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.

Dr. Drew's Restaurant Review: Filomena's Cafe and Wine Bar in Laguna Niguel, CA

Dr. Drew celebrating with friends at Filomena's
 Cafe and Wine Bar in Laguna Niguel, CA

Filomena's Cafe and Wine Bar has rapidly become one of my favorite things about living in Laguna Niguel, CA. Even though my wife and I do not drink, we are nevertheless comfortable enjoying extraordinary Italian foods in the restaurant's upscale, sophisticated environment.

Tucked away inside the Laguna Design Center, I used to think that this restaurant was only available to the designers and retailers who had privileged access. This facility is now open to the public and everyday folks can now sample a restaurant that needs to meet the demanding standards of some of South Orange county's most sophisticated, high end retailers, merchants, designers and their discerning customers.

As you may know, the original Filomena’s Italian Kitchen in Costa Mesa has been rated one of the top 10 best Italian restaurants in Orange County by the Orange County Register. My sense is that this traditionally great food is now being served in a stellar location including outdoor courtyard dining near the Laguna Design Center's central plaza water fountains.

We have been there four times now, twice for birthdays, once for our anniversary, and once with our Bible study group. My tastes are simple. I enjoy the lasagna and the spaghetti with meatballs. I do not think I have eaten better Italian meatballs any where else in my life. The wait staff is very attentive and constantly refilling our bottle of water. I think they are starting to recognize us as infrequent regulars.

After dinner and a salad, we usually splurge on Italian coffee and share a desert after our meal. The owner, Linda Johnsen, is the granddaughter of the lady who inspired Filomena's fresh, light, flavorful spin on classic Italian dishes including salmon on lentils, shrimp scampi, and crisp Caesar salads. Last time, we ate in the courtyard at twilight at a large table surrounded by white roses in full bloom. We could not have been happier with our experience and we recommend Filomena's Cafe and Wine Bar to everyone. It is a little tough to find, but once you find it you will feel like you have discovered a hidden treasure. Be sure to make a reservation by calling (949) 349-9332

Filomena's Cafe and Wine Bar is located off of the blue entrance to the Laguna Design Center at 23811 Aliso Creek Road, Suite 122, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677.

Shocking News From One of Our Clients, McCann L. Utu of USA Institute of Sports

Every once in a while, violence is too close to home. I just found out a few hours ago that one of my favorite non-profit leaders, McCann L. Utu, has just experienced one of the most terrible tragedies. According to news reports, his estranged wife, Stacy Fawcett, 45, was stabbed to death by his eldest son, McCann Utu, Jr., 19.  In addition to killing the ex-wife, his son also stabbed his youngest son, Josiah Utu, 17, to death too. Then, McCann Utu, Jr. took his own life by stabbing himself.

McCann's ex-wife was a television reporter in Dallas, TX who worked for Channel 8's News 8 Daybreak. Consequently, this gruesome story is all over the news right now. According to the People website:

After the incident, a male suspect contacted police, telling the 911 operator that he had committed murder. Officers were then dispatched to the home in Plano, Texas – a suburb 20 miles north of Dallas – where they "made entry into the residence and discovered a deceased adult male and adult female along with another adult male who was alive with multiple stab wounds."

The suspect, her son McCann Utu Jr., was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he later died.

As far as I can tell, McCann Utu, Jr. had been recovering from a traumatic brain injury that occurred over a year ago. He had brain injuries due to a basketball accident and then again from an altercation with another student. I know a little about traumatic brain injury myself and I do know that it makes people surprisingly aggressive. 

I gave McCann a quick call today to let him know Trish and I are praying for him. He seemed remarkably at peace and resigned to the situation. As he said, there is no explanation. It was obvious that he was in profound grief for both his sons and their mother. He is a man of proven religious faith and he is showing that now.

McCann's relatives have established a GoFundMe account to help fund the memorial services for the entire family. As I understand it, any excess funds will be donated to the North Texas Food Bank in Fawcett's memory. You can access that account here. I urge you to please give generously to this cause.

The public is invited to attend the public memorial service for Stacy Fawcett, McCann Utu and Josiah Utu. It will be held this Tuesday, April 12, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. The address is 6801 W. Park Boulevand, Plano, TX 75093.

Not a Rock Star Pastor: My Review of Jason Hanselman's Newest Book

I highly recommend you buy a copy of Jason Hanselman's new book, Not a Rock Star Pastor, if you are considering becoming a pastor or are rapidly burning out in your pastoral role.

This book is particularly useful and compelling for all of us who have been frustrated by the ugly underbelly of professional Christian service: the absolutely horrific way that we train and screen young pastors, launch them with inadequate skills into dysfunctional churches, and then callously look the other way as too many end up quitting the ministry all together.

The book is now available at Amazon.com for the wonderfully affordable price of $4.99 for the Kindle version and 14.99 for the paperback edition. Click here to order your copy now.

Although Hanselman only hints at a solution to this disgrace -- always implementing standard human resource practices, never leaving the top job vacant, and fearlessly broadening the definition of a successful ministry -- he does provide a fresh, original and at times painful to read look at what it is like to endure the less pleasant aspects of professional Christian service as a rural pastor, a bible college president, a mega-church planter.

For full disclosure, I should point out that Hanselman is a former graduate student of mine and that I have been begging him to put his ideas on paper for years. From my perspective, Not a Rock Star Pastor is a beautiful autobiography for a fairly new writer who unflinchingly records telling details, poignant moments with his wife, and heartfelt rage when he recounts a face-to-face confrontation with a former church employer who slandered him in his own community.

Although I had never heard the sad and comic story of him applying for food stamps for his family, I was aware of virtually all the other stories in the book. For the skeptical reader, I can confirm that Hanselman has written a truthful and accurate history of his life. You will have to buy the book, however, to discover how he leverages every tool at his disposal to eventually weave his misfortune, inexperience and just plain bad luck into a transforming personal and spiritual triumph.

Given my respect and affection for him, it pains me to make even the smallest criticisms of this book. Still, I owe him my best work.

If he revises this volume, I wold like to see him put all his stories in exact chronological order. This way the charming story of how he fell in love with his wife will be a terrific foundation for the rest of the book and not a somewhat awkward way to close it. In fact, I noticed that I started losing interest in narrative at about three-quarters of the way through the book when it seemed to me that his stories regarding his job losses seemed to circle back on themselves. At that point, I got confused about which job he was talking about because he was referring to jobs mentioned earlier.

Next, I'd like to see Jason loosen up even more and simply name names and be honest about the people that mislead or harmed him during his rocky pastoral career.

Frankly, I suspect Hanselman is being too cautious since insiders who are familiar with the small world of Christian pastorship will figure out the main character's real names faster than a National Enquirer reporter chasing an Ashley Madison information dump. 

I think Hanselman's use of pseudonyms undermines the clarity of the book and robs the reader of some of its most penetrating insight.Given the state of Christian ministry, I do not think we are going to fix things without a large dose of honesty delivered with little or no compassion for the feelings of those who have made a mess of things.

Just as David Bowie carved out a niche separate from the Beatles, I think this book offers the possibility of opening up a new niche for the non-rock star pastors who will never be the Rick Warren of their generation. Consequently, Hanselman lays out the ground work for the non-rock star pastor by highlighting the value added by pastors who are graduating from lesser schools, working in more isolated areas, or locked into smaller communities where a full-service mega church will only appear by way of large speakers and a theatre style HD television screen.

In my view, Not a Rock Star Pastor should be required reading at Bible colleges, seminaries, and pastor conferences all around the world. Anyone looking to enter the ministry, or stay in the ministry, will benefit from reading about Hanselman's painful, but often comic challenges and the tortured path that led to his right-sized redemption.

Leverage the Power of Positive Thinking: A Business Tip from Andrew Carnegie

One of Andrew Carnegie's most popular quotes is "Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole, clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve!"

With his positive and optimistic point of view, Carnegie was able to build Pittsburgh's Carnegie Steel Company and merge it with other steel businesses to build a smooth, well-functioning steel-producing machine.  By the 1890s, for example, the company was the largest and most profitable industrial enterprise in the world.

For grant writers and non-profit leaders, however, it often seems as if they live in an atmosphere of doom and despair - particularly during tough economic times.  In this context, a little dose of Andrew Carnegie's optimism is refreshing to those who read grant proposals for a living and for outside donors who still have plenty of cash and other resources.

Sometimes, I think writing a grant can be a little like a therapist doing cognitive therapy with a client.  Carnegie, for example, was quite impressed with the power of positive thinking.  As he said: "A sunny disposition is worth more than fortune. Young people should know that it can be cultivated; that the mind like the body can be moved from the shade into sunshine."  As I write a grant for a client, I do whatever I can to turn their negatives into positives and convert their failures into valuable learning experiences.  To me it is always a pleasure to see how a well-written grant can not only win money, but also turn around the self-image of a struggling charity.

For a great little YouTube video that expresses Carnegie's relentlessly positive and practical point of view, please check out this link: Carnegie Movie Promotional Piece

Business Tip from Andrew Carnegie: Put All Your Eggs in One Basket...and Watch the Basket

Andrew Carnegie was one of our nation's most successful business leaders and one of its most visionary philanthropists. One insight I associate with Andrew Carnegie is the idea that there are great benefits to being extremely focused in your efforts as a grant writer.

During his life, Carnegie displayed tremendous discipline in the use of his time and energy.  As he said: "Here is the prime condition of success, the great secret: concentrate your energy, thought, and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged. Having begun in one line, resolve to fight it out on that line, to lead in it; adopt every improvement, have the best machinery, and know the most about it."

Under Carnegie's leadership, Pittsburgh's Carnegie Steel Company introduced many great improvements in the manufacture, distribution, and marketing of steel.  His ability to lower the cost of steel production made it possible for many to enjoy the benefits of transportation by rail and of crossing rivers through the use of steel bridges.  As a grant writing consultant, I interpret Carnegie's suggestion that we should put all our eggs in one basket in a variety of ways.

First, Carnegie's stress on focus makes sense to me as a suggestion to learn all you can about the craft of grant writing.  I still go to grant writing workshops myself and when I participate in other training exercises - including CrossFit workouts - I'm usually asking myself the questions: "How can this help me speed up and improve the process of grant writing?"  Following Carnegie's example, I think grant writers would be advantaged if they stayed in touch with the latest technology and continued to explore how voice recognition software and the new social networking tools can be applied to the field of grant writing.
  

From the perspective of the non-profit agency, I think it is wise for agencies to position themselves as subject matter experts within their own fields - the more limited the better.  Personally, I tell people that I'm the world's greatest expert on child labor and child welfare in the U.S. between 1910 and 1911.  A similar focus on a specific area of public policy would give charities access to funds from those who want to see them build on their expertise.  As they say, there are riches in niches.

If you would like to hear Andrew Carnegie's ideas expressed in his own voice, please check out this link to a brief audio recording of him speaking: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh  After accumulating his riches, Carnegie retired in 1901 and devoted the next 18 years to social investing in various projects.  He founded the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Carnegie Mellon University and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. 

Speed Up Your Grant Writing By Being Aware of What to Avoid as You Write a Grant

I ran across a great article by Charlie Hullihen which provides his take on the classic seven reasons why your grant proposal might be rejected by the funder. I am not entirely sure that anyone knows exactly why a grant is rejected by a funder. At times, it may simply be due to the fact that no one at the funding agency has heard about your charity. Nevertheless, I find these exercises to be helpful in reviewing what standards grant writers should adhere to when they write a grant proposal. Here is my take on the top reasons why your grant proposal might be rejected by the funder:

  

1. You do not write for your audience.

I try to avoid this by paying attention to the "buzz words" used by the funder in their own website and other marketing and promotional materials. I also pay attention to the colors they use and try to infer from those colors their underlying value system.

2. You are not proofreading enough.

I think it is virtually impossible to proofread your own written work. I hire people to do this for me and try to mobilize all the well meaning volunteers I can find to help me identify errors, misreadings of the application requirements or matters of inconsistency. Even so, I have found a professional proofreader does a better job than a team of three folks with Ph.D.s.

3. You are not thorough enough.

In general, I find the biggest weakness in most grant copy is that the grant writers have not spent adequate time thinking through their budgets. Too often, the grant will be well-written, but the budget will look like it was hastily thrown together at the last minute.

4. Your proposal contains too much fluff.

To a certain extent, I find this error to be fairly easy to identify any time I see a lot of copy lacking in numbers or footnotes. Many times, this sort of copy can be quickly improved by asking yourself whether or not there is any evidence to support the statements that you are making in your copy. Where possible, I try to add numbers and footnotes to demonstrate that whatever I am writing is material that is credible and convincing to a well-meaning reader.

5. You have a goal but no plan.   

On this issue, you can save yourself a lot of pain and suffering simply by following the standard format for a full grant proposal. This format should include a standardized section of the narrative where you indicate your goals and objectives for the proposed grant project.

6. You are not providing enough data.

In general, I think most non-scholars underestimate the degree to which it is fairly easy to quantify virtually anything that you mention in a grant proposal. I would recommend that you not give up too easily when you are challenged to provide data. If you cannot find it quickly or easily, then I would not assume that it is impossible. A well-trained graduate student should be able to help you figure out how to quantify or measure anything. As Charlie Hullihen points out, your proposal should include "...some background information on similar plans that have been successful. Be sure to cite sources, provide graphs and figures, and show that you can analyze these statistics."

7. Using unreasonable budgets.

I find it particularly annoying when people attempt to do too much with almost no money. This is just unrealistic. Also, in my view, it takes away the honor of being a funder in the first place - if so much can be accomplished with virtually no money at all. I like to build in salaries for the staff and benefits too. In my perspective, a full budget demonstrates that you are a real organization that can be counted on to get the job done and on time.