I recently finished a government grant proposal that had only a two-week deadline. Of course it required many hours, day and night and over the final weekend to complete. And, as you may have guessed, it was submitted at 2:00am on Monday.
It would be nice if I could take sole credit for this accomplishment, but that would not be accurate. As the proposal manager, I worked closely with a dedicated team of consultants and employees who put in as much time and labor as I did. It was a forceful reminder that in proposals, as in life, the most important resource we can call upon is the people around us.
This is hardly a piercing insight, but it is one that grant proposal managers and organizations may forget, often with unanticipated/undesired consequences.
There is a mountain of research demonstrating that nonprofit employees are likely to stay longer at their when they: (1) are matched well to their positions; and (2) feel respected and valued by management.
Sybil F. Stershie, president of Quality Services Marketing, tells her clients that there are three important points that organizations should learn: 1) “Mission matters;” 2) “The people-behind-the-mission matter;” and, 3) “Passion for the mission can’t be taken for granted – once engaged doesn’t mean always engaged.”
She recommends three approaches to develop committed and satisfied employees. I’ve added a fourth, and suggest how to apply them to government grant proposal development.
Four Approaches to Engagement
• Proposal teams must feel connected to the nonprofits that employ them.
• Proposal members must feel connected to fellow team members.
• Permanent staff and consultants must feel connected to each other.
• Proposal teams must involve young people if they want them to stay, learn,
and advance in their professions.
The alternative to these four elements is a vicious cycle that begins with the inability to build successful grant proposal teams and ends with people leaving because they do not feel connected. This is not a staffing problem. It is an organizational problem.
Promoting Engagement
Here are some basic ways to can promote engagement and connection in your grant proposal teams:
• Start every proposal effort with a kick-off meeting.
• Get the support of senior management before you begin.
• Provide the proposal team with adequate resources, especially office space.
• Provide the team with a detailed schedule and proposal outline at the beginning.
• Communicate frequently with everyone.
• Solicit advice from everyone.
• Listen and learn.
• Mentor and coach those who need more assistance.
• Lead by example. Arrive early and do what is most important.
• Work as a team and through the team.
Find ways to connect everybody in your proposal team and you are likely to produce competitive proposals. It is that simple, and that difficult.
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Dr. Jayme Sokolow, founder and president of The Development Source, Inc.,
helps nonprofit organizations develop successful proposals to government agencies.
Contact Jayme Sokolow.
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Look for Jayme’s ebook on
Finding & Getting Federal Government Grants.
It’s part of
The Fundraising Series of ebooks
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap 🙂
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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.