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Let’s Talk About Mission Part II

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Now that you know the importance of identifying your organization’s mission, let me stress once more that mission will come up again and again when you write grant proposals. Not only that, but mission will be front and center when dealing with donors, sponsors, and grant funders. And believe it or not, mission is or should be on every piece of collateral material, advertising, and social media your organization uses. Organizations that are effective at emphasizing their mission this way will draw many supporters and advocates of the mission to them. And we all know how critical community support is to our organization’s vitality.

Hospice care

It’s important to note that if your organization has a wimpy, or vague, or uninspiring mission statement, or if your current mission statement is no longer reflective of all you do, then it’s time to rewrite it. Do not resist. It’s worth spending the time to have a kick-butt mission statement. It’s actually imperative that you do. Click here for an article on creating a mission statement. Click here for another article on writing a mission statement.

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Let’s Talk About Mission Part I

Monday, January 31st, 2011

If you’re new to grantwriting or if you’re new to the nonprofit world, you may have questions about your organization’s mission. What is a mission statement and why is mission so important? I define mission as the reason your organization exists. It’s the purpose of your organization. Does your organization exist to feed the hungry? To teach music to elementary school students? To provide hospice care? To provide a shelter for animals? You must first know the answer to this question before you can write a mission statement.

Children Playing Music

A mission statement is necessary for grant proposals. It’s a brief statement that immediately lets a potential funder know what you’re all about. And before they award you a grant, they want to know all about you. A mission statement is more than a couple of sentences; it guides decision-making, it gives the organization a sense of direction, it can announce your organizational values or ethical position and it can include the organization’s goals. It should be meaningful and truly identify why you exist. Click here for sample mission statements. Or just visit the web sites of your favorite nonprofits, such as the San Francisco Symphony or the Los Angeles Zoo. The zoo shows their mission in blue words under the heading, ‘about the zoo’.

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Visit Me At Work!

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

Would you like to lean over my shoulder as I evaluate a new grant opportunity? Once I hear about a potential grant, what are the first steps I take? How do these crucial steps save me time and frustration? Come join me at my desk and see how I do it. You’ll have to click on this Blog Talk Radio link after 9:30am (Pacific Time) on Wednesday, January 26th.

Lean over my shoulder

I know grant writers are busy people, often assigned multiple duties at their jobs. The last thing any of us want to do is waste our time chasing after a grant that we have no chance of getting. That’s why it’s so important to take a few minutes BEFORE you begin writing to evaluate the grant requirements. It really only takes 10 minutes or less.

While we’re on the subject of my weekly radio show, I’m pleased to announce that Blog Talk Radio featured me today on their blog! Click here to read the exciting brief story.

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Top Five Places to Find a Government Grant

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

1. Go to the Grants.gov web site

This is the granddaddy site for all federal grants. It’s user friendly to navigate around and to find many grant opportunities.

2. Go to the Federal or State department relevant to your request.

If you know the name of the department or agency that your grant request would fall under, go directly to that web site. If you don’t know the web site address, just Google the name. For example: Department of Transportation, National Science Foundation, or your state’s Parks Department.

3. Go to your state’s web site.

Hopefully your state has a site that reveals all the grant opportunities available. California’s site, for example, is www.Ca.gov/grants.html and it list opportunities by type: agricultural, education, health, environmental quality, transportation, and so on. Check out your state’s web site.

Apply for a government grant.

4. Go to your county’s web site.

As with many government sites, you may have to hunt for the information. If you can’t find a grants page, click on the ‘site map’, which may make the search easier. If not, type in your county’s name plus the word ‘grants’ in your search engine. You may be surprised by the offerings in social services, youth programs, arts, and more.

5. Go to your city’s web site.

Cities (municipalities) often offer a variety grants, and just like the county, if grant information isn’t available from the home page, follow step 4 above. Municipal grants are usually limited to organizations doing business in that city.

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Five Reasons You Should Apply for a Government Grant

Friday, January 14th, 2011

1. If you don’t, other organizations will.

Other organizations will apply in the droves. Your colleagues in the community will get the $100,000+ grant, the publicity, and the prestige. Your managers may ask why you didn’t apply since you provide the same, if not better, programs.

2. They fund things no one else will.

You may have needs that are difficult to entice other funders to support. Items like building new restrooms or renovating your parking lot might not be on the top list of priorities for community funders.

3. They award BIG DOLLAR grants.

Government grants are often big. Typically they are above $10,000 and I’ve seen as high as a $350,000 award. Yes, the applications can be time-consuming to complete, but look at the possible return. Besides, if you follow the steps I talk about—here, in my book, and radio show—you’ll learn how to take it one step at a time.

4. The application requires you to really think about the project.

Government applications ask questions that you can’t give wishy-washy answers to. You have to think the project through and thoroughly discuss how you will plan for, implement, and evaluate the project.

5. The esteem of the grant gains IN-HOUSE respect.

Gaining in-house support for every grant proposal is essential. Whether you’re applying for a $1,000 grant or a million dollar grant, internal buy-in is necessary to ensure the project will be successfully implemented.

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The Bare Minimum to Include in a Proposal

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

Last week on Blog Talk Radio (January 5th episode) I discussed the bare minimum to include in a grant proposal. Wait let me back up. You never know where you’ll pick up a kernel of grantwriting wisdom. For me, I attended a philanthropy award luncheon and (I love acceptance speeches) one of the awardees, board president Robert Borawski of the Robert Brownlee Foundation gave a marvelous acceptance speech that had the crowd roaring in applause. He said that he looked for three things in a grant proposal that came across his desk and he urged everyone in the room to start writing proposals that included those three things in two pages!

I remember hearing gasps, and whispers, and ultimately applause for this unusual request. The room was filled with about 600 fundraisers, professional grantwriters, and development executives. Many had never heard a funder suggest a two-page grant proposal before. But when I heard him name the three things, it made sense, and I realized that these were the bare minimum that should be included in a grant proposal. Listen to the Gant Whisperer BlogTalkRadio show episode: Grant Writing 101.

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Grant Writing 101: Everything You Need To Raise Funds Today

Thursday, January 6th, 2011

I’m excited to announce that my book, Grant Writing 101, is finally here! I know you’ve been waiting a long time for this guide book that covers all the basics of writing your first grant proposal. It takes you step by step and explains terms, gives real world examples, and talks in plain English.

While there’s plenty of advanced tips and techniques for veteran grantwriters, the book is also meant to simplify the grant process for first-timers. Want to know where to begin? Want to know what to do while you’re waiting to hear? I even include what to do if your proposal is rejected, and equally important, what to do if your proposal is approved. I wrote this book because so many of my friends who volunteer at or work for nonprofits would ask me for grant writing advice. While I could offer them a few tips, I realized they needed to know more if their organizations were to have long term success. With this book I could give them more than advice, secret tips, and encouragement. I could share my guerilla tactics for grantwriting survival. And now you can have that knowledge for your organization, too! Click on the Grant Writing 101 book image to order your copy today. Or stop by your favorite bookstore in person.

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Tips For Grantwriting

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

I promised to let readers of this blog know about cool articles I come across and today I found a very informative one. Judy Kunofsky, of consulting firm, Zimmerman Lehman, wrote an article called Ten Tips For Grantwriting. In her ten tips Judy mentions a handful of items that I take for granted and I likely would not have talked about them. Three of her tips: 1. Tell the foundation how your project matches their priorities, 2. Echo the foundation’s language, and 3. Ask someone in-house to read your proposal, are topics I cover in my book and you’ll tire of hearing me say here. But one of her tips, the first one in her list of ten, is worthy of singling out. She states, “Pay more attention to describing your program than your philosophy.”  I like this tip. You often have a limited word count when you write grant proposals. Get to the heart of the request quickly and while you’re there elaborate on what matters to the potential funder! Judy also states, “Groups are often weakest in describing what they plan to do if this particular grant is funded.”  She’s right. Don’t leave out this valuable information. And remind the funder that their support will make it all possible. To read Judy’s full article click here.

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Watch Your Tone of Voice

Friday, December 10th, 2010

What does tone of voice have to do with grantwriting?  Plenty.  Just as when you’re talking to your child when they’ve done something good, or your spouse when they’ve done something bad; and just as a manger talks to you at work, tone means everything.  When you’re writing a grant proposal keep your tone in mind.

Tone of voice is your attitude.  You don’t want to come across as over-confident, yet you don’t want to come across as needy, with your hand out.  In grantwriting there is a happy medium.  That’s what you want to aim for in your grant proposal.

Often the grant itself will determine your tone. If you’re requesting a grant for ill children in a long-term care hospital, your tone will be more serious. You’d want a tone that offers a sense of hope for the children and their families (with the grantor’s support).  If you’re writing a grant for children’s musical theater, your tone will be more upbeat and fun.  But in ALL cases, your tone stays true to your organization’s mission.

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Grant Whisperer Blog Talk Radio Debut

Monday, December 6th, 2010

I wanted to let readers of the Grant Whisperer blog know that you can now find a weekly installment of the Grant Whisperer on Blog Talk Radio! You have the option of listening live on Wednesday mornings at 9:30 a.m. pacific standard time, or listening to the recorded program at any time. The benefit of listening live of course, is that you can call in and talk to me. You can comment on the show or ask any questions you have about the topic or other grant writing questions. I would love to hear from you. Visit the Blog Talk Radio web site to see the Grant Whisperer’s schedule. My debut show on December 1st covered The Three R’s of Grantwriting and this episode is available for you to hear now. Upcoming episodes include:  If Walt Disney Were A Grant Writer (on December 8th), Grant Writing Resolutions for 2011 (on December 29th), and special guest interviews on the weeks in between. To find out more, click on the white BlogTalkRadio button to the left.


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Where to Find Grant Proposal Samples, Part II

Friday, December 3rd, 2010

Other than online, where else can you find grant proposal samples?

1. Look at your internal files.

Has your organization ever applied for a grant? If so, you’re in luck. You have some history to learn from. (See Part I to review what you’re hoping to learn from reading). But if you’re the first in your organization to write a grant proposal, don’t worry. The Grant Whisperer is here to help.

2. Look at the grantor’s web site.

The funder you are applying to may have grant samples on their web site. Some funders may have a grant orientation meeting where they provide grant samples. Government agencies are great at providing grant samples to prospective applicants. Which is fabulous since their applications can be cumbersome.

3. Visit your library.

Your library’s reference section may have a book with grant proposal samples. Your librarian may even be able to help you locate sources for grant proposal samples. (My book will be coming soon)!

4. Ask a colleague.

Whatever industry your organization falls under there is a colleague you can call. A colleague from a local non-competing industry may be willing to show you a successful proposal. For example, say your organization is an art museum; perhaps you have a connection to someone at the women’s shelter, which is, generally speaking, a non-competing industry as far as grants go. Also, a colleague from a long distance ‘similar’ industry may feel unthreatened sharing a sample with you. Say your art museum is in Topeka, Kansas. Most likely, a San Francisco art museum isn’t competing for the same grant dollars that you are. Perhaps your executive director or other staff has a connection to an organization that is happy to help out.

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Where to Find Grant Proposal Samples, Part I

Wednesday, December 1st, 2010

If you’re new to grantwriting, one thing I recommend is for you to locate and read grant proposal samples before attempting to write one yourself. You have much to gain by reading proposal samples such as: get a sense of how to tackle certain questions, see how the proposal is structured, learn the types of questions that may be asked, and become familiar with grant writing styles. Also, by reading proposals, you can see that they are not mysterious, intimidating documents, but rather, something that you, yourself can gain confidence to write.

Where do you find grant proposal samples? Below are a few places to look.

Online sites such as the Colorado Grants web site, which provides 3 samples at:

http://www.coloradogrants.org/resources/sample-proposals.php

and the School Grants web site provides several education-related samples at:

http://www.k12grants.org/samples/samples_index.htm

Be wary when searching for grant samples online. There are many websites that seem like they provide samples but when you get there, you discover that they are advertisements for you to hire grant services or they want you to buy something.

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