Proposal Writing and Grantseeking

Our last blog, about avoiding jargon in your proposals, has caused some in our community to respond with anger, dismay, and/or a gentle reprimand to walk our talk. “To err is human” and we sure are. So let us be clear: we do value older people, we do think women are intelligent, and we do think seniors are capable of high-level, important contributions. We’re sorry for any consternation and/or offense caused by our poorly chosen words.

Good proposals show that there’s a need for the program being proposed. One way to do this is by presenting statistics that give an accurate picture of the situation. Your organization’s credibility rests in part on demonstrating that you understand the problem you’re addressing. And numbers can tell the story, if they’re the right numbers.

The temptation is to plunge into a proposal writing frenzy, cranking out thousands of words that seem likely to impress a foundation. Surely if you write a spellbinding proposal you’ll snag that grant! Here’s a modest suggestion: put that cart back behind the horse where it belongs.

Evaluation ought to be a part of the DNA of a nonprofit. It’s the way you know you are on the right track and all of the targets and goals are clear, realistic and appropriate. If you want to get to a destination, one of the first things to know is how you’ll recognize it when you arrive.

Collaborative efforts can offer more comprehensive responses to community challenges than any one organization alone can deliver. When the muscle and know-how of multi-talented teams focus on a mutual concern, there’s a real opportunity for impact. Laying out a coordinated approach in a collaborative grant proposal is powerful and highly competitive.

After submitting hundreds of grant proposals, it’s easy to get lackadaisical when completing yet another description of your nonprofit. But don’t do it! Pump yourself up and snap to, because the funder’s belief in the integrity and credibility of your organization will tip the scale for or against an award.

Your organization’s board of directors may be affable, effective, challenging, or down-right difficult. But love it or not, the board has a role to play in grants administration. The board’s responsibility to oversee the financial and legal operations of your nonprofit place it at the epicenter of post-award management, but the board also has a role on the pre-award side. Here are some typical ways that boards participate in securing grants.

When hammering out the budget for a grant request, remember the Goldilocks Rule: If it’s too large or too small, it won’t do. It’s got to be just the right size to get the work done. The job of the budget is to support program implementation at a reasonable, professional level.

Funders will put the budget and budget justification sections of your proposal under a magnifying glass. So you’ve got to get them right. When you understand the Funder's concerns and the questions they’ll pose, you’re in a much stronger position to nail it. Here’s a list of questions funders are sure to ask.

The budget narrative, also called a budget justification, is a powerful tool for ensuring that reviewers of your proposal understand the financial side of the program. Presenting the numbers alone, without explanation, is risky. What’s clear to you may be fuzzy to a reader who hasn’t been involved in planning the program. When preparing a budget narrative, take a detailed approach that scrupulously avoids assumptions.