”

Before you start your research process, you should know what virtually all funders are looking for. Try putting yourself in their shoes for a moment.

Funders are seeking a strong return on their investment, in terms of the social impact their dollars will help facilitate. Your grant proposal should convince them that your work is worth investing in — because it is both inspiring and structurally sound. Here is a handy checklist of what that looks like.

Organizations

Funders are most interested in an organization that has the following characteristics.

  • Is well positioned to address the community need, either alone or with others in the field
    Grantmakers are looking for assurance that they can trust your organization to competently help solve the community problem you are addressing. You need to show that you can lead this work because you have strong internal capacity or can play a unique role in collaboration with others in your field. They also need to know that you are a reliable and respected presence in your field.
  • Has sustainable community support
    Funders want to support organizations that have a variety of strong investors. They want to see that you have other grantmakers on board, as well as individual donors, volunteers, or contributions of goods or services. They are looking for financial sustainability.
  • Is a learning and growing organization
    You may think that you need to have all the answers for how to turn grant money into nothing but stellar results. (Actually, maybe you do hold the magic bullet the funder has been looking for. If so, by all means go for it!)

    But you don’t actually have to be 100 percent successful 100 percent of the time to be of great value to grantmakers. While they want to see their grantees succeed, they also know that sometimes what we learn from “mistakes” can be even more valuable. Grantmakers rely on nonprofits to show them what works and what doesn’t work. They especially like to fund organizations that are actively addressing their weaknesses and finding new and better pathways to success.
  • Uses transparent and accountable internal processes and procedures
    This is true about your entire organization, including finances, administration, human resources, and other “back office” work. Your internal operations are very important to funders and should not be overlooked. Your integrity is on the line here!

Programs and Projects

Funders are most interested in a program or project that has the following characteristics.

  • Focuses on a pressing community need of concern to the funder
    First, the affected community has to express its need in clear terms. That need will be related to its specific realities and issues. If you can show that the need simply can’t wait to be addressed, and the funder agrees, you’re on to something.
  • Aligns with your mission and is a high priority for you
    You should only propose work that is centered on your strengths or core competencies. That is, stay aligned with your mission and make sure that you only pursue grants to support priority programs, projects, or operations at your organization.
  • Has a specific, realistic plan for implementing a new or proven solution
    Funders need to know that your proposed work has a good chance of successfully delivering results — within the grant period (usually one year). So they need to see a solid work plan with a well-aligned budget that leads to accomplishing your goals in a timely manner. While your work doesn’t necessarily have to break new ground, you do need to show that it will build on past success or serve an otherwise unserved or underserved community. If you can feature some unique aspects, all the better!
  • Is likely to have a clear, measurable impact
    The funder has to be convinced that your plan shows promise in effectively addressing the community need in the short term and is also part of a long-term strategy. Your method of regularly evaluating your success should use both numbers and narrative, aiming to show an appropriate level of impact. Of course, once you get the feedback you need, funders want to know that you will use that information to continuously improve.
  • Involves the beneficiaries in planning or implementation
    Funders know that the people who could benefit the most from your program are the experts on their own community issues. Community members also know what works and doesn’t work for them. The most successful programs were not designed by an outsider, but grew organically out of the communities they are supposedly helping.
  • Is planned to be replicable or will produce data to share with others
    As you know, nonprofit resources are always scarce. Funders want to support successful programs that can fairly easily and inexpensively be adapted and replicated in other communities. Sharing successful models leverages their grant dollars and helps spread good ideas: two things funders love.

So I recommend trying on your intended funder’s hat whenever you are writing a grant proposal. You may even want to do a mock review of your grant proposal draft to help you see it from the funder’s point of view — something we do in the Grant Writing and Management course series. Once you know what funders are looking for, you are geared up to travel along the road to grant writing success!

Grant Writing and Management Course

This article is a part of a three-part series, including How to Assess Return on Investment for Grant Writing and Management and 5 Key Priorities to Include in a Grant Proposal .