Chevy_Chase Oh, how I adore Chevy Chase! Both his original Vacation and Caddyshack movies are two of my all-time favorites. But after reading his “authorized” biography, I was disappointed. As he fully admits, he told all of his wonderful anecdotes and life history to a biographer who then wrote the stories for him. He had complete control over it and, unfortunately, it comes off as a “sanitized” version of his life history.

He seemed to have an answer for everything: why certain movies he made stunk (he was simply doing friends a favor by making them,) why he often comes across as arrogant in interviews (he's shy,) and why he walked away early on from the t.v. show Saturday Night Live that made him a star (he wasn't given good advice.) I was truly disappointed in the book and felt like I didn't know any more about the “real” man at the end than I did when I first started reading. Furthermore, I found his excuses for his sometimes less than stellar choices and behavior just that – excuses.

Effective grant proposals, on the other hand, tell an interesting story but they're real – not a cleaned up version. Successful grant writers know that they have to portray the real lives of the client base they serve so that the reader will get the clearest picture of why proposed grant services need to be funded. They also tell a story from different viewpoints – from personal client stories to the Executive Director's challenges of running an organization that makes a difference. Good grant writers weave these viewpoints into a beautiful tapestry for the reader – warts and all. They also don't promise results that they can't deliver and describe their struggles in a way that makes funders want to assist them.

I'm all for portraying a positive image but don't forget to let your organization's reality shine. In this case, please do not sanitize for anyone's protection.

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Painting the picture in your grant application
written by Susan Addleman, October 25, 2010

Betsy, I couldn't agree more about the importance of bringing to life the story of the need, the demonstrated success of the organization and the future in your grantwriting. I am fortunate to have had a 100% success rate in my grant applications. Key to my success has been in storytelling and connecting those to the intent of the grant. Often a good story will illustrate how all the dry component parts of the application will come to life in your proposal. Referencing back to the illustration and drawing the line of how this addresses the requirement will avoid duplicating information and connect the document overall.

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Yes!
written by Sherry Truhlar, October 21, 2010

So many people seem to forget how important it is to be "real." Whether you're organizing a benefit auction or writing a grant, it's so important to be upfront and honest!

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...
written by Gail Perry, October 21, 2010

Love, love, love this post! Had a question yesterday in a presentation - she asked how do we "tell stories" in grant applications when grantmakers want dry specifics. Wish I'd had you post ready!

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So true!
written by Bunnie Riedel, October 21, 2010

I've seen some pretty exagerated grant applications, it is important to tell the truth. BTW, just couldn't resist the emoticon. smilies/cheesy.gif

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Awesome!
written by Sandy Rees, October 20, 2010

Great point Betsy!! I agree with you that it's much better to tell the truth in a proposal (or any time for that matter) than to try to gloss over something.

I loved Chevy in Fletch, but Christmas Vacation is an annual tradition at my house! We laugh til we cry every year.

Sandy