Transcript 21 Grantwriting Traps

Avoiding the 21 Biggest
Grantwriting Traps
An ounce of mistake prevention is
worth a pound of apology.
About Us
Rochelle Fritsch
Jan Wilberg
• Development Director at
IMPACT (impactinc.org)
• Co-facilitator of Planners and
Grantwriters Roundtable
• Expertise in foundation/local
government grants
• Contributor to Metroparent
• Frequent guest commentator
on WTMJ
• Owner, Wilberg Community
Planning (jwilberg.com)
• Co-facilitator of Planners and
Grantwriters Roundtable
• Expertise in federal grants
• Long-time trainer in
grantwriting, collaboration and
evaluation
Messaging TRAPS
#1 Starting off MIRED IN THE
MUCKRF
 Speak plainly – ditch
the jargon
 Focus on WHAT not
HOW
“Making sure no one goes hungry”
 Be authentic
#2 Letting others SET YOUR
STAGERF
 Don’t play into
stereotypes
 Don’t pitch pity and
hopelessness
 Take a strengths-based
approach
 Progress can be made
Messaging TRAPS
#3 Telling the WRONG STORY the WRONG WAY
 Know the impact of current events on your
message
 Tell more than one story
 Explore varied mediums for messaging
 Find what works best for you
RF
Relationship TRAPS
#4 Ignoring COLLABORATIVE POTENTIAL
JW
 Collaborate with friends and competitors
 Slice and dice opportunities:
 Supply chain
 Expertise/strengths
 Cultural competence
 Evaluate in terms of funding advantage (#1) and
friendships (#2)
Relationship TRAPS
#5 Under/over-estimating the COMPETITION
 Honestly assess your strengths and
weaknesses
 Do the same for your competitors
 Ask yourself:
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Duplicating services?
Reducing community impact?
Frustrating funders?
Missing opportunities?
RF
Relationship TRAPS
#6 Getting tied in knots by MANAGEMENT
 Ongoing grants education for higher-ups
 Train management in the supremacy of the
RFP
 Use briefing paper/logic model to educate
 Have the ear of leadership
JW
Relationship TRAPS
#7 Talking too much to listen
RF
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One mouth two ears rule
Network outside the nonprofit sector
Avoid being a walking commercial
Listen more than you talk
Learn what motivates people
Where is their heart?
Relationship TRAPS
#8 Not having any (relationships, that is)
 Secure a safety net
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Cultivate relationships with experts
Participate in training, networking
Seek quality peer review
Promote the good work of others
JW
Grantwriting TRAPS
#9 Partnering with leakers or tyrants
 Partner to your organization’s advantage
 Know benefit of your partnership to your
partner
 Partnership must:
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Result in more points
Be workable based on prior history
Increase the power of the proposal
Benefit people, not such organizations
JW
Grantwriting TRAPS
#10 Not attending to grantwriting basics
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Adhere absolutely to RFP requirements
Have a high quality ‘deal’
Invest in a solid logic model
Achieve MAXIMUM points in each section
Focus on facts
Create real, impactful outcomes
Remember your roots: what people need
JW
Grantwriting TRAPS
#11 Wimping out
JW
 If YOU are writing a grant proposal, YOU need
to be the expert on what the grant requires.
 Take responsibility
 Resist hijackers by having a strong team
 Keep the RFP the focus
 Keep your feelings out of the project
Grantwriting TRAPS
#12 Letting your team run amok
JW
 Be the leader
 Delegate wisely
 Include program people
 Use team members as hunter/gatherers, not
writers
 Keep team focused on what is best for proposal
 Cheerlead/reinforce/demand/smile
Grantwriting TRAPS
#13 Not watching the clock
JW
 Budget more time than you need
 Stick with a published schedule of drafts,
meetings, and reviews
 Assume nothing about others’ promises
 Include time for major review/revision
 Get technical issues out of the way first, e.g.
online submission requirements
Follow-Up TRAPS
# 14 Skipping the celebrationRW
 Thanks and compliments
 Share proposal
 Keep people informed of
the process
 Make announcement a BIG
DEAL
 Share the credit
#15 Celebrating too longJW
 Pay attention to start-up
 A ‘short’ year will mean
poor outcomes
 Find ways to accelerate
implementation without
hurting quality
 Don’t relax until project is
really running well
Follow-Up TRAPS
#16 Letting a bad program languish
JW
 Conduct a process evaluation
 Establish a practice of regular check-ins with
program implementers
 Encourage discussion of improvements
 Use participant and other data to guide changes
 Keep funders informed
Follow-Up TRAPS
# 17 Avoiding outcome evaluation
JW
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Conduct a sound program evaluation
Insure evaluator has ‘distance’
Measure the right things the right way
Evaluate your evaluation
Publish results
Encourage open discussion
Use results to focus on what’s next
Follow-Up TRAPS
#18 Taking a one and done approach
RF
 Successful grant seekers specialize in repeat
requests
 The ask and thank you are relationship starters
 Keep donors updated on progress
 Include board and staff
 Changes in service delivery
 Use mediums they use
 Light touch via social sites
 Direct engagement via site visits
Continuity TRAPS
#19 Throwing the recipe awayJW
 Constructively deconstruct
the proposal process
 Self-review
 Reconvene project team
 Obtain reviewer comments
 Decide where to spend time
in the gym
 Focus always on next time
#20 Staying dumbJW
 Assess your own
grantwriting shortcomings
 Determine where the team
is weak
 Participate in training
opportunities or create own
 Read successful proposals
Professional TRAP
#21 Not understanding your power
JW/RF
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Are you a scribe or a writer?
Are you the secretary or the leader?
Are you the organizer or the organized?
Are you the expert or the amateur?
Are you the visionary or the reactor?
Are you the loser or the winner?