Working on a special project for the Orange County REACH Charity. It's fun to work with good people who have a unified Board of Directors.

Got back from visiting with Mother for Mothers' Day. Good tradition, I'll glad we follwed through.

Benefits of being a grant writing consultant include travel. Here's shots of Hearst Castle. http://ping.fm/8bcbR

Tricia and I spent visited Hearst Castle after a workshop. Here's a little Animoto video on it. http://ping.fm/rj9ny

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How to Use the SMART Acronym to Create Winning Objectives

Too often, I think potential grant recipients are frightened off from writing a grant simply because they do not know how to create objectives for their grant application. Please...do not let this slow you down. Objectives are easy to create if you apply a simple system to organize your efforts.

One of the most critical pieces of information I like to share in grant writing workshops is the value of using the acronym SMART to create objectives for your grant proposal. The S stands for specific. The M stands for measurable. The A stands for achievable. The R stands for realistic. The T stands for time-bound. Here, you cannot skip a step. Review your objectives to make sure that each one stands up according to this criteria.

The Standard Elements of a Grant Proposal: You Only Get One Chance to Make a Great First Impression

We did not spend too much time underground during our recent workshop in Egypt. In this photo, I think you will see we are happy to get back to the fresh air. Likewise, the "standard" elements of a grant proposal take on a whole new importance if you appreciate how little time your application will actually get from the funder. Earlier, I covered the cover letter, introduction, and background. Here's what's next:



Organizational History. In a short statement, describe your organization, its background, its mission statement and, if appropriate, your organizational status as a nonprofit charity. I think it is a good idea to discuss all the different awards your agency has won. I like to sell and market here by stressing your central theme.



Objectives. This section of your proposal should explain what you plan to achieve through your project. Describe a broad general goal and then four to six specific objectives. The general goal should describe what impact you believe the proposed project will have on clients in the community. Objectives need to have a quantifiable deliverable and a due date. Goals, on the other hand, are more general ideals that may or may not be fully realized.



Plan of Operation. The plan of operation, or project description, should detail the specific steps the organization will take in developing and implementing the project. Be sure to include a timeline that indicates when you expect to accomplish each of the objectives you described in the plan. This is also a good place to describe the skills and qualifications of key staff members who will be working on the project, and to describe how you will work with other organizations in the community.


By the way, a "project" is a short-term activity that will come to an end in a number of years, a "program" is an enduring feature of your agency which should go on forever - in a sense.