Wednesday, June 24, 2020

How to Use Your Cover Letter to Influence a Grant Reader


In the History Channel's new Grant miniseries, they report on the blunt philosophy of Ulysses S. Grant. "The art of war is simple enough," he said. "Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on."

If you want to follow his exploits they now have an interactive map of his key Civil War battles which helps you appreciate what he did to win the war.

Ultimately, I see his views as a call for considerable focus. The same principle applies in the less physical risky and dangerous arena of grant writing.

As a political scientist, I was always interested in how political consultants used direct mail to raise money and advertise their political candidates. As a grant writing consultant, I have adopted a lot of these same techniques to benefit the non-profit clients we serve at Drew & Associates. Many of the political consultant's best ideas were the result of early eye tracking technology experiments.

For example, it turns out that when someone opens a letter the first thing that attracts their eyes is the appearance of their own name. Consequently, I am very careful about having my staff double check the spelling of the recipient's name and also their title. My view is that if we make a mistake with the grant reader's name, then we immediately make a bad impression. If we get their name exactly correct, however, we will have used that initial millisecond of exposure to immediately win the trust and confidence of the reader.

This is why I refuse to issue letters of inquiry or cover letters that are simply addressed to generic appellations like "To Whom It May Concern" or "Dear Sir or Madam." I also use a Ms. or Mr. when I address the letter reader too. If the person's name gives me little indication of their gender, then I try to Google them to figure out the appropriate term of address. If they have a non-English name that I am unfamiliar with, then I will Google that too.

I also avoid using the generic term Grant Administrator or Grant Coordinator. Instead, I review the funder's website or research printout and address the letter to their president or chair. To make sure that I get the name exactly right, I will cut and paste it directly from the website.

It turns out that the next place a person's eye goes to when they read your letter of inquiry or your cover letter is your own signature. Try this yourself and notice how your eyes move over the next letter you receive in the mail. I also seek to leverage this initial bit of information too. If you have ever taken one of my grant writing workshops, then you will remember that I spend time teaching people how to create a professional looking signature. Too often, I have seen people labor over a grant application and then - at the last minute - undercut their own effort by signing the application or cover letter as if they just finished an increasingly rare third grade penmanship class.

Instead, I recommend signing quickly, like you are a doctor signing a prescription. The signature, by the way, should be done with blue ink. We use blue ink so that the reader understands that the signature is applied with a pen and not done with a photo image the same color as the text.

Finally, the folks who taught me about political direct mail always stressed the P.S. at the end of the letter. For some reason, people will scan the entire letter first, but then zero in on the P.S., or post script, at the end of the letter. To take advantage of that habit, I like to place the most compelling message regarding the charity and its project in the P.S. I rarely send out any letter of inquiry or cover letter without including a P.S.

P.S. If you follow these tips, you will be using the reader's most basic habits to quickly get a powerful first impression established in their minds in six seconds or less.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Grant Writing Meetings

I have been watching the new Grant miniseries on the History Channel. I recommend it.

As they write: "While nothing in Grant’s early life marked him for greatness, he now stands as one of the most brilliant military minds in U.S. history—credited with winning the Civil War and preserving the American Union. This map charts his progress and achievements during the nation’s most wrenching conflict." At the very least, the miniseries will remind you of the extent to which politics gets in the way of action.

In grant writing, we typically address the politics of grant writing by asking our clients to fill out a project innovator form and collect the needed documents. This is usually enough to identify issues that might get in the way of creating a winning grant campaign.

We have also found it essential to conduct a well-organized and impressive kick-off meeting for the client and their staff. Over time, I have come to believe that one of the most important secrets of success for a grant writer is learning how to conduct a powerful, influential and effective grant campaign kick-off meeting. This meeting can make a large difference. The reason is that grant writing is a team sport, not an individual effort. To pull together a winning grant application in a short period of time you need to use every technique at your disposal to win participants to your side. Without their earnest help, preparing a conforming grant application will be a slow, lonely process.

Along these lines, I like to run a tightly organized staff meeting when I get together with our Drew & Associates senior grant writers, research assistants, and marketing staff. Here are the tips that I follow myself to build a strong and effective team:

1. Punctuality: My meetings start and end exactly on time. In my experience, if I get sloppy about starting and ending the meeting on time, people start showing up late and failing to use our limited time efficiently. In my experience, no one shows up late.

2. Allow Time to Blow Off Steam: I start each staff meeting with an informal discussion that allows everyone to release their stress by sharing a little information regarding either their personal triumphs and/or struggles. We blow off a little steam too by talking about personal health issues, problems with children and loved ones, or the general madness and insensitivity of those around us. The aim of this portion of the meeting is to allow people to vent some of the tensions and concerns that might otherwise distract them during the rest of the meeting. An additional benefit of this portion of the meeting is that I can identify important clues about how our staff are doing and what--if anything--I need to be doing to make their personal and work lives easier.

3. Use an Agenda: I think it is important to distribute a written agenda at each meeting. The agenda starts with a quick report from each branch of our consulting practice - writing, research, marketing, and collections. We then move on to discuss old business followed by a discussion of new business. If someone wants to suggest an additional discussion item, I usually just add it to the end of the agenda under the category of new business.

4. Keep Meeting Minutes/Record Action Items: Someone takes careful notes at each meeting. My wife, Trish, is remarkably persistent in noting what I and my staff have promised to do to move forward on specific business issues. Later that same day, she sits down with me and goes through the list and we take initial action on each item while we still have the clarity and motivation to get the task done.

5. Foster a Culture of Openness: Although I am not sure that this last tip will help everyone, I do encourage our staff members to speak their minds, criticize me or my practices, or vent their frustrations to the furthest extent possible. To me, this is what it means to be working in a healthy functional consulting practice. At times, however, I do wonder how I got myself into a situation where I'm paying everyone in the room to find fault with me. The benefit, of course, is that I get fresh ideas, honest feedback, and I learn how to avoid serious mistakes. To me, the most dangerous thing in the world is to be surrounded by people who simply repeat back to you your own ideas. As I see it, I am paying for others' honesty and objectivity no matter how much I might be embarrassed as an individual.

6. End on an Inspirational Note: Finally, I like to end each meeting with my sincere thanks to everyone for their time and attention. I remind everyone that what we are doing has a profound impact on some of the most dangerous, urgent, and difficult challenges facing our nation. I think it is important to remind my staff--and myself--that in our society virtually all projects of great significance must first pass across the desk of a talented and insightful writer.

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

NOW Remote! Check Out All of Dr. Drew's On-Line Courses

Grant Writing Fundamentals (Remote Live)

NOW Remote - Learn this valuable skill in a highly interactive videoconferencing format from the comfort of your home. Join Dr. Drew in an invigorating and informative workshop created for new and experienced grant writers, executive directors, organizers, board members, community volunteers, and individuals who want to get a detailed look at the grant writing process. Dr. Drew will introduce you to all information needed for a successful grant proposal. You will learn how funding is announced, how applications are judged, and how to construct each element of a winning proposal. The techniques Dr. Drew emphasizes—including how to work quickly, how to create a winning message, and basic evaluation techniques—apply with equal force to small or large grants. Certificate of completion given to each participant who finishes the class.

Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 19, 2020

Course Fee: $144 includes material fee for handouts and booklet all due at registration.


Grant Writing Intermediate (Remote Live)

NOW Remote – Dr. John Drew presents this hands-on workshop as part of the Grant Writing series of classes. In it, he reveals the secrets of cashing in on grants for individuals in a new, innovative videoconferencing format. Unlimited by the boundaries of a classroom, this new class leverages all the benefits of modern technology to assist individuals seeking resources from corporations, foundations, and government agencies. Dr. Drew also teaches the skills needed to be successful in researching individual grants or educational scholarships. You will have step-by-step guidance on how to become a grant-writing consultant or to create a non-profit charity. John C. Drew, Ph.D., is a speaker, author, and consultant who has raised $52 million for non-profits.

Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 10, 2020

Course Fee: $144 includes material fee for handouts and booklet all due at registration.


Grant Research Fundamentals (Remote Live)

NOW Remote – Truly at least half of your success in winning grants depends on your skill in researching them. Accordingly, this class has been created for non-profit leaders and staff who need a detailed look at the technology and the practical tips needed to speed-up the grant research process. Participants will be introduced to:


  • Top websites for grant research including those provided by the federal government, State of California, and the Foundation Directory Online by Candid.
  • Useful websites for identifying individual grants for art projects, scholarly research, and college and graduate school scholarships.


This course has been redesigned for the on-line environment. It will now be easier for students to see grant research websites and other tools in action and simultaneously interact with the instructor.

Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 14, 2020

Course Fee: $144 includes material fee for handouts and booklet all due at registration.


Fundraising Fundamentals (Remote Live)

NOW Remote – Learn this valuable skill in a highly interactive videoconferencing format from the comfort of your home. Non-profits can win reliable support through grants, but they also need to know the most important basics about other fundraising methods. "I can’t teach everything I know about fundraising," says Dr. Drew, "but I can teach the six most important things I think will make the biggest possible difference for your success." In this workshop, an award-winning author, trainer, and consultant introduces simple proven techniques and strategies. Participants will learn how fundraising has evolved, how new software keeps track of donors and how to win individual gifts without the pressure of a face-to-face ask.

Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, 2020

Course Fee: $144 includes material fee for handouts and booklet all due at registration.



Praise for Dr. Drew’s Workshops

"Very informative, with positive energy transferred to the students."

"The course was very inviting. Dr. Drew was very clear and knowledgeable. He made it easier for me to achieve my goals and enjoy success in life."

"Dr. John Drew was very knowledgeable, invigorating, timely, and made learning interesting and clear."

"This was constant, good practical information. The first 15 minutes made the whole class worth it!"

"Dr. Drew is wonderful. He taught me a lot in a very short time."

"The course was very informative and gave me a good insight into what it takes to be a grant writer."

"This class was excellent and very informative."

"Great class. Thank you for offering it!"

"Yay! Great class!"

"Excellent-- I really enjoyed Dr. Drew. Best organized information."

"Dr. Drew has given me the tools to stay motivated and to move forward on my non-profit."

"Overall outstanding."