Your Grant Authority

Beyond the Writing– Secrets of How to Get Your Grant Funded

Grant writers "in the know" understand that these tips are most often what it takes to get their grants funded:

Know your own programs – Involve program folks by interviewing them and understanding their job.  It’s also the best way to learn more about the client base you serve.

 Talk to other grant seekers – Want to know how they got that certain grant that seems so elusive?  Call them up and ask them how they got it!  It’s great to have a trusted group of fund raisers and grant writers you can call on for information exchange.

 Try for a face-to-face meeting – Personal connections (board members or volunteers) are best but not always necessary.  Send a brief email or letter to the Foundation executive explaining your program and then follow up as necessary.

 Put yourself in the grant funder’s shoes – At every turn, ask yourself what they might ask as a grant reviewer – why should anyone else care about what you do and they difference it can make?

 Don’t talk about your organization’s needs – talk about your client’s needs.

 Keep in touch with funders – don’t ask for money every time they hear from you.  Ask Board members to write thank-you notes and send updates on new program information.

Prepping for a Grant Funder’s Site Visit: 4 Helpful Hints

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.

7 Quick Steps for Writing Great Grants

As I’m preparing for my LIVE presentations in Atlanta on August 11^th and 18^th, I’m reminded that sometimes folks just need to be refreshed (or even hear for the very first time) about the basics.  In this presentation I get into some pretty deep stuff about what I’ve learned during my last 16 years in fund raising and the tricks and tips I’ve used to secure boatloads of grant money. But sometimes I delve so deep to give my clients “insider” information that I forget to start with the basics.  So, here you go, what is elementary to me is not for the grant writer that at this time is just poised for success and I promise not to leave you behind:

1. The grants you write should directly support your mission – Don’t go chasing those grant dollars that don’t apply to you and don’t crank up a new program just to get the money.  Believe me when I tell you that it’s not worth it.

2. Determine programs that you can get funding for – Some of your programs are going to be more attractive to funders than others.  Determine the program that the funder likes and match your application to those preferences.