Remember Your First Draft Will Automatically Energize the Charity

Often to get the staff excited about a grant project you need to deal with their objections and then implement procedures which make it fun for them to work with you.

 

Over time I've developed a couple of strategies which work for me given my look, my knowledge, and my experience.  Nevertheless, I think they will work for you too if you apply them carefully and adapt them to your personality.

Arial video of my community from a newly built RC helicopter with Zenmuse H3-3D gimbal at Kite Hill, Laguna Niguel, CA

The first thing to do is to find a project that your client really want to run and implement.  If the staff is not thoroughly excited about the new program they are seeking to develop, then it is harder to get them to take action in a crisis when you need a quick rewrite or an improved photo for the application cover page.

 

By distributing the Project Innovator form ahead of time, I encourage the staff to come up with the projects they are excited about. To access a blank copy of the Project Innovator form I give to my clients, click on this link here. 

 

I also pay attention to (and articulate) my level of enthusiasm too.  If I think the new program is a dud...I won't be quite so eloquent in promoting it either.

Even if you do not totally like the proposed program, there is still - usually - some element of it that you can concentrate on that will make it exciting and powerful for your to focus your best attention on it.

Next, I like to write the first draft for them.  Once they see the whole thing on paper, I have found the charity will make near heroic efforts to add additional text or seed in crucial information, information essential to really selling the project to the funder.

In addition, it is often easy for staff and administrators to become somewhat bored by their own institutions and existing programs.  I have found that reading the first draft, which I have created for them, often energizes them by providing a fresh, inspirational look that lifts their spirits.  This is particularly true when the charity has experienced hard times in the past.

Helping the charity put its experience into a winning perspective can often improve organizational behavior across the board.  It's fun to watch as staff and administrators re-frame their institutional experience in a powerful and empowering manner. 

Increase the Speed of Your Grant Writing by Organizing the Key Documents

The management of enthusiasm can be one of the most important secrets to your success as a grant writing consultant. In my experience, people get more excited about a project if they get into action on it immediately. The problem in grant writing, however, is that you usually do not know enough about the grant application requirements initially to establish any realistic assignments for everyone participating in the grant writing process. Accordingly, I have a standard approach I use the get people moving which will also make it easier to write the grant.

For an interesting, first person visual (FPV) flight over nearby Aliso Canyon in Laguna Niguel, CA check out this video from a F450 RC quad-copter at 10,000 feet. Trish and I walk in this park.

I like to leverage the initial excitement of having me visit at a charity by getting them started on some overlooked elements of a complete grant package including:

• Updated resumes on the key leaders and program managers of the charity.
• Updated project budget that includes a lot of specific line items and details.
• Latest version of charity's mission statement and/or vision statement.
• Updated list of board members with phone numbers, addresses, board roles, and occupational data.
• Secure electronic copies of annual budget, IRS 990, and most recent audited financial statement.

My approach is to remind key leaders that these elements of a complete proposal are more important than anything I can add as a grant writer. In some cases, the budget document and the staff resumes will be key deciding factors in whether or not the client wins the grant. The sooner the charity starts perfecting these documents, the better it will be for their overall chances of winning.

It does not matter if you have always worked at the same charity all your life, or if you are dropping in at the last minute by quad-copter, you need to use scarce time efficiently.

Thanks to the preparation of the staff, Irvine Valley College earned $1.5 million to establish a new center to support Asian American and Pacific Islander students in 2015. They were among a small number of institutions to win this sort of funding during a time when legislators are seeking to trim the federal budget. Nevertheless, the staff at Irvine Valley College was able to take action because they were organized ahead of time and knew where to find the key documents needed to provide evidence of their program's features and prior success. Moreover, they had the documentation ready to demonstrate that they met the key eligibility requirements for the grant too.