Meet the Blog’s Host
Hank Lewis with Development Consultant Associates has over thirty years as a fundraising consultant and is a specialist in Board and Leadership Development, Capital Campaign, Bequest Program and Major Gifts. [Read more ...]Fundraising: Grants
What Is Your Grant Win Rate? What Should It Be?
Neither of these questions is easy to answer, so I did a little research before writing this post. When I Googled “grant win rate,” I came up with a lot of grant writing consultants that advertized win rates of 75 – 95%. I also came up with a post by Jayme Sokolow, contributor on this [...]
Federal Grants — Write and Review !!
My previous posting discussed the planning and organizing processes. This time, we will address steps three and four – writing, reviewing and rewriting. Write the first draft quickly • Work from your notes and worksheet. • Write heading and subheadings first and use them as a guide. • Begin with the easiest parts of your [...]
Your Best Foundation Funder is not your Best Funder Forever
Just as grade school friendships don’t usually last forever, neither do relationships between nonprofit organizations and their foundation funders. Most grant makers don’t want to provide ongoing operating support; i.e. – they don’t want to be your BFF (Best Funder Forever). Many foundations don’t make grants to the same organization every year. They may allow [...]
Plan and Organize Your Proposal before You Write
Government grant proposals should go through a five-step writing process: Plan: Think through your proposal sections. Organize: Use the grant guidelines as your outlining guide. Write: Write in a free-flowing manner. Examine: Walk away from your writing and review it later while letting others review it too. Revise: Emphasize clarity, conciseness, correctness, and persuasiveness. This [...]
Your Grantsmanship Team: Who’s on First?
If you’re the only staff person devoted to grantsmanship at your organization, then you’re the one on first … and you’re also the manager! But, you have a great team, and each member plays an important role in helping to win the grant. As in baseball, each member of your team has specific responsibilities and [...]
Managing a Geographically-Dispersed Grant-Proposal-Team
Until recently, most government grant proposals were developed in a defined physical space. The proposal team worked near each other, had frequent face-to-face contact, and used conference rooms in its work. The New Virtual World of Grant Proposal Construction Today, however, this traditional model of proposal development is rapidly changing. An increasing number of government [...]
The Dog Ate My Foundation Report…
Grant Reports Aren’t Always Required, But They’re (Almost) Always A Good Idea !! Not sure about you, but the dog eating my homework excuse never worked for me. And not turning in a grant report to a funder who requires one is not going to work either. At best, you’ll be given an extension for [...]
Don’t Let Your Grant Proposal Time Slip Away!
One of the most precious commodities in any government grant proposal effort is the amount of time you have to conceptualize, develop, produce, and deliver your proposal. For many nonprofit organizations, time slips away too easily. Phases of Grant Proposal Development There is a good four-phase rule-of-thumb that can be applied to grants, each phase [...]
How To Better Manage Your Grant Program
Too often we wind up letting the tail wag the dog. I know, I’ve been there. Not long ago, I came across an RFP (Request for Proposal) that was outside the scope of what our organization was planning to do during the current fiscal year. I talked to our program staff, and they came up [...]
Minimize your Government-Grant-Proposal Risks!
Developing a grant proposal to a government agency is a risky undertaking. However, there are predictable risks that you should anticipate and address. If you do not address them at the beginning of your effort, your may have trouble submitting a competitive grant proposal by the deadline. Risks and How to Address Them Below are [...]
