Using Your Agency's PR for Grantseeking

PR - public relations that is - need not be an ugly word for the grant writer. Even though many organizations prefer to call it outreach, marketing is what it truly is, and the reason why the grants department feels no need to become involved. But the truth is that grant writers who do become involved in their organization's PR efforts can improve their grantseeking results over the long run.

What Exactly Goes in the Agency Background?

In the typical grant proposal, the grant writer tends to spend a lot of time researching and writing specific sections such as the needs statement, goals and objectives and the like. Oftentimes, the Organizational Background ends up being the weaker section, with less time and importance attached to it. At other times, grant writers may even go overboard with this section, thinking that they need to cram every piece of history and details in here. What is a good median here?

Holistic Grant Seeking Is Nothing to be Feared

Many grant writers ask me, how can we create a culture of collaborative grant seeking? Why is the burden of writing and submitting proposals on the grants department? How can we work collaboratively with other departments instead of alone as a grant writer? Well, it may take a while to get to the point where things go smoothly, but holistic grant seeking is not that difficult to implement in little steps. Here are some suggestions:

The Almost-Perfect Case Statement

Is there really such a thing as a perfect case statement? Most likely, what looks perfect to you may seem otherwise to your boss, or even to your own self reading it again after a year. By definition a case statement must bring out the need for your program or project in such a way that the reader is almost compelled to fund the project. For capital campaigns especially, case statements make or brake the decision itself. While perfect may be difficult to achieve, I contend that hard work, practice and good writing can certainly take your case statement out of the "boring" category to the "must read" one... almost perfect!

Outcome Data Can Have Many Uses

Outcome measurement is not just for program staff. Although the most popular and important use of outcome data - the data collected from outcome measurements - is to assess how the programs are doing and whether improvements are needed, there can be many other uses as well. And all of them contribute to a more efficient and effective nonprofit organization.

Showing the Need Creatively

Deep down each one of us is convinced that the program (or service or organization) we are writing grant proposals for is absolutely and imperatively needed in the community. And we also know that the needs statement of a grant proposal is the ideal venue for a detailed explanation of the need that exists in the community. Yet sometimes it becomes difficult to find the relevant information to adequately explain that need in the most fascinating and urgent of tones. Although the descriptive quality of a needs statement should not be downplayed, the fact remains that the star of this show must always be the quantitative data that proves without a shadow of doubt the gap in services that your organization is trying to fill. The dilemma lies in the fact that data is usually BORING!

How to Help Your Organization Prepare for a Site Visit

I recently wrote an article for Charity Channel about the grant professional's role in the all-important site visit. For those of you who want to avoid an unimpressive visit and the disastrous consequences it may bring, here are some ways to help your organization prepare:

Improve Your Grant Writing Skills

I was asked by someone recently on how to improve their grant writing skills while staying on a budget. For all those who don't have the time, money or inclination to take a grant writing refresher course, here are some creative ways to improve your skills:

Prioritizing Grant Projects

Once in a while every grant writer is faced with a unique situation: finding the perfect grant opportunity but not knowing exactly which project to apply for. True, there are always more needs than resources as far as grant funds are concerned, but not every project is fundable by the same grant opportunity. So when funds are available and more than one project or program fits the bill, how does one decide what project to apply for? Here's where prioritizing comes in.

Why Assess Capacity?

Capacity Assessment can be scary; many nonprofit leaders don't want to learn the truth about their own organizations, while others simply don't know what capacity assessment means or implies. In a nutshell, capacity assessment refers to a determination of the current level of effectiveness of a nonprofit.

So why are we so scared to take a look at ourselves in the mirror? Isn't seeing a pimple on the face only going to push one to apply acne medicine? Or is it going to make one hide in the closet and cry?