![]() VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1JANUARY 2010 |
||
|
Quick Links Grantsmanship Training Program Schedule Earned Income Strategies Workshop
|
...on News
by Jim Abernathy
Factor human nature into your proposals
Everyone involved in reviewing a grant request brings a set of built-in beliefs and biases to that process. But you can take steps to prevent these from sinking your proposals. The article, "Understanding the Human Side of Grantseeking" (Local/State Funding Report, November 9, 2009), notes that people believe what they want to believe, logic cannot overcome bias, and bias may prevent reviewers from accepting the premises in a proposal. To overcome these problems, the article recommends that you:
Include local businesses in your fundraising plan
Although most local businesses have giving programs, nonprofits sometimes overlook these resources. "Nonprofits need to be knowledgeable about what type of corporate giving is available locally, and continuously pursue it," says Ray Sweeney in "Nonprofits Benefit from Local Biz Outreach" (Federal & Foundation Assistance Monitor, December 14, 2009). He recommends maintaining and continuously updating a list of local businesses and their grant programs, because these funders are the most likely to respond quickly to requests. Learn about their giving programs through Internet searches or direct inquiry. Once you know how they want to be approached, follow their directions. To build and strengthen your organization’s ties with a company, you might also provide volunteer opportunities for its employees. Learn more about federal grantmakers by reviewing proposals
Some grantseekers seem to have a better grasp than others of the factors most likely to influence a federal grantmaking agency’s funding decisions. The article, "Get A Leg Up: Volunteer as a Grant Reviewer" (Local/State Funding Report, November 16, 2009), suggests that many of these applicants gained their expertise by acting as grant reviewers. Obviously you can offer your services only for grant processes in which your organization is not competing. You must also demonstrate significant expertise in the arena where the grants are being made. If you can meet those conditions and are accepted as a reviewer, you’ll get invaluable insights into how the decision-making process works and how to avoid common errors that eliminate proposals from consideration. Raise your odds of winning federal funds
The competition for federal grants continues to increase as other funding sources--foundations, businesses, and state and local governments--keep cutting back. If you’re applying for a federal grant, ratchet up your chance of success with Stacie Harting Marsh’s comprehensive list of steps to take at each stage of the grants process ("Securing Federal Grants: Best Practices from Proposal Planning through Award Notification," CharityChannel, December 9, 2009). Some highlights from her advice: Before the Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued:
by Chuck Putney
Telling Stories
Although I’ve written a fair number of grant proposals over the years, I started out as a newspaper reporter. As a reporter, I quickly learned that telling a story is one powerful way to show how things work. Jane (not her real name) had been to the emergency room at Central State Hospital three times with intense leg pains. The emergency room doctors were sympathetic and helpful. They made sure her pain didn’t represent a life-threatening illness. They gave her medication to address the pain. They suggested she see her primary care physician in the morning. But Jane did not have a physician. Not until she went to the local clinic for the uninsured (staffed by volunteer physicians and other health professionals) was she tested for and told that she had diabetes. With proper medication her pain was controlled, and with the help of clinic volunteers, Jane began to address her serious chronic illness.This story personalizes a national problem. We have all read in news reports that tens of millions of people are without health insurance, but stories like this one help us understand who has the problem. The story also explains why emergency rooms are not good for primary care, and it shows how the clinic was able not only to address the immediate problem (pain) but also to identify and act on a chronic illness with severe consequences if left untreated. Grant reviewers often work in the same field as the grant applicants. Many are highly committed to these issues. They are sympathetic. While some may want "just the facts," others welcome evidence that the applicant understands the human element in the problem. It’s a serious mistake for an applicant to assume reviewers don’t care about the human side or will discount proposals that include examples of the problem. Some guidelines to follow when using stories in a proposal:
A woman came to a breast cancer screening clinic in rural Wilsonville. She arrived with an open lesion on her breast from a tumor. The clinic staff could see that the woman was in pain and probably did not have long to live. When asked why she had not seen a doctor, the woman said, "I couldn’t afford to be sick. My family would have been wiped out."This proposal used supporting data from a large study to show that the response of the woman who came to the clinic was representative. Studies indicated that women, in particular, will postpone their own health care to ensure the well-being of their family members. |
|
|
|
||
|
What did you think of this publication? Was the Information helpful? What was most helpful? What would you like to see in future issues?
Please send your comments to |
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
About Us | Site Map | RSS | Privacy Policy | info@tgci.com | © 2010 The Grantsmanship Center. All rights reserved.
|
||
| The Grantsmanship Center | PO Box 17220 | 1125 W. Sixth Street, Fifth Floor | Los Angeles | CA | 90017 | ||
|
|
||