Assume Victory: Using Set Backs to Advantage You and Your Charity

Even though I work mostly with non-profit organizations, I seem to be surrounded by for-profit entrepreneurs. In general, entrepreneurs have a reputation for positive thinking and an uncanny ability to turn the worst news into some sort of advantage for themselves and their companies.


I am noticing a lot of the traits of the entrepreneurial mind-set as I get to know my fellow business owners at my office in the WIN Business Accelerator in Irvine, CA. One of the things I am noticing is that nothing seems to get them down. It does not matter what is happening in the economy or in politics or foreign affairs. No matter what, they are planning paths around obstacles and looking for opportunities to meet the needs of customers who are injured by current events.

In my grant writing efforts, I find I have a similar approach to dealing with existential threats to the grant writing project. In virtually every grant campaign I have ever participated in there usually comes a moment when I just hit a wall.

The new information I have learned about the charity, or the problem it addresses, leaves me thinking that there is absolutely no way of making it work. No matter what, however, out of this pit of despair, I find a new solution comes to me, to my staff, or to the charity itself. As such, I have found it does no good to lie about the pain or to underestimate the challenge. Living in denial about the flaws of either the charity or the grant seems to fix nothing.

By facing the problem directly, I am often able to convince the charity to make needed changes in their program, mission, or focus so that their grant writing efforts pay-off. The secret of their non-profit prosperity is also the secret of the irrepressible entrepreneurs who surround me: Look for the pain and find a way to fix the problem.

Tough Times: Economic Crisis Means the World Needs More Effective Grant Writers

One of the ironies of the last couple of years is that our business has grown and added people even as the overall economy has gone down hill. This year, for example, we are proud to have added both Soka University of America and the Petersen Automotive Museum as clients. Obviously, we have come a long way.

In my experience, grant writing is always a little counter cyclical. In bad times, I have found that there is still usually plenty of money available from government grants and foundation resources - even as corporate donors cut back on both charitable gifts and marketing dollars.

As times get hard, I have found that it pays to go back to the basics that I teach in my grant writing workshops:

• Focus on the largest funders
• Organize yourself ahead of time
• Use technology to your advantage
• Apply product positioning strategies
• Keep your goals and objectives simple, and
• Hold tight to your winning message

In good economic times, it often seems like we all succeed no matter what we do. In tough times, however, it is good to remember the tried and true techniques which will always give you an advantage no matter the economic climate.