If you’re in the grant writing business for your nonprofit, chances are you’ve already experienced the pleasure (?) of a grant funder’s site visit. Use this opportunity to showcase your agency’s talents – it’s certainly not meant to be just a white-glove inspection designed to give you the trembles. Site visits provide funders with a feeling and understanding about an organization that a grant application alone cannot.
To make the most of a funder’s visit, follow this simple advice to make the best impression possible:
Make the visit easy for the funder – Try to be as flexible as possible when scheduling a visit with a grant funder. They often have to schedule multiple visits per day so meetings need to be brief but informative. Ask if there’s any information you can prepare in advance for their review.
Be an expert on your organization – Be prepared to answer any and all questions about your organization, its programs and its finances. This means briefing yourself with program staff, accountants and other staff members to gain complete understanding. It also doesn’t hurt to have them on call for the funder’s visit.
Make a connection – Be sure to talk and listen carefully. Foundation reps will often give the potential grantee plenty of opportunity to discuss their programs and will then ask pertinent questions if they’re still unclear. Try not to go off on tangents, instead focus on overviews and let the rep ask for more clarification if needed.
Skip the dog-and-pony show – While you may think the entertainment, elaborate presentations and extensive client testimonials are necessary to sway grant funders your way, be aware that the funder is there to get to know your programs firsthand. Too much “dazzle” may be viewed as just another sales pitch.
Finally, remember that grant funders are human too and don’t expect more than you can ever deliver. Be confident in what you do and the funder will appreciate your honesty and diligence. Good luck and happy writing!
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written by Sherry Truhlar, August 23, 2010
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written by Bunnie Riedel, August 17, 2010
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written by Roger Carr, August 17, 2010
This is an interesting post. I started thinking about reasons the potential funder would make a site visit (vice having you come to them). It brought to mind one of the best things that could be done in preparation is to clean up the office. An office that looks like it was hit by a tornado will not present an image of an organized organization. What do you think?
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written by Pamela Grow, August 16, 2010
It's always great, too, to have a well-versed board member along for the visit. For more information on preparing for a foundation site visit, readers will want to see http://www.pamelasgrantwriting...ite-visit/ and http://philanthropy.com/articl...rom/63370/
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