Category Archives: grant writing success

Avenues to Grant Writing Success

Of all the things I’ve done for a living, grant writing is the most challenging. Oh, I’ve flipped hamburgers at McDonalds through the great Big Mac rush of ’74, I’ve put out forest fires during the summer of the great Marble Cone fire in ’77. Why, I’ve even planted flower bulbs for the frenetically manic Ms. Taylor (all names have been changed to protect the innocent).

But grant writing, my friends, demands concentration beyond correcting alternating tulip bulb colors to accent the curtains in a crazy woman’s parlor window (she was inspired by Monet no less). Grant writing is an intense and detail-oriented craft that combines fact with planning to create a sort of future-based fiction.

So, how do you learn to be a good grant writer? If becoming a grant writer is your goal, then I suggest these avenues to that end.

Avenue One – Take a class from an expert grant writer like Veronica Robbins . An experienced grant writer can give you a head start by sharing tips an secrets of the craft that will save you learning them on your own.

Avenue Two – As I’ve recommended before, I suggest you read some grants. You can either volunteer as a reader in a grant competition, or you can get some sample grants to read in your spare time.

Avenue Three – Start your own blog and begin to write on it as frequently as you can. Writing is a skill and a skill takes practice to perfect. And don’t be surprised if your writing is never perfect, but practice is the only road that will take you closer.

I wish you well in your travels and on the road to becoming a grant writer. Grant writing is a tough and rewarding job in which you’ll meet lots of interesting people. You get to help energetic people find money for brilliant ideas!

By: Derek Link, grant writer and non-profit consultant

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Would you like access to the largest collection of grant writing and grant seeking resources on the web?  Become a member at GrantGoddess.com!

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Avenues to Grant Writing Success

Of all the things I’ve done for a living, grant writing is the most challenging. Oh, I’ve flipped hamburgers at McDonalds through the great Big Mac rush of ’74, I’ve put out forest fires during the summer of the great Marble Cone fire in ’77. Why, I’ve even planted flower bulbs for the frenetically manic Ms. Taylor (all names have been changed to protect the innocent).

But grant writing, my friends, demands concentration beyond correcting alternating tulip bulb colors to accent the curtains in a crazy woman’s parlor window (she was inspired by Monet no less). Grant writing is an intense and detail-oriented craft that combines fact with planning to create a sort of future-based fiction.

So, how do you learn to be a good grant writer? If becoming a grant writer is your goal, then I suggest these avenues to that end.

Avenue One – Take a class from an expert grant writer like Veronica Robbins . An experienced grant writer can give you a head start by sharing tips an secrets of the craft that will save you learning them on your own.

Avenue Two – As I’ve recommended before, I suggest you read some grants. You can either volunteer as a reader in a grant competition, or you can get some sample grants to read in your spare time.

Avenue Three – Start your own blog and begin to write on it as frequently as you can. Writing is a skill and a skill takes practice to perfect. And don’t be surprised if your writing is never perfect, but practice is the only road that will take you closer.

I wish you well in your travels and on the road to becoming a grant writer. Grant writing is a tough and rewarding job in which you’ll meet lots of interesting people. You get to help energetic people find money for brilliant ideas!

By: Derek Link, grant writer and non-profit consultant

———————————
Would you like access to the largest collection of grant writing and grant seeking resources on the web?  Become a member at GrantGoddess.com!

Grant Writing is Like a Symphony

I have a colleague who likes to equate grant writing with all sorts of things like peanut butter, sausage, donautes and the like, but I think grant writing is more like a symphony.

There are many different parts to a grant and each of those parts on its own can be very complex, yet all of the parts come together to make a whole that is truly much greater than the sum of all its parts.

In the composition of a symphony, how you put the pieces together makes the difference between noise and music, and between a piece of music that is simply o.k. and one that is inspirational. Sure, the technical aspects of putting it all together are important. In a grant application, if you don’t connect all of the parts (needs connected to goals and objectives, which need to be connected to project design, and so on), you’ll end up with a product that looks like noise, and it probably won’t be funded.

In a truly great symphony, the composer goes beyond the technical aspect of composition and creates art. The same is true for grant writing.  A highly skilled and successful grant writer will move beyond the technical aspects of the writing and the composition of the grant and will use those to create a work of art – a grant application that speaks to the reader, demonstrates commitment, and inspires the reader to take action (the right kind of action – recommending the proposal for funding).

The next time you write a grant, create a symphony.

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Take a look at our YouTube video on Pulling All the Parts of Your Grant Together.

Get grant writing tips in the palm of your hand.  Try the Grant Tips iPhone app!

Want even more tips? Try our new book, 101 Tips for Aspiring Grant Writers.

Visit our Grant Writing Resources page for links to a plethora of great grant writing resources.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Grant Writing is Like a Symphony

I have a colleague who likes to equate grant writing with all sorts of things like peanut butter, sausage, donautes and the like, but I think grant writing is more like a symphony.

There are many different parts to a grant and each of those parts on its own can be very complex, yet all of the parts come together to make a whole that is truly much greater than the sum of all its parts.

In the composition of a symphony, how you put the pieces together makes the difference between noise and music, and between a piece of music that is simply o.k. and one that is inspirational. Sure, the technical aspects of putting it all together are important. In a grant application, if you don’t connect all of the parts (needs connected to goals and objectives, which need to be connected to project design, and so on), you’ll end up with a product that looks like noise, and it probably won’t be funded.

In a truly great symphony, the composer goes beyond the technical aspect of composition and creates art. The same is true for grant writing.  A highly skilled and successful grant writer will move beyond the technical aspects of the writing and the composition of the grant and will use those to create a work of art – a grant application that speaks to the reader, demonstrates commitment, and inspires the reader to take action (the right kind of action – recommending the proposal for funding).

The next time you write a grant, create a symphony.

——————————-

Take a look at our YouTube video on Pulling All the Parts of Your Grant Together.

Get grant writing tips in the palm of your hand.  Try the Grant Tips iPhone app!

Want even more tips? Try our new book, 101 Tips for Aspiring Grant Writers.

Visit our Grant Writing Resources page for links to a plethora of great grant writing resources.

Focus on Your Mission for Grant Writing Success

Non-profit consultant and grant writing expert, Derek Link, shares some important thoughts on how focus on your mission can lead to grant writing success:

Sometimes when I need to write a blog post, I’ll sit there in front of the blank screen, and unfortunately, my mind is as blank as the screen. So I just start to write, as I am now, waiting for a spark of inspiration. Just like some well-intentioned non-profits, I just want to “do” something, I haven’t a clue what it is yet.

Chasing the money isn’t an effective way to achieve your vision. Your grant seeking should be driven instead by the mission of your organization. Your mission is the “what we DO.” A mission should be laser-like and specific, and it has to lead logically to your vision.

People sometimes call me and say, “We want grants but don’t know how to write them, can you do that for us?” I say, “I’d be happy to help you. What do you need grants for?”

This is where the conversation can bog down. The client responds generally, “Oh, you know, we work with kids and we do recycling, so…well… grants for just about anything to do with kids or the environment would work. I’ve heard there’s lots of grants out there for kids and environmental projects.”

I revise my question, “What is it you want to do?” If the response is still vague then I know they are just chasing money. It is sad to me that the truest answer for many struggling nonprofit organizations that call me is, “We need grants to fix a budget problem. And, we don’t really care what the money is for, we can do anything so long as we get the money.”

The clear, specific mission is vital in grant making for these key reasons:

  1. It focuses your grant searching.
  2. It defines who will (and won’t) fund you.
  3. It is convincing because it logically leads to your declared vision.
  4. Your full commitment to it inspires confidence in your ask.

If your mission is, “we want to improve the environment”, then how can you convince a grant maker interested in reducing pesticide use that your recycling program deserves funding? Unfortunately, you probably can’t, because there is a mismatch in your missions. So if your mission is wide angled, like the environment, or youth, or senior citizens, you need to focus it down to what you are actually doing or want to do to help in those areas before you look for grants or you’re going to waste a lot of valuable time chasing money that’s not available to you.

Using a wide angle lens is not the way to find grants. It’s only a starting place to define your mission. Zoom in, then zoom in some more, and then get the magnifying glass out.

Grant seeking is a little like comparing the grooves on two keys (missions) to make sure they’ll fit the same lock; if one little groove is out of place, the key simply won’t unlock the funding for you.

———————————

Want more information on how defining your mission can help you acquire grant funding?  Become a member of GrantGoddess.com and visit the Non-Profit Dream Center for step-by-step detailed assistance!

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Focus on Your Mission for Grant Writing Success

Non-profit consultant and grant writing expert, Derek Link, shares some important thoughts on how focus on your mission can lead to grant writing success:

Sometimes when I need to write a blog post, I’ll sit there in front of the blank screen, and unfortunately, my mind is as blank as the screen. So I just start to write, as I am now, waiting for a spark of inspiration. Just like some well-intentioned non-profits, I just want to “do” something, I haven’t a clue what it is yet.

Chasing the money isn’t an effective way to achieve your vision. Your grant seeking should be driven instead by the mission of your organization. Your mission is the “what we DO.” A mission should be laser-like and specific, and it has to lead logically to your vision.

People sometimes call me and say, “We want grants but don’t know how to write them, can you do that for us?” I say, “I’d be happy to help you. What do you need grants for?”

This is where the conversation can bog down. The client responds generally, “Oh, you know, we work with kids and we do recycling, so…well… grants for just about anything to do with kids or the environment would work. I’ve heard there’s lots of grants out there for kids and environmental projects.”

I revise my question, “What is it you want to do?” If the response is still vague then I know they are just chasing money. It is sad to me that the truest answer for many struggling nonprofit organizations that call me is, “We need grants to fix a budget problem. And, we don’t really care what the money is for, we can do anything so long as we get the money.”

The clear, specific mission is vital in grant making for these key reasons:

  1. It focuses your grant searching.
  2. It defines who will (and won’t) fund you.
  3. It is convincing because it logically leads to your declared vision.
  4. Your full commitment to it inspires confidence in your ask.

If your mission is, “we want to improve the environment”, then how can you convince a grant maker interested in reducing pesticide use that your recycling program deserves funding? Unfortunately, you probably can’t, because there is a mismatch in your missions. So if your mission is wide angled, like the environment, or youth, or senior citizens, you need to focus it down to what you are actually doing or want to do to help in those areas before you look for grants or you’re going to waste a lot of valuable time chasing money that’s not available to you.

Using a wide angle lens is not the way to find grants. It’s only a starting place to define your mission. Zoom in, then zoom in some more, and then get the magnifying glass out.

Grant seeking is a little like comparing the grooves on two keys (missions) to make sure they’ll fit the same lock; if one little groove is out of place, the key simply won’t unlock the funding for you.

———————————

Want more information on how defining your mission can help you acquire grant funding?  Become a member of GrantGoddess.com and visit the Non-Profit Dream Center for step-by-step detailed assistance!

Tune Out the Noise in Your Grant Proposal

Do you remember how difficult it could be sometimes to tune in to a radio station? A tiny move of the tuning nob could bring static.  Another tiny move could bring in two stations talking over each other and a little static, too. Finally, you get it just right and you hear the station you wanted as clear as a bell. (I realize that there may be some very young ones among you who have come of age in an era of iPods and Pandora who don’t know what I’m talking about, but go with it for a moment, ok?)

I have been working on a grant application this week (as usual), and I have a great client who has been doing some fantastic things.  This client is extremely bright and she sees connections between everything.  When she describes what she wants to do through the new grant, she can’t help but connect it to all sorts of other activities and programs that are already going on.  This integration of webs of services and partnerships is one of the hallmarks of a skilled program administrator, but it makes for messy grant writing.

Don’t get me wrong.  It’s very important in a grant narrative to connect new and existing services, to show the organization’s capacity for implementing programs of the size and scope of the one in the grant, and to use previous examples of success to demonstrate the likelihood of success of the new project. However, it’s also critical to describe what you plan to do as clearly as possible with as little “noise” as possible.

The simpler the program design, the easier it is to describe it clearly in writing. The more complex the design, the more potential there is for “static,” and the higher the likelihood that the readers will start to read other things into the proposal that are not really there and to impose their experiences and biases over your writing (that’s the other radio station you hear that’s infringing on your favorite song).

Your job as a grant writer is to keep it as simple as possible for the reader. Draw connections to other programs and services, but not so much that your message (your program design) becomes less clear.

Remember, the grant readers don’t know your organization or your fabulous program. Those little extra pieces of information about related programs and services that are only partially explained bring into your mind a full picture of integrated services.  To the reader, they only spark questions…..and static.

Do yourself a favor…..keep your program design simple and clean, and clear as a bell.

————————
Related Posts:

Five Tips for Writing Good Grant Objectives

Five Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Grant Objectives

Relax……And Tell Your Story

A Fool and His Grant Are Soon Parted – Follow the Instructions

————————

Tune Out the Noise in Your Grant Proposal

Do you remember how difficult it could be sometimes to tune in to a radio station? A tiny move of the tuning nob could bring static.  Another tiny move could bring in two stations talking over each other and a little static, too. Finally, you get it just right and you hear the station you wanted as clear as a bell. (I realize that there may be some very young ones among you who have come of age in an era of iPods and Pandora who don’t know what I’m talking about, but go with it for a moment, ok?)

I have been working on a grant application this week (as usual), and I have a great client who has been doing some fantastic things.  This client is extremely bright and she sees connections between everything.  When she describes what she wants to do through the new grant, she can’t help but connect it to all sorts of other activities and programs that are already going on.  This integration of webs of services and partnerships is one of the hallmarks of a skilled program administrator, but it makes for messy grant writing.

Don’t get me wrong.  It’s very important in a grant narrative to connect new and existing services, to show the organization’s capacity for implementing programs of the size and scope of the one in the grant, and to use previous examples of success to demonstrate the likelihood of success of the new project. However, it’s also critical to describe what you plan to do as clearly as possible with as little “noise” as possible.

The simpler the program design, the easier it is to describe it clearly in writing. The more complex the design, the more potential there is for “static,” and the higher the likelihood that the readers will start to read other things into the proposal that are not really there and to impose their experiences and biases over your writing (that’s the other radio station you hear that’s infringing on your favorite song).

Your job as a grant writer is to keep it as simple as possible for the reader. Draw connections to other programs and services, but not so much that your message (your program design) becomes less clear.

Remember, the grant readers don’t know your organization or your fabulous program. Those little extra pieces of information about related programs and services that are only partially explained bring into your mind a full picture of integrated services.  To the reader, they only spark questions…..and static.

Do yourself a favor…..keep your program design simple and clean, and clear as a bell.

————————
Related Posts:

Five Tips for Writing Good Grant Objectives

Five Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Grant Objectives

Relax……And Tell Your Story

A Fool and His Grant Are Soon Parted – Follow the Instructions

————————

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Is Grant Writing Success Really Just About Luck?

As a successful grant writer, I’ve actually had people say to me, “Wow! You sure are lucky!”  My first thought is, “Gee, that luck sure did take a lot of work!”

I’ll admit it.  There is a certain amount of luck in the formula of grant success, if you define luck as the impact of factors over which you have no control.  There are many things you can’t control in the process. You can’t control the readers.  You can’t control if your readers are well informed about your field or not.  You can’t control if your readers are tired, alert, happy, sad, cranky, or enthusiastic when they read and score your proposal.

In spite of that, there are many things you can control. The better your proposal, the more likely you are to be “lucky.” And a better proposal is all about skill and hard work. The more you refine your skill, the less vulnerable you are to luck.

Is Grant Writing Success Really Just About Luck?

As a successful grant writer, I’ve actually had people say to me, “Wow! You sure are lucky!”  My first thought is, “Gee, that luck sure did take a lot of work!”

I’ll admit it.  There is a certain amount of luck in the formula of grant success, if you define luck as the impact of factors over which you have no control.  There are many things you can’t control in the process. You can’t control the readers.  You can’t control if your readers are well informed about your field or not.  You can’t control if your readers are tired, alert, happy, sad, cranky, or enthusiastic when they read and score your proposal.

In spite of that, there are many things you can control. The better your proposal, the more likely you are to be “lucky.” And a better proposal is all about skill and hard work. The more you refine your skill, the less vulnerable you are to luck.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com