Uh-Oh: We Got the Grant, But We Didn’t Plan!

Often when you are applying for grants clients get very excited and can tend to exhibit what Alan Greenspan called “irrational exuberance.”


It is important to remember as a grant writer that developing grant applications without proper planning can create more problems than the grant funding would solve. There is a considerable amount of responsibility and work that goes along with implementation of a successfully funded grant. Careful planning throughout grant development is vital in order to ensure successful implementation.

Here are 10 things to consider when planning for submission of a grant proposal to ensure that your grant is well thought out, realistic, and is based on achievable objectives:
  1. Establish a planning committee before the RFP is publicized. Be certain to include all relevant partners who may be interested in participating, impacted by the grant services, and who are logical partners to share costs and in-kind services.
  2. Maintain meeting records for the committee including roster, minutes, and agendas.
  3. Engage the committee in a needs assessment and program planning process.
  4.  Work out collaborative agreements and partnerships.
  5.  Develop memoranda of understanding and letters of commitment among the partners.
  6. Gather resolutions from boards and leadership committees of the partner organizations.
  7. Obtain commitments from the partners for materials, services, budget commitments, participation in governance, and commitment to contribute data.
  8. Develop a program design that the planning committee is in agreement with to address the needs identified in item 3.
  9. Create an evaluation design to ensure that partners are aware and committed to data collection that will validate the achievements of the grant program.
  10. Engage the planning committee in reviewing the grant narrative as it is being developed in order to ensure its accuracy and feasibility.

Often it is the responsibility of the grant writer to act as the voice of reason and to share their experience with clients who may be irrationally exuberant (or irrationally hesitant) about a grant opportunity. This may seem counterintuitive, in that you may feel that you are losing valuable business; however, it’s good business to bring funding to your client if it is going to result in positive programs and positive outcomes that make them look good and help them achieve their mission. Enabling clients to apply for grants that they are either unqualified to implement or are of a scale that is beyond their capacity is harmful to your relationship with your client in the long run.

My master teacher always told us that failing to plan was planning to fail. Grant writers must be proactive in assisting their clients in the planning process to ensure that the grant submitted is realistic both in terms of current reality and future feasibility for implementation.


By:  Derek Link


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Other posts from The GrantGoddess Speaks that you might like:

How Did I Learn Grant Writing?  – Derek Link

Grant Writer Stalked by Client

Rantings of an Opinionated Grant Writer

Help! Grant Writer Downing in Paper!

How Positive Writing Makes a Better Grant

Also, take some time to visit A Writer’s Journey for more thoughts on writing.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Uh-Oh: We Got the Grant, But We Didn’t Plan!

Often when you are applying for grants clients get very excited and can tend to exhibit what Alan Greenspan called “irrational exuberance.”


It is important to remember as a grant writer that developing grant applications without proper planning can create more problems than the grant funding would solve. There is a considerable amount of responsibility and work that goes along with implementation of a successfully funded grant. Careful planning throughout grant development is vital in order to ensure successful implementation.

Here are 10 things to consider when planning for submission of a grant proposal to ensure that your grant is well thought out, realistic, and is based on achievable objectives:
  1. Establish a planning committee before the RFP is publicized. Be certain to include all relevant partners who may be interested in participating, impacted by the grant services, and who are logical partners to share costs and in-kind services.
  2. Maintain meeting records for the committee including roster, minutes, and agendas.
  3. Engage the committee in a needs assessment and program planning process.
  4.  Work out collaborative agreements and partnerships.
  5.  Develop memoranda of understanding and letters of commitment among the partners.
  6. Gather resolutions from boards and leadership committees of the partner organizations.
  7. Obtain commitments from the partners for materials, services, budget commitments, participation in governance, and commitment to contribute data.
  8. Develop a program design that the planning committee is in agreement with to address the needs identified in item 3.
  9. Create an evaluation design to ensure that partners are aware and committed to data collection that will validate the achievements of the grant program.
  10. Engage the planning committee in reviewing the grant narrative as it is being developed in order to ensure its accuracy and feasibility.

Often it is the responsibility of the grant writer to act as the voice of reason and to share their experience with clients who may be irrationally exuberant (or irrationally hesitant) about a grant opportunity. This may seem counterintuitive, in that you may feel that you are losing valuable business; however, it’s good business to bring funding to your client if it is going to result in positive programs and positive outcomes that make them look good and help them achieve their mission. Enabling clients to apply for grants that they are either unqualified to implement or are of a scale that is beyond their capacity is harmful to your relationship with your client in the long run.

My master teacher always told us that failing to plan was planning to fail. Grant writers must be proactive in assisting their clients in the planning process to ensure that the grant submitted is realistic both in terms of current reality and future feasibility for implementation.


By:  Derek Link


————————————


Other posts from The GrantGoddess Speaks that you might like:

How Did I Learn Grant Writing?  – Derek Link

Grant Writer Stalked by Client

Rantings of an Opinionated Grant Writer

Help! Grant Writer Downing in Paper!

How Positive Writing Makes a Better Grant

Also, take some time to visit A Writer’s Journey for more thoughts on writing.

Do You Want to Become a Freelance Grant Writer: Are You Barking Mad?

Non-profit consultant and expert grant writer, Derek Link, shares his experience as a freelance grant writer with others who believe they are ready for the task:
 This is a serious question with serious consequences only to be considered by serious people because freelancing is a dangerous business.
First let us peer back through the annals of history to get some perspective on the term with the help of Wikipedia…
According to Wikipedia – The term was first used by Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) in Ivanhoe to describe a “medieval mercenary warrior” or “free–lance” (indicating that the lance is not sworn to any lord’s services, not that the lance is available free of charge). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freelancer, accessed on 9/16/10)
As you can see, the term referred originally to a mercenary warrior which is what we still are; however, to borrow an over-used phrase from literature, “The Pen is Mightier than the Sword” or in this case, lance.
Just as a mercenary warrior for hire wasn’t free, neither are freelance grant writers.  We charge for our services reflecting the skill involved and the grave difficulty of overcoming the wicked enemies (RFP’s, RFA’s, Dragon Naturally speaking, etc).
We’re also similar to the warriors of old, in that if we aren’t really good at what we do, we’re likely to die a premature death;  although, our death would be figurative and primarily financial involving a future of cardboard signs and shopping carts; while the warriors, on the other hand, simply died a hideous death.
You must possess certain qualities to become a freelancer. You must be brave to confront the possibility of failure and certain death, you must be skillful to defeat the enemies, and you must be active to find someone who will employ you (or you’re just a vagrant with a lance).
Ah indeed, the life of a freelancer is fraught with danger and intrigue.  It is a life on the road, never sleeping in the same place for two nights (Motel 6), eating whatever you can forage along the road (AM/PM, 7-11, conference buffets), and trying to earn enough money to keep your trusty steed healthy and well-fed (oil change on your ’87 Honda Civic and gas at $4 a gallon – scary).
But you think still this life as a freelancer is for you?  Ah, you’re hale and hearty if you do, but you’ll be forsaking allegiance to one master, a risky business (i.e., leaving your cushy government job).  There will be mistrust because you’re a stranger; there will be misunderstanding (because you don’t speak their language); there will be blind attacks from the right and the left (from nasty Board members and inept leadership); and there will be times of feast and famine (carry trail bars and water in the trunk).
If freelancing courses through your blood then prepare well, for all your skills will be tested and re-tested.
——————————–
Sign up now for our online curse – Becoming a Freeland Grant Writer.  Sessions start soon.








Knight photo courtesy of Freerk Lautenbag.
Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Do You Want to Become a Freelance Grant Writer: Are You Barking Mad?

Non-profit consultant and expert grant writer, Derek Link, shares his experience as a freelance grant writer with others who believe they are ready for the task:
 This is a serious question with serious consequences only to be considered by serious people because freelancing is a dangerous business.
First let us peer back through the annals of history to get some perspective on the term with the help of Wikipedia…
According to Wikipedia – The term was first used by Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) in Ivanhoe to describe a “medieval mercenary warrior” or “free–lance” (indicating that the lance is not sworn to any lord’s services, not that the lance is available free of charge). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freelancer, accessed on 9/16/10)
As you can see, the term referred originally to a mercenary warrior which is what we still are; however, to borrow an over-used phrase from literature, “The Pen is Mightier than the Sword” or in this case, lance.
Just as a mercenary warrior for hire wasn’t free, neither are freelance grant writers.  We charge for our services reflecting the skill involved and the grave difficulty of overcoming the wicked enemies (RFP’s, RFA’s, Dragon Naturally speaking, etc).
We’re also similar to the warriors of old, in that if we aren’t really good at what we do, we’re likely to die a premature death;  although, our death would be figurative and primarily financial involving a future of cardboard signs and shopping carts; while the warriors, on the other hand, simply died a hideous death.
You must possess certain qualities to become a freelancer. You must be brave to confront the possibility of failure and certain death, you must be skillful to defeat the enemies, and you must be active to find someone who will employ you (or you’re just a vagrant with a lance).
Ah indeed, the life of a freelancer is fraught with danger and intrigue.  It is a life on the road, never sleeping in the same place for two nights (Motel 6), eating whatever you can forage along the road (AM/PM, 7-11, conference buffets), and trying to earn enough money to keep your trusty steed healthy and well-fed (oil change on your ’87 Honda Civic and gas at $4 a gallon – scary).
But you think still this life as a freelancer is for you?  Ah, you’re hale and hearty if you do, but you’ll be forsaking allegiance to one master, a risky business (i.e., leaving your cushy government job).  There will be mistrust because you’re a stranger; there will be misunderstanding (because you don’t speak their language); there will be blind attacks from the right and the left (from nasty Board members and inept leadership); and there will be times of feast and famine (carry trail bars and water in the trunk).
If freelancing courses through your blood then prepare well, for all your skills will be tested and re-tested.
——————————–
Sign up now for our online curse – Becoming a Freeland Grant Writer.  Sessions start soon.








Knight photo courtesy of Freerk Lautenbag.

The Worst Reasons for NOT Writing a Grant

I hear all sorts of reasons for not pursuing grant opportunities. To be fair, they are very real for the person making the excuse at the time, and grant writing is not easy.  If it were, everyone would do it.  It’s difficult and time consuming.  There are some good reasons for not writing a grant, including a mis-match between your organization’s mission and the purpose of the grant program, changing organizational priorities, and the implementation of a well-developed fund development plan that calls for a focus on other sources of income. However, most of the reasons I hear are not the good ones.  Here are the worst reasons for not writing a grant that I hear most:

  1. We don’t have the time. Are you kidding me?  Who does have the time?  No one.  If you want to bring in additional resources to your organization, you have to make the time. It’s all about priorities.  Instead of saying you don’t have time, tell the truth.  Say, “We are choosing to spend our time doing other things.”
  2. We probably won’t get it. As my mother would say, with an attitude like that, you probably won’t. My mother also used to say, “No guts, no glory!” The bottom line is that if the purpose of the program is well aligned with your organization’s mission, and if you have a solid idea, you have a very good chance of being funded., but you definitely won’t get it if you don’t make an effort.
  3. The grant will just end in 3 years anyway. Believe it or not, I hear this one a lot.  Those who say this seem to forget that between now and three years from now, your clients will benefit from some great services. A lot can happen in 3 years (or 2 years or 5 years), and you can make a big difference in the lives of people over a year or two. Why would you give up that opportunity just because you may not have the resources to do it forever?
  4. We don’t have anyone who can write it.  This falls into the same category as “we don’t have the time.”  You probably do have someone in your organization (or a team of people) who can write it if you just restructure the schedule for a while. And don’t forget. you can hire professional grant writers to help if you need to.

Yes, there are some good reasons for not pursing some grant opportunities, but none of these fall into that category.  Get your priorities straight and focus on overcoming the barriers that prevent you from bringing n the resources your clients deserve.

————————————————

Learn about the benefits of membership at GrantGoddess.com.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

The Worst Reasons for NOT Writing a Grant

I hear all sorts of reasons for not pursuing grant opportunities. To be fair, they are very real for the person making the excuse at the time, and grant writing is not easy.  If it were, everyone would do it.  It’s difficult and time consuming.  There are some good reasons for not writing a grant, including a mis-match between your organization’s mission and the purpose of the grant program, changing organizational priorities, and the implementation of a well-developed fund development plan that calls for a focus on other sources of income. However, most of the reasons I hear are not the good ones.  Here are the worst reasons for not writing a grant that I hear most:

  1. We don’t have the time. Are you kidding me?  Who does have the time?  No one.  If you want to bring in additional resources to your organization, you have to make the time. It’s all about priorities.  Instead of saying you don’t have time, tell the truth.  Say, “We are choosing to spend our time doing other things.”
  2. We probably won’t get it. As my mother would say, with an attitude like that, you probably won’t. My mother also used to say, “No guts, no glory!” The bottom line is that if the purpose of the program is well aligned with your organization’s mission, and if you have a solid idea, you have a very good chance of being funded., but you definitely won’t get it if you don’t make an effort.
  3. The grant will just end in 3 years anyway. Believe it or not, I hear this one a lot.  Those who say this seem to forget that between now and three years from now, your clients will benefit from some great services. A lot can happen in 3 years (or 2 years or 5 years), and you can make a big difference in the lives of people over a year or two. Why would you give up that opportunity just because you may not have the resources to do it forever?
  4. We don’t have anyone who can write it.  This falls into the same category as “we don’t have the time.”  You probably do have someone in your organization (or a team of people) who can write it if you just restructure the schedule for a while. And don’t forget. you can hire professional grant writers to help if you need to.

Yes, there are some good reasons for not pursing some grant opportunities, but none of these fall into that category.  Get your priorities straight and focus on overcoming the barriers that prevent you from bringing n the resources your clients deserve.

————————————————

Learn about the benefits of membership at GrantGoddess.com.

Writing a Grant Abstract

Non-profit consultant and expert grant writer, Derek Link, shares some ideas for writing a grant abstract:

An abstract is a short summary of your grant narrative, it gives the reader the big picture and should motivate them to want to learn more about your proposal. You’ll be required to submit an abstract for most proposals, but it is rarely part of the scoring criteria. This does not minimize its importance however, because it may be the first part of your application the reader sees.

These are the basic components commonly requested in an abstract. Be sure to read the Request For Proposals (RFP) carefully to see if there is a specified outline for you to follow that may deviate from this list below:

  1. Statement of Purpose: Who is applying? What does this proposal do, who does it serve, where is it located? What is the proposed grant period?
  2. Goals and Objectives: List or summarize the goals and objectives that this proposal seeks to address.
  3. Management Plan: Summarize the key features that ensure your project will be professionally managed. Adequate budget, agency commitment, supervision, commitment of resoruces, etc.
  4. Evaluation: Describe the key features of your evaluation methods and plans which will ensure that the project is properly monitored and that outcomes will be accurately measured.

Remember that most abstracts are limited to a single page so you must be brief and to the point. I suggest that you write the abstract before you write your proposal so you have the whole proposal clearly in mind before you begin to write the detailed narrative.

——————————
 
Get more help to become a better grant writer.  Become a member of GrantGoddess.com and gain access to hundreds of resources to imporve your skill.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Writing a Grant Abstract

Non-profit consultant and expert grant writer, Derek Link, shares some ideas for writing a grant abstract:

An abstract is a short summary of your grant narrative, it gives the reader the big picture and should motivate them to want to learn more about your proposal. You’ll be required to submit an abstract for most proposals, but it is rarely part of the scoring criteria. This does not minimize its importance however, because it may be the first part of your application the reader sees.

These are the basic components commonly requested in an abstract. Be sure to read the Request For Proposals (RFP) carefully to see if there is a specified outline for you to follow that may deviate from this list below:

  1. Statement of Purpose: Who is applying? What does this proposal do, who does it serve, where is it located? What is the proposed grant period?
  2. Goals and Objectives: List or summarize the goals and objectives that this proposal seeks to address.
  3. Management Plan: Summarize the key features that ensure your project will be professionally managed. Adequate budget, agency commitment, supervision, commitment of resoruces, etc.
  4. Evaluation: Describe the key features of your evaluation methods and plans which will ensure that the project is properly monitored and that outcomes will be accurately measured.

Remember that most abstracts are limited to a single page so you must be brief and to the point. I suggest that you write the abstract before you write your proposal so you have the whole proposal clearly in mind before you begin to write the detailed narrative.

——————————
 
Get more help to become a better grant writer.  Become a member of GrantGoddess.com and gain access to hundreds of resources to imporve your skill.

Grant Writing Training

Here’s Derek’s commentary on our two days of grant writing training this week:
Yesterday, Veronica and I completed two days of grant training for a State agency in Sacramento.  It was lots of fun.  I’ve delivered grant writing training in the past on my own, but I haven’t ever teamed up to deliver it.  I think the participants benefitted a lot from having two grant writers giving hints and ideas from their experiences.
As we navigated through our daily agenda, I was reminded of how much there is to learn about grant writing and how much of it is learned by doing (and making mistakes) if you don’t have a good teacher and mentor.  I’d like to believe that Veronica and I helped these folks move along the road to becoming highly competent grant writers, but I know that some of what we said probably went in one ear and out the other simply for lack of experience and ability to put the information into context.  Hopefully they took good notes and the stuff they didn’t completely understand will become clear as they begin to write grants.
People holding jobs with the state often get a bad rap so let me just say that the fifty or so people whom we trained were on time, on task, and they were enthusiastic learners.  Not only that, the people who organized the training were competent, available, and welcoming.  It was refreshing and hopeful to see that there are so many quality people working in state government.
My boss and I gave a comprehensive 1-day overview of grant writing.  At the end of each day, participants could see that there is a lot more to know – and there is – so maybe we will be brought back for a second round of training.
Some companies make grant writing training a dry topic but we have ways to spice it up which are so good, so innovative, and so darned special that if I share them here our competitors will steal them from us (you’ll have to attend to find out – no industrial spying allowed either).  We were thankful to receive many positive comments on our evaluations so we’re pretty confident our methods worked.  All in all, we spent a fun couple of days with a bunch of great people: what more can we ask for!?
————————-

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Grant Writing Training

Here’s Derek’s commentary on our two days of grant writing training this week:
Yesterday, Veronica and I completed two days of grant training for a State agency in Sacramento.  It was lots of fun.  I’ve delivered grant writing training in the past on my own, but I haven’t ever teamed up to deliver it.  I think the participants benefitted a lot from having two grant writers giving hints and ideas from their experiences.
As we navigated through our daily agenda, I was reminded of how much there is to learn about grant writing and how much of it is learned by doing (and making mistakes) if you don’t have a good teacher and mentor.  I’d like to believe that Veronica and I helped these folks move along the road to becoming highly competent grant writers, but I know that some of what we said probably went in one ear and out the other simply for lack of experience and ability to put the information into context.  Hopefully they took good notes and the stuff they didn’t completely understand will become clear as they begin to write grants.
People holding jobs with the state often get a bad rap so let me just say that the fifty or so people whom we trained were on time, on task, and they were enthusiastic learners.  Not only that, the people who organized the training were competent, available, and welcoming.  It was refreshing and hopeful to see that there are so many quality people working in state government.
My boss and I gave a comprehensive 1-day overview of grant writing.  At the end of each day, participants could see that there is a lot more to know – and there is – so maybe we will be brought back for a second round of training.
Some companies make grant writing training a dry topic but we have ways to spice it up which are so good, so innovative, and so darned special that if I share them here our competitors will steal them from us (you’ll have to attend to find out – no industrial spying allowed either).  We were thankful to receive many positive comments on our evaluations so we’re pretty confident our methods worked.  All in all, we spent a fun couple of days with a bunch of great people: what more can we ask for!?
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