Using Social Math to Help Your Data Tell Your Story

I’ll admit it.  I’m the kind of person who gets goosebumps of excitement over a well-formatted data table. Pages of charts and graphs make me feel like something important has been communicated. But most people aren’t like me.  In fact, pages of charts and graphs make eyes start to roll back into most peoples’ heads.

This isn’t just an evaluator’s problem. Whether you are a school administrator or a non-profit executive director, if you have a story to tell, you need to find a compelling way to tell it. And you need to speak in a language that the people you want to hear your story will understand.

Social math can help you do that. Social math is a way of presenting data that connects it to something people can easily understand and links it to a broad social purpose.

I was at an evaluation meeting for the past couple of days, and one of the best sessions gave some great examples of social math that I’d like to share with you (thanks to Adrienne Dealy of the Communication and Social Marketing Center for these examples):

You could say, “Each year, over 91,000 infants under 1 year old are victims of child maltreatment.” That sounds like a big number, but is it?  What does it mean? Using social math approach, you would add, “If their cribs were placed end-to-end, they would stretch for 78 miles.” 

Wow. Now I get it.

Here are some more examples:

“Before passing legislation to regulate gun sales, there were as many gun stores in California as Burger King restaurants.”

“If every person in the U.S. were to change their page margins from the default 1.25″ to .75″, we would save a forest around the size of Rhode Island each year.”

“A gasoline refinery emits 6 tons of pollutants per day – enough to fill 25 balloons of toxic pollution for each child in a mid-size town.”

When you’re sharing your data, whether it is data documenting your need for assistance or data documenting your success, think about how you can make it meaningful for your intended audience. Remember, it’s about them, not you.

Now go change your page margins and save a few trees……

If It’s Not Right, Just Say No

I did a BlogTalkRadio broadcast on Saturday about two new RFPs that came out last Friday – Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools and Grants for Integrating Schools with Mental Health Systems. On the radio show, I summarized the details of each grant opportunity – deadlines, eligibility requirements, funding priorities, available funding, etc.

One of the details for Grants for Integrating Schools with Mental Health Systems is that grant funds cannot be used to fund direct services for students.

Since then, I’ve had two conversations with people who want to know if there is any way they could use that funding source to pay for a school counselor.  The answer was, “Not if that counselor is going to provide any direct services to students.” Both then followed up with several questions asking if we could find a way to describe the counselor’s duties that would be acceptable to get them funded, but then they went on to make their intent clear – that the counselor would be providing direct services to students.  My answer, “No.”

When you have an intensive need, it’s very tempting to try to make the square peg of what you need fit into the round hole of what the funder is offering, but it is never a good idea. Not only can it be unethical, but ultimately, it won’t help you get closer to the achievement of your mission.

In the case of my example, I advised these clients to wait for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program grants.  That source will fund school counselors.  It’s a square hole made to fit the client’s square peg.

Keep looking, you’ll find the funding source that fits your needs.

If you find one that’s not right for you, just say no.

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

If It’s Not Right, Just Say No

I did a BlogTalkRadio broadcast on Saturday about two new RFPs that came out last Friday – Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools and Grants for Integrating Schools with Mental Health Systems. On the radio show, I summarized the details of each grant opportunity – deadlines, eligibility requirements, funding priorities, available funding, etc.

One of the details for Grants for Integrating Schools with Mental Health Systems is that grant funds cannot be used to fund direct services for students.

Since then, I’ve had two conversations with people who want to know if there is any way they could use that funding source to pay for a school counselor.  The answer was, “Not if that counselor is going to provide any direct services to students.” Both then followed up with several questions asking if we could find a way to describe the counselor’s duties that would be acceptable to get them funded, but then they went on to make their intent clear – that the counselor would be providing direct services to students.  My answer, “No.”

When you have an intensive need, it’s very tempting to try to make the square peg of what you need fit into the round hole of what the funder is offering, but it is never a good idea. Not only can it be unethical, but ultimately, it won’t help you get closer to the achievement of your mission.

In the case of my example, I advised these clients to wait for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program grants.  That source will fund school counselors.  It’s a square hole made to fit the client’s square peg.

Keep looking, you’ll find the funding source that fits your needs.

If you find one that’s not right for you, just say no.

Staying in the Present

Thoughts from Grant Coach, MaryEllen Bergh, on staying in the present:
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift; that is why they call it the present.” Eleanor Roosevelt.

I have been told quite frequently that the universe continues to put things in front of us until we master them. Being in the present moment is clearly something that I have to work on as that concept is quite often put in my path. I might find myself waking up in the middle of the night thinking “I should have done this…I should have done that…” on a grant that was just submitted (worrying about something that is past!) or plop myself right into the future about a recent proposal with a “What if the committee takes too long in review and we have to maintain the timeline?”…”What if we bid too high?…or too low?” (worrying about something that hasn’t even happened yet!). When I catch myself wandering off with these thoughts, I take a few deep breaths and acknowledge that the present is perfect and express gratitude for the opportunity to write that grant or submit that proposal.

Being present protects us from being completely consumed by worry. It’s hard to worry when you are looking at all the amazing things surrounding you in the right here and the right now (key word: amazing). When we are fully present we may find a new discovery or a novel way to describe a concept – one that may have been hidden by past or future thoughts. In the present we can get some clarity around our work because we have the freedom to focus…and we get to choose. There is no choice in the past or the future.

You’ll find more wisdom from the Grant Coach in the Coach’s Corner area of the GrantGoddess.com member section.

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

Staying in the Present

Thoughts from Grant Coach, MaryEllen Bergh, on staying in the present:
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift; that is why they call it the present.” Eleanor Roosevelt.

I have been told quite frequently that the universe continues to put things in front of us until we master them. Being in the present moment is clearly something that I have to work on as that concept is quite often put in my path. I might find myself waking up in the middle of the night thinking “I should have done this…I should have done that…” on a grant that was just submitted (worrying about something that is past!) or plop myself right into the future about a recent proposal with a “What if the committee takes too long in review and we have to maintain the timeline?”…”What if we bid too high?…or too low?” (worrying about something that hasn’t even happened yet!). When I catch myself wandering off with these thoughts, I take a few deep breaths and acknowledge that the present is perfect and express gratitude for the opportunity to write that grant or submit that proposal.

Being present protects us from being completely consumed by worry. It’s hard to worry when you are looking at all the amazing things surrounding you in the right here and the right now (key word: amazing). When we are fully present we may find a new discovery or a novel way to describe a concept – one that may have been hidden by past or future thoughts. In the present we can get some clarity around our work because we have the freedom to focus…and we get to choose. There is no choice in the past or the future.

You’ll find more wisdom from the Grant Coach in the Coach’s Corner area of the GrantGoddess.com member section.

Some Thoughts from the Coach on Setting Your Intent

Here are some thoughts from the Grant Coach, MaryEllen Bergh, on setting your intent to help you get things done:

Prioritizing tasks and setting your intent based on priority can help you remain focused on completing your project.

It always amazes me how unfocused I can be – overwhelmed by the amount of things I want to accomplish…immediately. Making lists and checking things off is one of my ways of dealing with tasks; however, instead of looking at what I have accomplished, I seem to look at what I didn’t get done.

When I take the time to breathe, I can access my inner coach and ask myself, “What do I really need to complete today?” Then I get clear about what I want, I set my intention for the day (I intend to write at least 1 section of this application…I intend to read 1 chapter of, “Thinking Write”…I intend to be fully present with my grandchildren today). Keeping this intention with me, I find it easy to remain focused on my priority for the day.

Get access to more wisdom from the Grant Coach in the Coach’s Corner section of the GrantGoddess.com member area.

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

Some Thoughts from the Coach on Setting Your Intent

Here are some thoughts from the Grant Coach, MaryEllen Bergh, on setting your intent to help you get things done:

Prioritizing tasks and setting your intent based on priority can help you remain focused on completing your project.

It always amazes me how unfocused I can be – overwhelmed by the amount of things I want to accomplish…immediately. Making lists and checking things off is one of my ways of dealing with tasks; however, instead of looking at what I have accomplished, I seem to look at what I didn’t get done.

When I take the time to breathe, I can access my inner coach and ask myself, “What do I really need to complete today?” Then I get clear about what I want, I set my intention for the day (I intend to write at least 1 section of this application…I intend to read 1 chapter of, “Thinking Write”…I intend to be fully present with my grandchildren today). Keeping this intention with me, I find it easy to remain focused on my priority for the day.

Get access to more wisdom from the Grant Coach in the Coach’s Corner section of the GrantGoddess.com member area.

Grant Writer or Grant Valet?

There are two types of clients I write grants for. There are clients who are so busy that they don’t have the time for one more thing so I am treated like a valet; and then, there are clients who are so busy they don’t have time for one more thing, but they make time to partner with me to develop an excellent narrative product.

Organizations hire external grant writers for a number of reasons such as, they don’t have the internal expertise to write grants or they can’t afford to add a grant writing position to their payroll.  The number one reason I find that organizations hire external writers is their desire for success.

We write grants all the time and when you have a talent to do something, and you do it a lot over time, you tend to get pretty good at it.  So our staff writers have developed their talents over time and through a lot of perseverance, education, reflection, and just plain mule-headed determination.

But my point here isn’t that we’re good –we are very good – the point is we’re also dependent on our clients to commit some real time and intellectual capacity to the exercise of writing a grant.The most recent case-in-point is a local non-profit organization (the Center) who we helped to write a large grant for some new programs.The grant was successfully funded and I attribute part of our success to the staff at this excellent community-based organization.

I did the writing, but a number of the Center’s staff provided feedback and crucial information throughout the process.They didn’t treat me like a Grant Valet; they didn’t simply toss me the keys and tell me to go off and write the grant for them.

My experience is that the “grant valet” attitude often results in an inferior grant so when you employ a grant writer, be ready to do some work. At a minimum, be prepared to do the following things during the grant process:

  • Identify a clear program you want to fund that aligns with your mission.
  • Be prepared to read drafts and give meaningful content feedback (not simply edits).
  • Ask your accounting staff to help prepare a realistic budget.
  • Keep the process flowing smoothly by returning emails and phone calls promptly.

I commend the staff at the Center highly for their work.  It’s reflective of a functional organization that not only delivers excellent programs but is looking to the future for new opportunities and has ownership of those opportunities before they’re realized.

Signing a grant writing contract and thinking that you’re going to hand off all the work like the car keys to a valet is a huge mistake.  Plan to commit some cerebral time during the process in order to ensure that your organization is accurately represented in the narrative.  You’ll end up with a grant that you can fully implement and one that is much more likely to achieve its objectives.

(This post was written by CRR Non-Profit Consultant, Derek Link.)

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

Grant Writer or Grant Valet?

There are two types of clients I write grants for. There are clients who are so busy that they don’t have the time for one more thing so I am treated like a valet; and then, there are clients who are so busy they don’t have time for one more thing, but they make time to partner with me to develop an excellent narrative product.

Organizations hire external grant writers for a number of reasons such as, they don’t have the internal expertise to write grants or they can’t afford to add a grant writing position to their payroll.  The number one reason I find that organizations hire external writers is their desire for success.

We write grants all the time and when you have a talent to do something, and you do it a lot over time, you tend to get pretty good at it.  So our staff writers have developed their talents over time and through a lot of perseverance, education, reflection, and just plain mule-headed determination.

But my point here isn’t that we’re good –we are very good – the point is we’re also dependent on our clients to commit some real time and intellectual capacity to the exercise of writing a grant.The most recent case-in-point is a local non-profit organization (the Center) who we helped to write a large grant for some new programs.The grant was successfully funded and I attribute part of our success to the staff at this excellent community-based organization.

I did the writing, but a number of the Center’s staff provided feedback and crucial information throughout the process.They didn’t treat me like a Grant Valet; they didn’t simply toss me the keys and tell me to go off and write the grant for them.

My experience is that the “grant valet” attitude often results in an inferior grant so when you employ a grant writer, be ready to do some work. At a minimum, be prepared to do the following things during the grant process:

  • Identify a clear program you want to fund that aligns with your mission.
  • Be prepared to read drafts and give meaningful content feedback (not simply edits).
  • Ask your accounting staff to help prepare a realistic budget.
  • Keep the process flowing smoothly by returning emails and phone calls promptly.

I commend the staff at the Center highly for their work.  It’s reflective of a functional organization that not only delivers excellent programs but is looking to the future for new opportunities and has ownership of those opportunities before they’re realized.

Signing a grant writing contract and thinking that you’re going to hand off all the work like the car keys to a valet is a huge mistake.  Plan to commit some cerebral time during the process in order to ensure that your organization is accurately represented in the narrative.  You’ll end up with a grant that you can fully implement and one that is much more likely to achieve its objectives.

(This post was written by CRR Non-Profit Consultant, Derek Link.)

Try a Change of Perspective

When faced with writer’s block or any challenge that gets us stuck, our certified coach, MaryEllen Bergh, always has some suggestions for getting un-stuck. One of her suggestions focuses on changing perspective. Here’s what she has to say:

Sometimes all you need is a fresh perspective. Try these 3 things to see things with new eyes:

1) Change your routines. It will very quickly open you to new perspectives. This can be as simple as changing the hand with which you hold your telephone or getting up on the opposite side of the bed.

2) Change your scenery. Take a few minutes to clean off your desk or bring in some fresh flowers.

3) Visualize yourself in someone else’s shoes. Step into the character of a mentor or someone you admire and see things for a moment through their eyes.

Become a member of grantgoddess.com to get more from the coach!

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