GRANT WRITING SUCCESS:

The Grant Writer’s Toolkit

All the Tools You Need to Learn

to Write Grant Proposals for Foundations
AND Bring Unlimited Value to Your Clients

Suzanne Mulligan
for

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 The Grant Writer’s Toolkit

All the Tools You Need to Learn

to Write Grant Proposals for Foundations
AND Bring Unlimited Value to Your Clients

The Grant Writer’s Toolkit is designed to make you a Grant Writer and MORE! It is a
step-by-step guide to show you how to bring value to any nonprofit by teaching them how
to plan their projects, from the idea stage to actually applying for and securing funding ...
and to show them that you can do it all for them!

The Toolkit simplifies and demystifies the process of applying for grants with a focus on
Foundation funding. It is a step-by-step program written to complement Grant Writing
Success: Opening the Door to Financial Opportunity published by AWAI.

The Toolkit contains user-friendly content and ‘how to’ instructions. It is designed to
show you the process so you can become comfortable with writing grant proposals. You
may want to volunteer to help your favorite charity secure much-needed funding. Or, this
may be your first step towards a new career, becoming a professional Grant Writer.

It is important to understand that a grant proposal is more than an application for

funding. A grant proposal outlines a specific program or special project. If the project is
not designed well, you will not get the funding; if you don’t get the funding, you can’t
implement the project.

By studying The Grant Writer’s Toolkit, you will have the information you need to
guarantee your role as a professional who can guide the nonprofit through the process
of designing special projects and securing the grants to implement them.

You will learn to:

• Position the nonprofit as one that Foundations WANT to support.

• Identify and highlight the unique elements of the nonprofit organization —
show why they are the best and should be funded.
• Guide the nonprofit to design the project that requires funding.
• Find the money: match the funder’s priorities and the nonprofit’s needs.
• Write a solid grant proposal.
• Include facts that reinforce the project is based upon best practices.
• Manage the project.
• Develop a winning Case for Support — the document that clearly outlines the
organization’s mission, vision, history, and programs, while presenting a strong
argument for the importance of the work done by the organization.
• Complete the necessary administrative tasks.
• Expand your business to bring more value to the nonprofit while making you and
your services indispensable!

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 Use this Toolkit to follow the
Grant Writers Path to Success
You can demonstrate, beyond a doubt that THIS nonprofit is worth funding.

You have a well-designed project.

You have identified the

possible sources of funding.

You have written a solid grant proposal.

The project receives funding.

The project is managed well.

You have identified a few other areas

where you can bring value to the client.

You have a reached the destination.

You are a sought-after Grant Writer!

—2—
 INTRODUCTION

Grant Writing: The Good and The Bad

Revenue from grants is the life-blood of many nonprofit groups. When grant writing is part
of a well-developed fundraising plan, it can provide the needed influx of money to start a
special project or sustain a program. Often a new project just needs a kick-start to give
the nonprofit time to demonstrate that it is a good addition to their organization. Yet many
nonprofits do not take advantage of grants.

Nonprofit agencies vary in size. The position of the person responsible for fundraising
and writing grants also varies: sometimes it is a Director of Development, the Executive
Director, front line staff, or a volunteer.

The task of writing grants will fall within someone’s responsibility, but often it is not high on
the priority list. The reality is that staff are very busy, often dealing with issues that have
deadlines. They want to write grants, but grant proposals and applications require dedicated
uninterrupted time to write them — and time is often a luxury in the not-for-profit world. In
fact, this is what makes grant writing such a perfect niche and business opportunity!

Writing grants on a proactive basis — sending proposals out regularly rather than only
responding to application deadlines — is a task that often falls through the cracks. Why?
Because applying for grants proactively is not based upon looming deadlines. And let’s face
it — busy people operate on a ‘what is due next’ and on a ‘what crisis has to be handled’
basis … it is all about day-to-day pressure. So, when you ask someone, “do you send
grant proposals out regularly?” the response is “Yes … err, no … I intend to, but something
always comes up that I have to deal with.” Perfect — there is a need for your services.

Initially, you will likely secure a contract to write one grant proposal. You will take the
information on the organization, write, and submit the finished product back to the
organization to mail. As you become more confident, you will want to take a more
meaningful role by asking some questions about the project. You want to help the
organization realize that a great project design is the basis of a great grant proposal. If
the design is unrealistic or poorly thought-out, then the grant proposal cannot possibly
be strong. You have a vested interest to help the organization think through the whole
process. Basically you want to help the nonprofit get ‘all of their ducks in a row’ by
ensuring that all of the small details and elements are accounted for before embarking
on a new project.

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In order to ensure all of your ducks are in a row as the Grant Writer, you have to see the
WHOLE picture.

• Does the organization have everything in order so that you can ‘sell’ them to a
funder? A nonprofit that is barely holding on financially and who has a deficit will
not look too appealing to a funder.
• Do you have all the information you need to demonstrate that they are more than
capable of delivering the project once funding is secured?
• Do they have a well-designed project — a project that has been well-planned and
will get the funder excited?

If they have all of the above, then you can write a solid grant proposal.

The Grant Writing Success Program: Your 90-Day Action Plan outlines how to get
your foot in the door and get started as a Grant Writer.

The Grant Writer’s Toolkit will provide you with more detail on how to firmly
establish yourself as a Grant Writer, specializing in writing proposals for Foundations and
Corporations. The Toolkit will give you a big picture vantage. This will help to ensure you
become a sought-after and valued member of each nonprofit’s team — a professional who
is respected for your leadership and guidance in positioning them to receive funding.

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 CHAPTER 1

Helping the Nonprofit Organization Shine

In Chapter 1, you will learn how to make the nonprofit you are working with shine! That
includes understanding the importance of working with the nonprofit to:

• Position them as one that Foundations and Corporations WANT to support.

• Identify and highlight the unique elements of the nonprofit organization — show
why they are the best and should be funded.

Your Role: Position the Nonprofit as one that Foundations WANT to Support

When you hear the words “Why don’t we just get a grant to pay for that?” you will
become very excited if you are a brand new Grant Writer. But be careful. Money from
grants can launch a new, much needed project or pay for a critical capital expense. Or, it
can provide money for a poorly thought-out idea that creates more work and puts strain
on the organization’s already limited resources.

“Why don’t we just get a grant to do that?” can work … if the group has ‘all of their ducks
in a row’. Good ideas on their own don’t get funded; good ideas get funding if they are
connected to an organization with …

✓ Good financial management.

✓ A budget that has other sources of funding besides the grant you are requesting.
✓ A committed Board of Directors.
✓ Excellent programs that are based upon best practices and include an evaluation.
✓ A demonstrated need.
✓ A good track record.
✓ A long-term strategic plan.
✓ Knowledge to approach the right funder — in the right way.

Remember, you are positioning yourself as a professional Grant Writer. You are building
a reputation. You have to feel good about the organization that wants to hire you. If
you don’t think the organization is capable of carrying out the project or managing the
revenue, you will have trouble selling them to the funder.

The Funder Needs to Know that the Organization is ‘Worthy’ of Funding

Picture the staff or Board members who have to screen the applications that cross their
desks. Each day brings a new pile of brown manila envelopes in the mail. They have to
make some initial decisions: some proposals go directly into the garbage — they do not
pass ‘Go’! Others are placed in a ‘maybe pile’. They are the ones that appear suitable, but
will require some work to determine if they are worthy of funding.

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The person trying to weed through the proposals has to have some criteria to base their
decisions upon.

Assuming you meet their basic conditions, and submitted it on time, and included
everything they asked for, they ask themselves a variety of questions:

• Will the project clearly benefit the community?

• Does the project have support and buy-in from the local community?

• Does the organization actually have the ability to carry out this project?

• Do they have a broad funding base or is all of the funding from one source such as
just grants or just special events?

• Are the group’s finances in order? Does the budget reflect a deficit or a surplus?
Do they have financial policies and procedures?

• Do they have a history of doing good work in the community?

• Is there a transparent and accountable volunteer Board of Directors?

• Will they have the ability to manage the growth that may result from the grant?

• Can the project be sustained when the grant ends?

• Is this organization the BEST one to carry out this project, or is there another group
that may be more appropriate?

Identify and Highlight the Unique Elements of the Nonprofit Group — Show Why
they are the Best and Should be Funded

Looking back at my Social Work days, I recall two examples that just shouted out, “This
does not make sense to me on the surface; tell me WHY you are the best group to carry
out this project?”

The first case was of an organization known for their work in disaster relief that was
offering child abuse prevention programs. They would have had to do a lot of work to
show that it made sense to venture into territory usually covered by other groups. There
is no obvious link between disaster relief and child abuse.

The second case was of an organization known for their work in providing first aid
assistance that was offering pet therapy and visitation to nursing homes. Again, they
would have to do a lot of work to show it made sense for them to seemingly go along
another path.

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In both cases, the organizations would have to clearly demonstrate how the apparent
new direction matched their vision and mandate, and why they were the best choice for
funding. You can see when you venture down a different path, connecting back to your
mission and mandate may not be so easy.

Every organization has a reason for being. When your mission — your purpose for existing
— is well defined, it is much easier to communicate that focus to a funder and to make
the case that you are worth investing in.

In the business world, it is important to differentiate your products and services from the
competition. After all, you have to prove to a potential customer that you are the best —
and that can be challenging. How do you distinguish between one fast food restaurant and
the next? Between hardware stores, clothing stores, or bicycles, skates, running shoes …

Positioning your project and your organization as the best is exactly the same.

In sales, this challenge is referred to as finding your USP — the Unique Selling Proposition
— that one distinct, outstanding benefit of your business that sets it apart from the
competition. It answers your customer’s question: “Why should I buy your product or
service instead of your competitor’s?”

Your nonprofit organization has to answer the same question. “What is that one distinct,
outstanding benefit your organization offers that sets it apart from the other agencies or
groups in your community?” Why should a funder support your grant rather than a similar
proposal from another group?

In a community where everyone works together, they can start to alleviate competition for
dollars by each carving out their own niche. There may be two mental health agencies but
one is for children up to the age of 18 and the other deals with adults. There may be two
women’s emergency shelters, where one can accommodate children and one cannot.

It is helpful if you try to answer some of the tough questions that you could get asked.
There is some overlap in the questions, but they also help you look at your answers from
different angles. For instance:

• What is your answer when a potential Board member, who is trying to choose
between the Boards of two different organizations asks, “Why should I volunteer
with this organization?”

• How does your organization make a difference in the lives of the people you serve?

• What benefits will your client get by using your services?

• What makes your organization stand out — what sets it apart from other groups?
What does your organization have going for it?

• What do you offer that the other groups who deal with a similar target audience
do not?

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 • What is your organization’s reputation? How long have you been operating?

• What’s your organization’s track record — what success stories can you share?
What milestones have you achieved? Do you have testimonials from clients?

• Can you produce statistics that show something meaningful? For instance, don’t
say, “served 1,000 people,” when you can actually say “served 1,000 men, and of
those, 850 found employment; after one year, 725 were still employed full-time.”

• Use copywriting secrets: adopt an intimate voice — the voice you use to persuade
your family, friends, and people who are close to you — that’s the voice you
want to use. Not ‘street’ casual, but also not the formal language you would use
when writing a PhD thesis. Put yourself in your funder’s shoes. What are they
interested in?

Being able to outline why the organization is truly unique is worth the effort!

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 CHAPTER 2

Guide the Nonprofit to Design the Project

that Requires Funding

The project design is the basis of a great grant proposal and a winning Case for Support.
In Chapter 2, you will learn to:

 Practice caution when looking at grant opportunities: don’t follow the money blindly.
 Guide the nonprofit to focus on the design of the project.
 Ask the tough questions.

Living in the not-for-profit world can be exciting, rewarding, and challenging all at once.
Unfortunately, very few nonprofit organizations can say they never have to worry about
funding. Red warning flags should go up if you hear someone say, “Let’s get a grant to
pay for that.” Following the money means you apply for a grant simply to improve the
organization’s cash flow. As tempting as the money is, it can be easy to forget that the
goal of grant writing is to actually implement the project you propose and move the
organization’s mandate forward.

Following the money can take you away from your Lessons Learned:
organization’s mission before you realize what has
• Never choose a project
happened! For instance, I knew of one organization
solely because it matches
that had a mandate to deliver prevention programs
the funder’s guidelines and
in the area of child abuse. An opportunity for a grant
you want the money.
led them to apply for money for treatment — the
extreme opposite to prevention. The organization • Make sure your project
managed to get the funding, but then all of the design links to the
organization’s resources were directed towards organization’s mission.
treating victims of sexual abuse, an area that
most staff was not trained in. The funding took the • Be sure the project
organization too far from their mission, diluting the you design is one the
work they did. They ended up losing the funding for organization would actually
all of their programs — prevention and treatment. want to do, and that it is
one they are able to do,
Another organization worked with high-risk youth along with whatever else
who had a history of being involved with the they are currently doing.
police. Funding was getting tighter and tighter.
• Don’t fall into the grant
When new funding was announced to deal with the
writing trap where you end
needs of youth who did not have medical care, the
up saying “The good news
organization went down another road. All of their
is we got the money. The
efforts went into rationalizing why they were the
reality is now we have to
best group to open a medical clinic, complete
implement the project!”
with doctors and nurses, to deal with the needs

—9—
of at-risk or homeless youth. They received the funding. Cash flow was improved
temporarily. However, at the end of the day, they had steered so far from their mission
and mandate, that the donors and Board members were confused. They were not able
to sustain the medical clinic with the limited resources they had and the funding was
withdrawn. The house of cards came tumbling down and the agency was forced to close.

Study the Project Design with the Nonprofit

As the Grant Writer, you play an important role in guiding the organization and posing
some of the tough questions. Better to ask the questions early than to wait for the funder
to ask them!

Most grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations to establish or expand programs and
services. Occasionally grants are offered to brand new groups who have an idea that
deserves to be tested in a pilot situation.

Nonprofit organizations will learn to both trust and depend on your knowledge and
expertise. You may be the first person to hear about a new project being planned. This is
a critical time to help the staff and volunteers think through their new idea. After all, new
ideas are great — but that does not mean that all new ideas are ready to be implemented.

Here are some excellent questions to use for brainstorming with the organization’s Board,
staff, and volunteers. If you are not in a position to lead them through the discussion, you
can at least give them the questions to help guide their decision-making when someone
presents a new project idea.

1. Does the project have a good fit with the organization’s mission and their
current work?

A good project has several key elements; it …

✓ Relates directly to your mission and mandate.

✓ Builds upon your organization’s strengths and experience.
✓ Responds directly to the needs of your target population.
✓ Has its own niche and fits well with everything else you are doing.
✓ Does not duplicate what any other community partner is already doing.
✓ Is innovative, but you can clearly explain why you think it will work.
✓ Has unique features and benefits you can highlight.
✓ Excites people about the possibilities.

If the project does not feel right to some staff, volunteers, or Board members, then stop
for a minute. What is taking this project out of their comfort zone? If the fit isn’t readily
apparent, the program may not be the right one for your organization at this time. At the
very least, you’ll have to work harder to make such a program look attractive to a funder

— 10 —
and make it successful should it be funded. If the project does not feel right, it may be
taking you too far away from your mission — and that is not a path you want to go down,
even if there is money at the end of the road.

2. Does the proposed project fit with the organization’s future plans?

Ideally, the organization should have a strategic plan. A long-term plan serves as the basis
for your works and helps you to envision where the organization is going. A strategic plan
helps you evaluate success by showing that you are continuing to meet the organization’s
goals. If the proposed project does not help you continually move your work along, it can
become a distraction. At the end of the day, the funding may be helpful, but if you lose
sight of your true mission, is it really worthwhile?  

3. Is the target population for the new project in line with your mandate?

Each target population is unique. Expanding services to a different clientele may involve
a learning curve for staff and volunteers; it may be a totally natural progression of your
services — or it may start to take you away from your core mission.

If you always serve youth and suddenly want to provide services to seniors or single
mothers, can you rationalize that this new target population is totally in sync with your
organization’s mission? If so, great! If not, stop and rethink that idea.

4. Are you collaborating with other partners?

Over the years, collaboration has become a key element of most grant applications.
Collaboration with others helps to show the funder that you do not work in isolation and
that you are not duplicating the services of another organization. Some funders will ask
you to spell out what skills and resources each partner is bringing to the project. Each
agency will have a clearly defined role and something unique to contribute. You may even
have to ask partners to sign the application or a formal collaboration agreement, outlining
their commitment to the project if funding is secured.

If you are not collaborating with anyone, you better have a darn good reason why you
are not!

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5. Is there community support and ‘buy-in’ for this project?

Community support is different from collaboration. Collaboration speaks to the partners

who will work with you to make the project a success. Support, on the other hand,
is often from the broader community. For instance, if you are applying for a sports
program to be run in a local recreation center, but the local residents are upset because
twice a week parking will be a problem on their streets; noise from the playgrounds
will be troublesome; and garbage from fans will be excessive — then you may not have
community support. If your grant application creates tension in the community, the funder
may not be wiling to provide money. The potential of bad publicity is going to be a concern
for everyone. But, if you address each potential point of resistance, then the funder has
proof you have a plan that the community actually agrees with, you demonstrate that
your project is well designed, and that you have local ‘buy-in’.

Community support also gives your organization allies and access to potential funding
sources to sustain the program after the grant funds are gone. After all, community
supporters attend your special fundraising events; buy your lottery tickets; write letters
of support for your organization; and they volunteer.

6. Does the project make financial sense?

There will be more detail on how to set your budget later in this Toolkit, but you will have
to show that the project makes financial sense. Are the projected costs realistic; are they
in-line with your current budget? For instance, if the average staff salary is $25 an hour,
and the project requires someone at $50 an hour — can you justify that difference? What
effect will that have on your current staff?

It will generally help your application if you can show that you have some other funding
committed to the project. That should include real dollars and in-kind donations. In-kind
donations can add great value to the proposal by showing that others are providing such
things as the office space, phones and Internet access, or even human resources. It
illustrates that you are aware of the need to keep costs down wherever possible.

Another element of making financial sense involves how much you actually need to
get the project done. If you are piecing several grants together to reach your funding
target, be honest with yourself. What if you only get $X, and you really need $Y? Can you
successfully implement the project? Be clear up front so you are not tempted to move
ahead and set your organization up for failure if only some of the funding is approved.

Another element of financial sense is the amount of the request: is it in line with the
amounts that the funder is granting? It is not uncommon for a group who has not done
their homework to ask for an amount that does not match the donor’s history of giving.
For instance, don’t ask for $50,000 if the Foundation has a history of giving out grants
that are under $20,000.

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7. Sustainability — what happens after the grant ends?

Sustainability and the percentage that the grant represents of the total budget are
intertwined. Some funders believe that if any single grant proposal represents over 15%
of your total operating budget, the organization is at risk of being too dependent on
grant funding and sustainability will be challenging. Unfortunately, grants are only one
component of a balanced fundraising plan. 

The staff and Board of Directors really have to ask themselves, “What happens after the
grant ends? How will we keep the project going?”

Sustainability is a very important consideration for many funders. It only makes sense
that they want to support programs that will serve a long-term purpose. 

Stop and look at it from the funder’s viewpoint. The money they have available to
distribute is often money they have raised from donors. A Community Foundation would
be a good example. A donor may leave money to the Community Foundation through
their Will. A bequest provides funds that can be invested, increasing the amount of money
available for distribution in the community. The Board of Directors for the Foundation
wants to be sure the donations are well spent, and that the organization receiving the
funding will be around longer than the one or two years covered by the grant. Grants that
go to groups that end up closing their doors within a few years reflect badly on the donor.
As a result, the question of sustainability cannot be overlooked.

Keep in mind that the people who give you the money want you to succeed. Foundations
have a reputation, too. When you finish your project, they want to feel that they made the
right decision by funding your idea in the first place.

Too often good projects die because sustainability was not taken seriously, early enough.
The failure of one project can also affect the momentum of your core programs and can
harm your organization’s reputation. This can start a chain reaction, affecting the next
grant you apply for.

8. How will you demonstrate success? Will the funding give you enough time
to prove you can make a difference?

Your project must have a solid evaluation plan. How do you know you are making a
difference?

In addition to your actual evaluation plan, there must be a reasonable relationship

between what your organization proposes to do, how much time it will take to do it well,
and the availability of resources you need to get it done. It takes time to collect enough
data to prove that the project is making a difference. Change does not happen overnight.
Will a one-year project give you enough time? Will a three-year project be enough?

— 13 —
Many of us have been guilty of promising complex outcomes will be achieved because of
the project, only to realize when the funding begins that our ‘eyes were bigger than our
stomach’! Promising outcomes that are not realistic just to impress the funder is very
shortsighted.

9. Are qualified personnel willing to come on board for a time-limited project?

Programs that are funded by grants are usually time-limited. A contract position will not
provide the same stability for staff that a regular permanent position can offer. Although
some grants are renewed annually, there’s always the possibility that a grant might not be
renewed. If jobs are plentiful, it may be harder to get the caliber of staff you need for a
contract position due to the uncertainty of long-term employment.

10. Does the organization have the capacity to add the administration and
governance of the proposed project on top of what they are already
responsible for?

We are all guilty at one time or another of being so focused on getting the money that we
don’t stop to think of the impact the grant will have on our organization. For instance:

• The accounting department or Treasurer will have to manage the funds including
handling purchasing, paying invoices, buying supplies, adding staff to payroll.
• The funds will have to be included in the year-end financial audit, which may
increase the cost of the audit.
• The staff that is hired will have to be supervised; so will any volunteers associated
with the project. When things go well, this may not be a problem. But a staff or
volunteer who ends up being the wrong fit for the project, may be costly in terms of
time and money. A problem staff may also put the project behind schedule, adding
pressure to everyone else to get it back on track.
• Your Board of Directors assumes responsibility for the project including legal, fiscal,
and administrative overhead burdens. At the end of the day, a new project adds
work to everyone’s current ‘to do’ list.

In my early days of trying to secure grant funding, I remember being upset because the
Treasurer would not ‘just sign the application’. In hindsight, his reluctance to sign without
knowing all of the implications was the right thing to do!

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Your Role: Review the checklist with the nonprofit to ensure the grant proposal
will be based upon a well thought-out project:

✓ The project is a good fit with our mission and mandate; it will not take us away
from the work we do, but rather it will make what we do even better.
✓ The project feels right to the staff and volunteers.
✓ The project fits with our future plans.
✓ The project design is simple and doable.
✓ The target population we will serve with this grant makes sense — it is either the
same group we serve now or a natural progression.
✓ We are collaborating with other groups; each group will bring a unique perspective
to the project.
✓ It does not duplicate work being done by any other organization.
✓ We have community support and buy-in for the project.
✓ The project makes financial sense. We can document other funding and in-kind
support.
✓ The amount of funding we are seeking is realistic.
✓ We have a plan — we know what we will do if we do not get all of the money we
need to launch the new program.
✓ We have or are working on a sustainability plan to take us beyond the term of the
grant.
✓ We have a solid evaluation plan and a reasonable amount of time to demonstrate
success. The outcomes we are projecting are realistic. We are not promising more
than we can deliver, just to get the funding.
✓ We have the ability to attract good staff on a contract basis.
✓ Our organization has considered all of the implications that getting this grant will
have on our resources. Where possible, job descriptions have been adapted to
reflect the added work the project will create.

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 CHAPTER 3

Finding the Money

Finding the money is what it is all about! In Chapter 3, you will learn to:
• Find the right online database option;
• Match the funder’s priorities and the nonprofit’s needs;
• Follow other opportunities for grants.

Being able to complete research on a number of levels is an important tool for a good
writer. In grant writing, research will help you identify …

• Nonprofit projects that are perfect to receive grant funding;

• Foundations, Corporations, and other funding sources that are appropriate
to approach;
• Facts that support the project the nonprofit is planning to implement.

We’ll talk about the first two points in this section.

As outlined in the 90-Day Action Plan on your myAWAI Member Page, learning about
the nonprofit’s needs is critical. Which projects are under-funded; what are the new ideas
that just need a small influx of cash to get them off the ground; where have they applied
for grants in the past?

Each of these questions will lead to the perfect match between the organization’s need
and the funder’s ability to meet those needs.

There is a process involved in making the connections. Take some time and brainstorm
using the keywords that might relate to the project the organization needs funding for.
For instance, a group needs money to implement an exercise program for seniors that
will lead to the prevention of falls.

My brainstorming might look like this:

• Seniors
• Exercise
• Exercise leads to increased self-esteem and reduced incidents of depression —
so I add ‘seniors mental health’ to my list
• Prevention of falls
• Health Seniors
• The exercise classes will also have a social element so I might add ‘seniors social
skills’ and ‘seniors isolation’
• I would add the state or province or country (or a combination) so that I can
identify funding sources that might be in another part of the country. Some funders
do not have geographic limitations to their grant making.

— 16 —
But, what do you do with this list of keywords? You use them as the first part of
identifying a match between the project and the potential funders.

You need to find the right database — one that YOU will find easy to work with — and
preferably an online version. In some ways, this may be your biggest challenge.

In the old days, we studied the hard copy Foundation Directories. If you could afford
one, you bought it, or you went to the library. You can still do this — but the information
cannot be kept up-to-date as easily as an online database. And the worst part — you
have to write out all of the information you need. When you find 300 potential
Foundations for a particular program that can be a lot of work.

The good news is that many large libraries are purchasing the rights to online databases
for members to access.

My absolute favorite was Metasoft’s BIG Online Database. ‘BIG’ is an easy-to-use

searchable database to find Corporate, Foundation, and Government grant-making
information. The key word is ‘searchable’ because that is what makes your life easier.
BIG provides information on funding sources in Canada, the United States, and
Internationally including Mexico, the UK, Netherlands, Israel, India, and Africa.

A good search function will give you options of where to start such as:

• Top Foundations (20,000 in the U.S. alone)

• Top 500 Companies
• Government Programs
• Advanced Search Functions
• Top 10,000 Funders by Assets
• Top 10,000 by Grants Awarded
• Deadline Calendar
• Newly Registered Foundations

Of course, there are other excellent products. Simply do an Internet search for a version
of ‘fundraising online database’ and your country’s name.

The only problem (sorry!) is that there is generally a membership fee for a good online
database. They vary in price.

If you are working towards launching your grant-writing business and do not have your
own access to an online database yet, you can do some digging to find the information
you need on the Internet for free. The difference will be in the limitations of the search
and sort capabilities of a free program.

Try to find someone that has a membership to a database that you can use initially. Check
the local library to see if they offer this service. I actually had access to BIG through three
of the organizations I had contracts with. You may find the same scenario: they had spent
the money on the database but had not had time to write the grant proposals!

— 17 —
Be creative. When you are in the preliminary stage and you are not at the point of
purchasing access to a database, use your basic Internet research skills. Initially,
you are only trying to show the nonprofits you are contacting that there is potential
funding available.

I entered a number of keywords into Google’s search engine: ‘Foundations List’,

‘US Foundations List’, and ‘Charitable Foundations List’. ‘US Foundations List’ actually
gave me the best results for this exercise. I also found out that adding the ‘s’ to
foundation is practical — then you do not get the many other versions for the word,
such as ‘leaking basement foundation’!

The Foundation Center

www.foundationcenter.org
This website allows you do a very basic search for free. I clicked on ‘Foundation Finder’
and entered in the State of Florida. I found 5,213 Foundations that I would have to sort
through to find ones that match the interests of each nonprofit I was approaching. IF this
was the only option I had for my preliminary search, I would indicate to the nonprofit
that ‘there are over 5,200 Foundations in the State of Florida. A detailed analysis to find
the ones that relate to your mandate and mission would be part of our contract.’ Then, I
would access a database that provided the type of search functions I needed to target the
projects to the funding source.

The Foundation Center has five levels that you can subscribe to, depending on how much
detail you want to uncover. Membership prices range from approximately $20 a month to
just over $175 a month.

Foundation Search — A division of Metasoft’s BIG Online

www.foundationsearch.com
www.bigdatabase.com (U.S.)
www.bigdatabase.ca (Canadian)
According to the website, Metasoft’s flagship product, BIG Database, is the only
searchable, North American database of online Corporate, Foundation, and Government
grant-making information. The new service is called Foundation Search, a fully searchable,
online database containing the tax returns (Form 990PF & T3010’s) of every registered
private Foundation in the United States and Canada.

You will need to contact them directly about membership fees.

— 18 —
Fundraising & Grants Directory, a service provided by Fundsnet Services Online
www.fundsnetservices.com
Fundsnet Services provides free grant writing and fundraising resource assistance to
those in need of funding for their programs & initiatives. The site provides categories,
for instance: children, youth, and family grants (152 sources); International Grants and
Funders (364 sources); arts and culture grants (201). The search function will not be as
sophisticated as a database that you have a membership to, but it will certainly provide a
good place to start.

Imagine Canada, Canadian Directory to Foundations and Corporations

http://www.imaginecanada.ca/node/22
Membership fees vary but options include nonprofits (fees vary by size of the organization),
libraries, and for profit groups. They list grant-giving Foundations in Canada, American
Foundations that grant in Canada, and over 200 Corporate giving programs.

I also came up with a number of options to sort through by using other keywords in
Google — but this is a just start:

• Funding Database
• Grant Database
• International Grants
• International Funding Database

Start Digging

Here is a fictitious sample of a preliminary search and the steps that would follow:

A Florida group has a mandate to support children with mental health issues through
educational programs for their families. I put in various keyword combinations into the
search function.

My initial search provided the following numbers:

Education and Florida 378 potential Foundations

Children and Youth and Florida 110
Children and Youth (U.S.-wide) 499
Mental Health and Florida 76
Community Foundations and Florida 85

Note that I have not even searched for Government grants or Corporate donors!

There will be duplication in the above numbers: one Foundation may show up in every
category — and a gem of a Foundation may show up in only one.

— 19 —
The next step will be to look at every single Foundation that appears in the above search
to isolate such critical information as:

• Eligibility criteria
• Submission deadlines
• Application guidelines
• Contact information
• Details regarding the assets of the funding source
• Trends in previous grant awards

Surprisingly, you can do this quickly; you become adept at scanning the site for information.
Eliminate inappropriate funding sources. For instance, one Foundation may say they only
give to charitable groups in Tampa and you are in Fort Lauderdale. They get eliminated.

When one fits your needs, copy and paste the information, save it, and go on to the
next Foundation.

This stage of the research will also indicate specifically what you might ask for from a
particular group when you eventually submit an application for funding. For instance,
some will indicate they fund operating costs, some will not; some will fund capital costs,
some will not; some will fund the evaluation component. In any case, you are beginning
to fine-tune the information you are collecting.

When you are ready to submit a funding proposal, your request will be in line with the
specific criteria. The Foundation or Corporation will know you have done your homework.

Other opportunities for grants

As outlined throughout The Grant Writer’s Toolkit, many of the databases will provide
detailed information on Foundations, Corporations that have grant programs, and some
Government grants. These resources will keep a good Grant Writer with a good project
very busy.

Locally there are other options to approach for money, specifically Service Clubs.

Rotary, Lions, and Kiwanis are examples of Service Clubs that you can find in most
communities. Although they each have their own unique vision and mandate, Service
Clubs are generally voluntary nonprofit organizations. Members meet regularly to support
needs in the local community through fundraising and hands-on projects. Some Clubs are
also involved in international projects.

Typically, Clubs have speakers at each of their meetings, who talk about a variety of topics
that educate and inform the members. Most often, speakers give the details about health
and social service needs, often ending with a request for money for a special project.

Many years ago, a President of a Rotary Club congratulated a colleague and me on

our presentation to the Club. He said that many groups present problems — poverty,
homelessness, literacy … the list is endless. But, very few explain what they can do to

— 20 —
address the problem. We had provided an overview of the problem (in this case it was
child sexual abuse), we outlined the reputation and credibility of our organization, and
gave details on the project we were developing that would increase awareness among
elementary school children.

He explained that sometimes members were left feeling drained and helpless by the
problems the speakers presented … there was no belief that anything could be done about
the situation.

I have never forgotten that advice. I make sure I incorporate ‘problem, solution, and
your role in making a difference’ into any fundraising pitch I make. It is exactly the same
framework as a mini grant proposal — in a very concise manner. You have to outline the
problem/need; prove that your organization is the best to tackle the problem; tell them
about the solution; ask for a specific, realistic amount of money, and show how their
donation will make a difference.

When presenting to a Service Club, you have to do that in 20 minutes or less — so again,
your ducks had better all be in a row!

— 21 —
 CHAPTER 4

Write a Solid Grant Proposal

In Chapter 4, you will learn to write a solid grant proposal including:

• Understanding the importance of uncovering the ‘golden nuggets’ that will reinforce
the project is based upon best practices.
• The elements for the standard framework of a grant proposal.
• Recognizing the additional terms that you might come across in an application.
• Life-saving suggestions when you hear yourself cry “Help, the application is due
next week!”
• Some thoughts on the pros and cons of sending out ‘cold’ proposals.
• Final thoughts on the importance of understanding basic copywriting principles
as a component of a winning grant proposal.

Research and ‘Golden Nuggets’

As you learned in the previous section, research will help you identify the nonprofit
projects that are perfect for grant funding and the Foundations, Corporations, and other
funding sources that are appropriate to approach.

Now it’s time to talk about the power of research. Research makes all the difference
to a winning grant proposal — and to a good project design. Let’s face it — there is a
difference between doing a, b, and c which might help someone feel better versus doing x,
y, and z which have been proven to cure several illnesses. Which funding proposal would
you support?

You might be surprised, but don’t assume the organization you are working for will give
you all the details, confirmed by research, that will prove to the funder that the project
makes sense. But if you know that, your value as a Grant Writer has just gone up.
Copywriters call this ‘uncovering the golden nuggets’.

Golden nuggets provide factual information to show that your project is well thought-out.
You have to ‘dig’ to find them. But, you will recognize a golden nugget when you see it;
it is a fact or two that needs to be uncovered by research. It gets you excited and makes
the argument for the project that much more compelling. Finding a golden nugget always
makes me shout “YES!”.

The organization may not even know the golden nuggets. For instance, they may want to
implement a program to get teenaged fathers involved with their newborns. They work
with teen dads every day and recognize this is very important.

— 22 —
You do some research and find out that when teen dads are involved with their newborns
for x hours a week, the babies cry less; or they learn to talk earlier; or they score higher
on 90% of the developmental scales than babies whose teenaged fathers are not involved.
Those facts are golden nuggets and you now have a compelling argument!

Don’t underestimate the power of research. You bring more value to the client if you
understand this fact. It is an invaluable resource that can round out your grant-writing
business or simply show you how to make your grant proposals stronger with research.

Why the emphasis on proof and credibility?

Because proof and credibility are the two most important factors in highly
persuasive communication. Without them, an advertisement or marketing
promotion is mere fluff and empty promises. Yet backed by proof and
credibility, the same ideas can move mass millions.

Because proof and credibility will convince prospects beyond a reasonable

doubt — and to the point of placing an order and spending money — they
need what your client is offering, and what your client offers will provide
the benefits promised.

Because proof and credibility are the secret to maximum response in

direct marketing!

The SAME points apply to grant writing and fundraising in general; without proof and
credibility, your grant submission for a special project is just fluff and empty promises.
Without proof and credibility, your proposal is just a run-of-the-mill, ask-for-money from
another ‘do gooder’ — you are just one more person who wants money for something.

Proof and credibility will convince potential funders that this project CAN make a
difference and is worth funding.

If you want to really be a pro, AWAI has a new program called Secrets of Becoming
an Internet Research Specialist.

Standard Framework for a Grant Proposal

All elements of a grant proposal are related. The grant proposal as a whole builds a case
for why your project should be funded. By the end of your proposal, there should not be
any questions left to be asked about what you plan to do, how you plan to do it, and how
you will evaluate your results.

— 23 —
When you submit grant proposals to Foundations on a proactive basis, often there are no
deadlines or application forms. You will have to provide the requested information under
certain headings as specified by the funder.

Following is a detailed outline of the possible headings that could be covered in your
proposal.

Project Summary

The Project Summary gives the reader a snapshot of your proposal. It should contain a
sentence or two demonstrating that your project meets the Foundation or Corporation’s
funding priorities. It should also indicate the amount of money you are asking for.
Remember, if your project does not meet the funder’s priorities and/or if the amount
of money you are requesting is out of sync with what the funder generally grants, your
proposal will be immediately discarded.

Mission Statement

Every nonprofit organization must have a Mission Statement. It is generally one or two
sentences that clearly state the organization’s purpose.

Background Information

Background information is used to paint a picture of the organization for the funder. Who
are they? What can you say about the work they do and their history that will assure the
funder they are the best at what they do and a reputable organization?

Need Statement or Problem Statement

Although all nonprofit groups need money, don’t assume that the need is a given. The
Need Statement …

• Describes the critical community issue(s) that the project will address.
• Tells the funder how the need was identified.
• Relates directly to the needs of the target population.

This is a section where you will want to use quotes and research facts to sell the project.

Be sure that the problem does not seem insurmountable. A problem statement that is too
broad or complex can seem overly complicated and expensive to tackle. It will leave the
funder with a feeling that a grant from them will be insignificant in the big picture. You,
on the other hand, want to show them not only is there a need, but you have a
well-developed plan to address it. Yes, there is a problem, but there is also a solution.

— 24 —
Following is a simple example of a Need Statement around the problem of smoking
among teenagers.

Teachers in our local high school have become increasingly concerned that
smoking among their adolescent students has been on the rise. Smoking has
serious detrimental effects on the health of our community’s teenagers. A
summary of research reported in “A Report of the Surgeon General, 1994 —
Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People” clearly outlines the main concerns:

• Short-term health consequences on adolescents who smoke include

respiratory and non-respiratory effects, addiction to nicotine, and the
associated risk of other drug use.

• Early signs of heart disease and stroke can be found in adolescents

who smoke.

• Smoking hurts young people’s physical fitness in terms of both

performance and endurance — even among young people trained
in competitive running.

• Teens who smoke are three times more likely than nonsmokers to use
alcohol, eight times more likely to use marijuana, and 22 times more
likely to use cocaine. Smoking is associated with a host of other risky
behaviors, such as fighting and engaging in unprotected sex.

These facts are certainly alarming on their own. However, the staff needed
to know how serious a problem smoking among teens really was in their
school. The teachers wanted to confirm their suspicions about the increase in
smoking; they conducted a survey among all the students during the first class
of the day. The numbers were staggering: over 60% of the student body buys
cigarettes regularly; over 40% smoke more than one package a week.

Given the serious health consequences and the increase in smoking among
students within their school, a program to reduce smoking was developed.

— 25 —
Goals

Goals are the overall general statement of the project’s aim or purpose. They should
reflect the mission of the organization.

The Goal Statement could simply be the inverse of the Need Statement. For instance, if
the problem is smoking among teenagers, the organization’s Goal Statement might be,
‘To reduce the number of teenagers who smoke.’

Objectives

An objective is a specific statement on how the organization will accomplish the stated
goal. The objectives should be measurable. Staff should be able to determine whether
or not the objective was met and how well.

Each objective will relate to a project goal. Following the previous example, our objective
could be, ‘To reduce the number of teens who smoke by 20% over 2 years.’

State your goals and objectives in a concise manner.

Objectives that are realistic, and include hard numbers (reach 300 people, decrease by
25%, etc.), make your organization look like it means business, that the plan is well
thought-out.

You can see more details on writing Objectives in the appendix to the Grant
Writing Success Program - Six Step System for Writing Objectives Template.

Outcomes

Outcomes are the changes you expect to occur as a result of the project: if the objectives
are met, the desired outcomes have been achieved.

Outcomes provide the answer to the question, “How will the world be different because of
this project?”

Following our example above, the outcome would read, ‘The number of teens smoking is
reduced by 20% within 2 years.’

Generally, a funder asks for objectives or outcomes.

Strategies

The activities/strategies are the tasks necessary to implement the project: all of the steps
involved in the research, planning, development, implementation, and promotion.

What project is complete without forms, charts, and to-do lists? No matter how complex

— 26 —
the system (think about a Gantt Chart), or how simple (an Excel Spreadsheet), you can’t
manage a project in your head!

In the section on managing the project, you will see the steps involved in planning the
details once the grant is approved and you are ready to proceed. There is reference to the
Hunks, Chunks, and Bites of a project.

When thinking of the Strategies component of your grant proposal, think about the big
picture tasks that will have to be completed: hiring, training, budget, providing service …
These are the ‘hunks’.

Identify and list the ‘hunks’. What order do they have to be done in?

Funders want to see that you have a logical thought process regarding the steps involved
in carrying out the project.

Time-lines

Put all of the activities in chronological order and assign a deadline. How long will it
take to do each; when should each step be completed. The time-lines are connected to
the project’s milestones: if all hiring is complete by December 1, as planned, you have
reached that milestone.

Evaluation Plan

Decide what you will measure to determine if you are successful. You might keep track
of statistics, use questionnaires, surveys, interviews, observations, focus groups, and
feedback from other community partners and stakeholders …

Whole books are written on how to complete evaluation plans. Your plan may be simple
or complex, depending on what changes your project is trying to bring about. If your
objective is to feed 20% more people at the Food Bank, simply reporting the numbers will
work. But, if your objective is to teach basic life skills and job search techniques to the
people who use the Food Bank, it will be take some thought to demonstrate how you will
show that can be achieved.

See Chapter 7 in the Grant Writing Success program for a detailed discussion about
evaluation methods.

Budget

Outline the budget for the project. Although that sounds simple, it is alarming how many
budgets are set without taking into account all of the potential costs.

— 27 —
I once inherited a new project where the budget had already been set. After I started, I
had to scramble to cover all of the costs that had not been considered such as benefits for
the staff positions and basics such as desks and chairs!

The best advice I ever received was to make sure that there is a corresponding budget
item for everything you said you would do. If you indicate that project staff will be taking
youth to the local water park once every week in the summer, make sure you have
transportation and admission fees covered.

Here is a handy budget items checklist …

o Personnel

Ensure the cost projection is realistic. You may want to pay the project staff
peanuts as a way of impressing the funder and showing how you keep costs
down, but be realistic. There is no sense saying you will pay the person $12/hour
if you can’t get someone to fill the role for under $20/hour.

o Benefits

Even if you hire staff on a contract basis, there may still be some mandatory
costs that have to be taken into consideration. Ask the Treasurer what to add for
benefits. A contract position may be an additional 12%, but full benefits may be
22% or more.

o Consultant and Contract Services

Get several estimates; don’t just guess at the cost.

o General Overhead/Operating Costs

Consider: rent, utilities, telephone, cell phones and Blackberries, Internet,

postage, photocopying, faxing, insurance, office furniture and supplies,
bookkeeping, housekeeping, equipment such as computer, software and licenses,
installation, service contracts or maintenance, and travel for staff, volunteers,
and clients … Some budget templates may ask for some of these items under
different categories, but the important thing is to remember to account for all of
these items somewhere in the budget.

o Program Costs

List the costs associated with the actual program you will be operating. If you
are running groups, for instance, are there honorariums needed for group
leaders; snacks or meals for the participants; arts and craft supplies …

— 28 —
 o Publicity/Marketing

Website costs could include registering a domain name, site hosting fees, and
the writing/updating of the content.

Posters, flyers, brochures, or ads in local newspapers may be needed.

Costs to advertise job postings.

o Indirect Costs

The host organization may need to charge you an admin fee to cover such things
as the additional heat and hydro expenses. They may also have to pay extra for
the annual financial audit because of the project. Check with the funder or with
other organizations to determine the acceptable amount for an admin fee — it
may be 10 to 15% of the project budget.

o In-Kind Support

Many funders like to see that you have other support for your project. An
amount can be allocated for every in-kind donation. For instance, if the office
space, furniture, and supplies are being donated, determine a reasonable
amount to allocate.

Volunteer support can be shown in dollar figures. Check with your local United
Way, for instance, to see what dollar figure can be assigned to volunteer hours.
An average is $12, but it may vary from one area to the next.

Assign an amount to anything that you will be using but do not have to pay for.

Review the budget (and the math) with the Executive Director, Treasurer, or
Accountant.

Go over your Plan. Does everything you indicated you would do have a cost
associated with it and a line in the budget?

Sustainability

This question has probably prompted the most creative thinking over the years! The
funder wants to know how the project will continue after their funding has ended. Spend
some time with the organization to identify some realistic options.

Often, an organization simply needs time to prove that the new project will have
the impact they think it will. Once they can demonstrate success, it will be easier to
incorporate the program into the overall fundraising strategy of the organization. The
group will have more of a chance to convince donors that their donation will make a

— 29 —
difference when they see the positive benefits that have been demonstrated with the help
of the grants.

Once you’ve taken the time to get the project running, you may have enough data to
convince a local Service Club or Corporation to adopt the project on an annual basis.

References

The organization may need to provide two or three references for the project: community
leaders who can speak to the organization’s reputation and ability to carry out the project.
Make sure references know they could potentially be contacted about the project. Ideally,
they should have a full copy of the proposal.

Appendices

If you’ve had to refer to a report or a special document, it can be attached to the proposal
as an Appendix. But be selective. This is not the opportunity to turn your five-page
proposal into a 50-page document because everything is in the Appendix!

Other Terms

Unfortunately, you may still get caught off guard when a particular funder asks something
in a way you have not heard before. Don’t panic!

Just when I was feeling pretty confident with writing goals and objectives, the proposals
started asking for Long Term Impact and Short Term Outcomes. Aghh!

Then, a large Federal funder asked me to run workshops to teach smaller nonprofits how
to fill in the forms for a new call for proposals — and they used another new term: ‘Logic
Models’. I tried not to panic!

But, when I sat down and studied the definitions (and yes, that can mean looking up
‘impacts, outcomes, and logic models’ on Google), I noticed a logical pattern and found
two practical resources that can be downloaded in PDF format — for free!

The United Way of America has excellent resources that are being used to train staff in
nonprofit organizations in both the United States and Canada on outcome measurement.

Over a dozen documents can be found at the Outcome Measurement Resource Network
http://www.liveunited.org/Outcomes/Resources/index.cfm

The book I have personally used is entitled:

Measuring Program Outcomes: A Practical Approach (1996)

— 30 —
It is a 170 page step-by-step manual for health, human service, and youth/family-serving
agencies on:
• Specifying program outcomes

• Developing measurable indicators

• Identifying data sources and data collection methods

• Analyzing and reporting findings

• Using outcome information

There is a nominal charge for the book and shipping/handling.

The second great discovery was the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. They have many excellent
resources including “Logic Model Development Guide - Using Logic Models to Bring
Together Planning, Evaluation, & Action” and the “W. K. Kellogg Foundation Evaluation
Handbook.” You can order or download them from the Kellogg Foundation website at
http://www.wkkf.org/

In hindsight, this search led me to a golden nugget that has helped my logical thinking
process. I discovered the ‘if … then’ scenarios and realized everything did tie together!

If we do this planning … then we will have these results.

Example:

If we allocate funds to hire a counselor and …

If the program provides prenatal counseling to pregnant teens …

Then the teens have increased knowledge of good prenatal care …

If they have knowledge of prenatal care …

Then this will lead to changed behavior.

If the teens eat properly, avoid alcohol and drugs …

Then they will deliver healthy newborns.

Lesson … don’t panic. Review the definitions. Think it through. Find the logical
‘if - then’ scenario.

The funder will be impressed!

— 31 —
Help the Application is Due Next Week!

I hope it is all coming together for you!

But, the surprises don’t stop coming when you are in business for yourself. Suddenly, you
are faced with a new challenge.

An organization wants to hire you to complete one application for them — and you know
this is your chance to prove to them that you can do a good job. But … it is due next week!

These tips are also outlined in the 90-Day Action Plan to get your grant-writing business
up-and-running. It bears repeating.

When you work on an ongoing basis with a group, you will become very familiar with the
key information needed for a proposal; you will have it at your fingertips. Cutting and
pasting from annual reports and other key documents will ultimately save you time and
energy. You will be able to produce proposals quickly.

But, a one-time proposal for someone you have not done work for will be harder and
much more time-consuming. The best advice is to prepare and get organized. Remember
that one of the benefits of hiring you is that you take the stress off the fundraiser or other
staff by providing grant-writing services. Don’t appear frazzled and stressed when you are
faced with a deadline.

Follow these key steps when a grant application has a looming deadline. This guarantees
that there are no surprises and everything goes smoothly:

• Ask for anything and everything that has been written about the organization and
the project. Reports, studies, promotional materials, program descriptions … I
generally leave the agency carrying a box of documents. Read everything you can
and note the material you might be able to use.

• Read the entire grant application. Will you be able to easily get all of the
information that will be needed? When you sit down to write, you don’t want to be
missing a critical document.

• Block off time to write. You cannot do a proposal or grant application with a spare
30 minutes here and there. You need time you can dedicate to writing and time to
focus your thoughts. Constant meetings or interruptions can make you lose track of
ideas and cost valuable time.

• My golden rule — estimate how much time you need to get it done. Now multiply
by 3! When you are under pressure, things rarely go as planned. Who hasn’t
been under tight deadlines when crisis occurs: you lose a document from your
computer, the printer cartridge is empty, and the photocopier won’t be repaired
until tomorrow …

• Back up and number every draft you work on.

— 32 —
• Determine who has to sign the cover letter and the application itself. Often this is
the President of the Board, who may be quite removed from the organization’s
day-to-day activities. Are they aware of the application? Do they support it? How
hard will it be to get their signature? How much time will they need to read the
proposal before they are comfortable with signing it?

A Board President may work in another city, an hour or more away. Or, they may
travel for work. Funders do not look keenly on last-minute crisis phone calls telling
them you cannot get the signatures you need.

• What attachments need to be included? Print off the page that lists all of the
attachments. Make sure your contact at the agency is aware of the additional
documents you are going to need. There is nothing worse than having to depend on
a very busy staff person who does not have time to locate some of the important
documents needed. Attachments often include: audited financial statements;
income statements; proof of the organization’s charitable status; a recent annual
report; signed agreements from any collaborative partners; and letters of support.
Any one of these items can turn your application process into a nightmare especially
if you have to ask the fundraiser or Executive Director to scramble an hour before
the application is due to find something. Also, don’t assume that the Treasurer or
Accountant has the financial items at their fingertips; everyone appreciates a
heads-up that you will need some piece of information by a specific date.

• Who is going to prepare/approve the budget for the proposal? In your role as the
Grant Writer, you can certainly rough out the budget, but the organization itself has
to be comfortable with the numbers. Totals that don’t balance can be very stressful
when the clock is ticking.

• Do large budget items need three estimates? Generally, items over $25,000 do, and
arranging for estimates can be time-consuming.

• Who on staff must review each draft? When must reviewers get the draft, and when
can they return their comments?

• What written materials already exist that you can use? There are likely documents
that outline the history of the organization, the mission, an overview of current
programs — use whatever you can.

• Are you completing an online application form or will the proposal need to be
typeset. Will you need help with that?

• When must the funder receive the proposal and in what form — email, fax, hard
copy, bound proposal with architectural drawings?

— 33 —
 • If they require a hard copy, how will the final product be delivered? How much time
will you need for that method of delivery? There is nothing worse than planning
to send the finished proposal by courier the day before it is due, only to find you
missed the courier’s deadline.

• Remember, keep a complete copy of everything for your own records.

The Pros and Cons of Sending ‘Cold’ Proposals

When I first started writing grant proposals within the niche of ‘Foundations’, I was
distressed to see that so many said:

“Please submit an initial query letter, including a description of your proposal,

outlining objectives, expected results, preliminary budget, and time frame. Full
proposals must be invited by the Foundation.”

But then I stopped to think about it. By the time I provided a description of the project
(which would naturally have a few sentences about the need or the problem), the
objectives, expected results or outcomes, budget, and time-lines … what was missing?
If I added a little background information, demonstrating the high standards and track
record of the nonprofit, and a few sentences to show we knew how to evaluate the
project … I would have a basic proposal. If I added a cover letter that highlighted how the
Foundation’s priorities matched the nonprofit’s needs, and added the amount of money we
were requesting … I would be all set.

And, that is what I did. For good measure, I also included a copy of the organization’s last
audited financial statement and a sentence in the cover letter indicating that if they had
any questions, to please contact me (or the Fundraiser at the agency I was working on
behalf of).

It worked.

The mail started arriving a month or two later. “Thank you for your letter, but at this time
we cannot offer you funding.” Okay. But then, other letters arrived: “Thank you for your
proposal for funding. Please find enclosed a check for $5,000 towards your XYZ Project.
We wish you all the best and look forward to hearing about the progress you make.” Or,
“Please find enclosed a check for $1,000 or $2,000 or $10,000.”

Yes, there were rejections; but it did not mean we could not submit a proposal to those
same Foundations next year.

So, when someone says it is a waste of time to send cold proposals, you can give another
side to the argument. But remember, it is key that you do the preliminary research to
ensure the Foundation’s priorities are in line with the nonprofit group you represent and
the project you are pitching for funding.

— 34 —
Basic Copywriting Skills Help to Build Strong Proposals

Since you are studying the AWAI program for Grant Writing, chances are you know that
AWAI has resources on all aspects of Copywriting — and they represent the industry
standard in excellence. Although I was a Grant Writer before I was a member of AWAI,
my writing — and grant proposals — are stronger because of everything I have learned
through AWAI. Here are three brief examples:

 Paul Hollingshead wrote an excellent paper called “The BIG Idea” in which he
outlines how to ‘find and develop a captivating idea that sets your promotion apart
from the crowd’. Although the report is offered as a bonus when you purchase
the AWAI Masters Program, the BIG Idea is referred to often in articles published
in The Golden Thread, a free e-letter from AWAI. A simple search using the
keywords ‘big idea’ will provide you with a wealth of information.

You want to do the same thing: you want to identify the Big Idea that will set your
grant proposal apart from the crowd.

What can you say in your proposal that …

• Is new and interesting; strong, unique, and compelling?

• Will make your reader sit up straight and pay attention?
• Surprises the reader, maybe even shocks the reader?

What can you say in your proposal that makes the funder want to financially
support your project?

The Big Idea is key to a winning sales letter and to a winning grant proposal. And,
here’s a hint — Big Ideas are most often found in the detailed research you do.

 Remember the ‘USP’? Earlier we talked about the need to find a way to show the
organization in a good light. You have to be able to prove, beyond a doubt, that the
nonprofit is the best at what they do; the most reputable; the only choice to offer
this project. In copywriting terms, you are looking for the USP or Unique Selling
Proposition for the organization.

Your community might have three programs that address homelessness. What
makes your program different — what sets it apart?

You can also search ‘USP’ in The Golden Thread.

 A copywriter needs to create a picture, address the deeper benefits, stir emotion,
and provide proof. So does a Grant Writer! Ultimately, you are trying to sell the
project or the organization.

At the end of the day, any tricks you learn to write stronger copy can be applied to your
writing to raise funds. Learn everything you can about writing copy that sells and you will
have even more skills to write proposals that get funded.

— 35 —
 CHAPTER 5

Manage the Project

It may sound simplistic, but if the project is not managed well, the funding will be wasted.
In Chapter 5, you will learn:

• The qualities of a good project manager.

• Four simple steps to help you manage your project.
• 12 reasons why projects fail.

As the Grant Writer, you may not be involved in managing the project. However, I am a
big believer in bringing as much value as possible to the client. In some cases, that has
meant that I managed the project after funding was secured.

If you are not directly helping the organization manage the project, you can certainly
share this information with the staff person who will have that role. Sharing information is
also adding value!

Years ago, I read the Project Manager’s Serenity Prayer in the Absolute Beginners Guide to
Project Management and it has always stayed true for me:

Grant me …

• The serenity to prioritize the things I cannot delegate;

• The courage to say no when I need to;
• And the wisdom to know when to go home.

If you work from home, just change the last point to ‘the wisdom to turn off the
computer’!

There are many good books and courses written on the topic of Project Management.
Although every project is different, there are similarities within the process of managing
any project.

Every project has:

• A specific budget and available resources.

• Specific goals and outcomes to be achieved.
• A unique mix of people (staff, volunteers, Board members, the community).
• A time-line to achieve milestones and completion.
• Distinctive factors, unique to your project that will have an impact on the outcomes.

Project management is a repeatable process. While each project is different, all projects
can be managed by using the same framework.

— 36 —
A good project manager keeps their eye on the end result. They know how to:

• Create a vision that engages everyone.

• Clearly define the results to be achieved.
• Delegate responsibility.
• Break the project down into manageable pieces.
• Develop realistic time-lines.
• Communicate regularly with everyone attached to the project.
• Adjust quickly to changes and handle the inevitable crises — the ability to
‘go with the flow’ is a skill.
• Monitor and record the progress.
• Accept nothing less than project success.

Four simple steps that are part of the project management process:

• Visualize
• Plan
• Implement
• Close

Visualize — See where you are going

Often an organization will contact you to help them write a grant proposal. They have an
idea of what they want to do, they know there is a Foundation that might be interested in
funding such a project, but it stops there. You realize when you ask questions that they do
not really know the details. Your work is cut out for you.

If you want to be valuable and end up with the information you need to write a winning
grant proposal, you have to help them work through the process to visualize and plan
their project.

This process is not only for small organizations. I have worked with very large agencies
that have said, “We want a project to involve teenage dads in the parenting of their
children. We have four community partners who are also interested in some sort of
project.” Period.

As a valuable Grant Writer, you can:

 Help them tease out the details of what they have in mind.
 Determine the strengths of each of the partners to see what expertise or resources
they may bring to the project.
 Do some research to find out all the benefits that will result from involving teen
dads in the upbringing of their babies.
 Walk them through the process to give their idea some substance.

When you help an organization go through such a process, you are giving them skills to
use in the future. We have all heard the expression ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him
for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime’. Simply write the proposal

— 37 —
in isolation and you help the agency secure funding for one idea; teach them how to plan
a project and write a proposal and you give them a skill set that adds to their long term
sustainability.

What will the project look like when it is complete? Projects begin with a dream or an
idea, and the first step to project management is to create a clear picture of what the end
result will look like.

This is the stage that you want to be sure everyone’s vision is clear.

Here’s a great example to show why clarifying the vision is so important: The Board’s
vision is a state-of-the-art hospital, the Director’s is a walk-in medical clinic, and yours is
a MASH Unit!

You might all be saying the same words in your conversations, but each of you may ‘see’
something totally different.

A powerful vision generates enthusiasm and commitment. Once the team agrees on where
they want to go, they often work better together to find solutions when problems surface.

Avoid the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ approach to project management.

Alice: Would you tell me please which way I should walk from here?

The cat: That depends a great deal on where you want to go.

Alice: I don’t much care where.

The cat: Then it doesn’t much matter which way you walk.

Step 2 — Planning

The planning process takes the overall objective and breaks it down into manageable
pieces. Even huge, overwhelming projects start to look doable when they are broken down
into bite-size chunks and individual tasks.

A quick search on the Internet for ‘project management’ shows that breaking down the
tasks is often referred to as ‘hunks, chunks, and bites’. When the plan is clearly laid out,
everyone involved gains confidence that the project can actually be completed.

The planning stage clearly outlines the who, what, when, and how of the project: what
tasks need to be done, who will do them, when and where they will be done, and how
much the project will cost.

— 38 —
Project Planning in Six Steps

Constraints typically fall into three areas: quality, schedule, and resources. If that
sounds a bit unclear think of the project constraints as good, fast, and cheap! Most
projects have pressure somewhere along the way to get something done faster or for
less money — which can compromise the quality. When managing the project, you
have to juggle all three factors.

Hot Spots are the potential problems that are likely to surface along the way. Thinking
ahead and trying to identify possible trouble spots is much better than crossing your
fingers and hoping everything goes exactly as it should. You have to have contingency
plans. Everyone involved in a project has an opinion and they see things from different
viewpoints. A front-line staff member sees a situation differently than the Executive
Director. Brainstorming with the whole project group will help to build commitment and
avoid ‘I could have told you so … ’ Get everyone’s viewpoints up front and the project
will be better off for it.

Hunks, Chunks, and Bites is a very descriptive phrase for the dozens of tasks
that have to be completed! Think of the major pieces of the project (hiring, training,
budget, providing service, etc.). These are the ‘hunks’. The ‘chunks’ are the minor
pieces, the tasks related to the hunks. The ‘bites’ are the smaller activities on your to-
do list that can be done in a short time by one person.

Map it out. List and describe the specific tasks involved in researching, planning,
developing, carrying out, or promoting your project.

What project is complete without forms, charts, and to-do lists? No matter
how complex the system (think about a Gantt Chart), or how simple (an Excel
Spreadsheet), you can’t manage a project in your head!

Identify and list the ‘hunks’. What order do they have to be done in?

In the next column, identify the ‘chunks’ that correspond to the larger tasks. Then you
can fill in the ‘bites’ or baby steps needed to make it happen.

Decide who is going to take responsibility for each task. Too often, we are good at
listing what needs to be done, but not so good at saying who needs to do it. When no
one is identified as the person responsible, it is very easy to think someone else will do
that and the task falls through the cracks.

Example: Hiring

• Hire project staff - Executive Director (ED) is responsible.

• Advertise the position - HR will post it online.
• Hold interviews - ED and HR will interview.
• Make hiring decision - ED will make final decision.
• Check references and offer position to successful candidate - HR.

— 39 —
Timing. Decide when each task will be done. Prioritize which pieces of the project are
vital to its success. Determine how much time each task will take. Assign a start date
and a target finish date for each minor and major piece and task.

Time-lines are extremely important. Generally a staff person is evaluated on the

success (or failure) of a project. If the time-lines are unrealistic, the project could be
set up to fail.

Continuing with our example — adding more to-do detail and timing:

• Hire project staff - Executive Director is responsible.

• Advertise the position - HR will post it to job sites online; posting will be up from
June 1st until June 15th.

• Hold interviews - ED and HR will interview, week of June 21st; Secretary will
book meeting room, set up interviews, arrange for coffee, water, and muffins.

• Make hiring decision - ED will decide, based upon positive reference check, by
June 28th.

• Check references and offer position to successful candidate – HR will handle, by

June 30th.

• Position will start by July 15th.

Of course, these time-lines may need to change. Your top candidate may not be
available during the time you have allocated to hold the interviews; the successful
candidate may need to give more than two weeks notice … but you at least have
guidelines of the process and the timing. If changes do need to be made, you can
easily explain why in your progress report.

Review the project budget. You may not have received all of the money you
originally planned for, but you may still be able to move forward with a few
adjustments to the budget.

In some cases (honest!), you may have received more money than you actually
budgeted for. In that case, you can review the budget to see what can be enhanced.

Some funders will provide the money in installments, such as quarterly. You have to
be certain that anything you might need up front as start-up costs will be available to
you. After all, you don’t need to buy desks and computers in each quarter; but you do
have to pay the phone bill and salaries throughout the life of the project. Now that you
are starting the project, it is a good time to double-check to make sure you have not
forgotten anything.

— 40 —
Once the project is running, review your plan regularly. Make a note of why timing, hiring,
or budget has changed. Comment on these factors in your progress report. This helps
to keep the lines of communication open with the staff, management, the Board, and
funder. There is nothing worse than having a supervisor say, “I did not know we were
falling behind in our schedule.” Better to have them say, “Yes, I am aware of the situation
and there is a very good reason we are over budget, behind schedule, or … ” No one likes
surprises!

Step 3 — Implementation

Implementation is the actual ‘doing’ stage. The more time spent on planning, the better
the implementation should be.

Implementation involves the communication, coordination, monitoring, and controlling

that you need to keep the project on track towards successful completion. It also includes
adjusting for the inevitable changes that occur.

Step 4 — Close

By definition, all projects have a specific objective, and when that objective is reached,
the project is finished. (The project may also end when the funding runs out!) This stage
of project management is a time to tie up loose ends, evaluate (compare the outcome of
the project with the intended results), celebrate, honor and reward the efforts of everyone
involved. It is also the time to send a report to the funder (even if it is not required or
expected).

Unfortunately, Some Projects Fail

Projects usually fail for one or more of the following reasons:

• Unclear goals or objectives will quickly kill a project; so will lack of agreement on
the goals and objectives.

• Changing scope or scope creep is a common problem. Where goals and objectives
describe what the organization wants to achieve through this project, scope defines
the size of the project. If the size of the project is allowed to ‘creep’, the impact can
be negative. Some projects get larger; some go off track. A watchful eye is needed
to monitor even subtle changes to the program.

• Lack of resources. Need I say more? If you do not have enough money, supplies,
staff, or volunteers to make it all happen, the stress on the project may be too
much.

• Conflicting priorities on everyone’s time. If a new project is just added on to

everyone’s already busy job, chances are that something will have to give.

— 41 —
• Lack of knowledge or technical expertise. Did you forget to add in training costs to
learn how to use the new software? If you need a skill set to implement the project,
don’t try to fake it.

• The topic of ‘effective communications’ could be the basis of a whole program!

Communication between staff, staff and management, staff and volunteers; regular
communication to donors, funders, and even potential funders. Hint: This is another
area where you could bring value to the nonprofit! Do they need someone to
write newsletters, emails, a blog, articles, project reports … just add that to your
repertoire!

• Lack of leadership. Not only do you need leadership but also you need a leader that
everyone respects and feels comfortable with when problems need to be discussed.

• Lack of management support.

• Lack of teamwork and commitment.

• Poor or no planning — remember Alice?

• Changing or losing key team members. This is one reason you want to be sure
right from the start that your pay scale was in line with the responsibilities of the
position.

• Political issues; competition or internal fighting.

— 42 —
 CHAPTER 6

Expand Your Business and

Bring More Value to the Client

In Chapter 6, you will learn to:

• Establish a niche in helping groups find their USP Unique Selling Proposition (those
elements that make them the best) and present it in a fundraising document called
the ‘Case for Support’.

• Expand your business to bring more value to the nonprofit while making you and
your services indispensable!
o Become A Research Specialist
o Secure an annual retainer
o Offer ‘how to’ seminars on grant writing
o Write the communication tools: annual reports, articles, blogs, emails,
newsletters, and web content …

Writing the Case for Support

You may have already done the work to show why the project was unique or it may have
been part of the bigger picture of why the organization itself is ‘the best’. If so, you have
helped to tease out the elements of the group’s USP — their Unique Selling Proposition.
The Case for Support or Case Statement is a document that reflects the USP for the
organization, including the programs and services offered. It answers the question “What
is that one distinct, outstanding benefit that your organization offers that sets it apart
from the other agencies or groups in your community. Why should I, a potential donor,
support your organization rather than another worthy group in the community?”

There are many benefits of having an up-to-date Case for Support on hand:

• It ensures everyone — staff, volunteers, Board members — have a document to

consistently draw information from when making a presentation or preparing a
written document.
• It saves time by providing content that has already been approved by management
in case you need to quickly cut and paste to meet an unexpected funding deadline.
• It provides a valuable document for fundraising in general; it is a tangible product
you can leave with a potential donor.
• Everyone has the same background information if the media calls for a story.
• A solid Case for Support can provide information for an article or website content.

— 43 —
The Case for Support and Basic Copywriting Principles
— do these points sound familiar?

• Your Case for Support has to be relevant and compelling, not boring.
• It must convey passion for the cause and excitement that something can be done
to address the problem.
• It will be targeted to a specific audience. If the cause is not relevant to the reader,
they will be very difficult to engage.
• Consumers want to know ‘What’s in it for me?’ So do donors. Donors ask, ‘Why
should I support you?’
• The document provides proof to establish credibility (‘Who says keeping seniors
physically active makes a difference?’).
• It will evoke emotions, not just logic.
• It will convey urgency.
• The Case for Support will paint a picture. By the end of the document, the donor
should be able to see the organization succeeding at making a difference and see
their role in making it happen.
• It will address the deepest human desire — to feel important — by leaving the
reader feeling that they will have a significant role in the campaign; it will give
them hope, not leave them feeling hopeless and helpless.
• Finally, it weaves in compassion for the need or problem and benevolence that the
potential donor can actually play a part in solving this problem.

If you have studied AWAI’s Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting,

these points should sound familiar. If not, you can learn more about it here:
http://www.awaionline.com/copywriting/p/

Lots of questions have been presented in previous sections of The Toolkit to help you
guide the nonprofit in answering some critical questions about why they do what they do.
Your job is to tell their story.

Use headings that make sense for the story you are telling — but break up the information
so there is a logical flow. Help the reader see that they can be part of something big. Use
the following categories as a checklist to make sure you have covered the major elements:

• Mission Statement
• Background Information
• Achievements
• The challenges that need to be addressed
• Your plan for addressing the challenges
• An outline of the resources needed to address the challenge
• Identify the role the prospective donor can play
• Ask for the money
• Summary

— 44 —
Here is an example of a process, taking my role from the writer of a grant proposal to the
Case for Support. Along the way, the nonprofit learned ‘to fish’.

Here’s the back story of a Case for Support for a capital campaign for a group
that is near and dear to my heart: Active Aldershot. The actual writing of the
Case for Support followed much of the process I have referred to. Initially, I
helped Ron and Tracy Angus to write a grant proposal to the United Way for a
program that would complement my work at the time. I was very motivated:
if they got money to develop programs, the families that I was involved
with, who otherwise could not afford summer camps for their children, would
benefit.

We had some challenging conversations as they tried to explain to me what

they did, and to prove to me they were unique in the community.

They referred me to some websites and basically said ‘it’s all there … the sites
will tell you why what we do is so important.’ That was the research part!
Sure enough, the golden nuggets were just waiting to be discovered. I was so
excited! They knew what they did; they knew they made a difference in the
community; but they were having trouble expressing it to people who were
not involved in sport.

We were successful in obtaining a three-year grant from the United Way. At

the same time, the Angus’s used the process they went through and the hard
questions I asked, to help them sort out their mission, goals, and objectives
for their other business, an Olympic caliber Judo Club. To this day, they
swear I ‘taught them to fish’. They duplicated the work we did together and
submitted a grant proposal to a Community Foundation. Again they were
successful.

Somewhere along the way, the recession started moving in and what has
become known as ‘infrastructure money’ became available. They had always
dreamed of converting the 50-year-old building they owned into a new
modern, accessible facility. They were going to have a chance to make that
dream come true.

They were both competing in a Judo Tournament in Germany when I received

an email from them. Thank goodness for technology! The email was short:
Could I just have a quick look at the application they were submitting for
Government funding? I added some details, some emotion, and some golden
nuggets, and sent it back to them. Between competing, they submitted the
application.

— 45 —
 Active Aldershot was successful in receiving funding from two levels of
Government — enough to pay for three-quarters of the building of a new
facility. Now they needed a Case for Support to help kick off a capital
campaign to raise $250,000. In fundraising circles, that is a relatively small
amount of money. But, it still had to be raised.

I had all of the information I needed to write the Case for Support but I had to
find a structure that would outline a compelling story. I used a framework that
included targeted headings to highlight key areas:

• Some unique facts about the organization.

• Testimonials from real, local people who had participated in the programs.
• The urgent need for the capital campaign.
• The Plans (or solution to the problem).
• Logical and emotional rationale to support ‘an investment in our
community’s future’.
• Golden Nuggets — compelling facts that were documented in very credible
sources.
• The benefits of supporting the campaign.
• Another testimonial.
• Lots of photos.
• The Ask — specifically outlining how the community could support the
campaign.
• The bonus: a DVD was included that showed programs in action,
interspersed with an interview with the head of the organization.

The cover letter written by Active Aldershot and the fully formatted Case for Support
written on behalf of the group is available on your myAWAI Member Page.

Your grant-writing business will often follow the same pattern: you come on board for one
small project and then find there is more opportunity and need for your skill set.

Additional Ways to Add Services and Value

Research Funding Sources

In Chapters 3 and 4, we discussed the different angles in which research plays a

role. You will need to do some research to really develop the particular project that you
are seeking funding for; you will also have to do research to find the right funder —
Foundation, Corporation, or Government grant.

— 46 —
Some organizations are comfortable writing and submitting the actual funding proposals
— but they need help in knowing what funding sources are out there. That is a specialty
role you can play.

You may have access to a great database that lets you search in a variety of ways:
keywords related to the project (i.e., education, youth, literacy); location (locally or
nationally); by application due dates; by type of funding available (special project,
operating costs, capital campaigns); or by type of funder. Not all organizations will have
such a valuable tool. If not, they will pay you to do the research for them.

You can provide the organization with a detailed file, including spreadsheets with all the
information they will need, for each program requiring funding.

Contracts to complete this type of work can often provide a welcome break between the
pressure of grant application deadlines or lengthy writing projects. Add this option to your
sales pitch when you meet with a potential client.

Research Specialist

As has been mentioned previously, you bring more value to the client if you understand the
power of research to validate a special project or the mandate of a nonprofit organization.

The section under ‘Research and Golden Nuggets’ outlines a specialty within the
grant-writing niche. The ability to compile research is a valuable skill set, one that should
not be overlooked.

If you want to really be a pro, study AWAI’s Secrets of Becoming an Internet

Research Specialist.

Provide your Services on a Regular Contract Basis

Somewhere along the way, I got the idea to promote my services to write grants on a
proactive basis. I demonstrated to groups that if they submitted grant proposals on an
ongoing basis to Foundations, over time they would build the funding base to support
the new projects they were interested in. If they did that in conjunction with some of the
larger Community Foundation grant applications that had calls for proposals once a year,
they would build a respectable portion of their fundraising through grants. The best way to
guarantee they were submitting proposals proactively was to have me on retainer one day
a week for a year at a time. In that way, I could work steadily for them, being proactive
and not reactive.

I established a fee and invoiced monthly. At the same time, I tracked time for the projects
that I worked on. The nonprofit recognized that sometimes I would work 40 hours in ONE
week if a grant was due, but the next month I might only have two days work — or no
hours at all. Yet, at the end of the year it always balanced out. They were happy they
knew the amount to budget for my services, I had steady cash flow, and over the year,
the number of proposals submitted began paying off. It was a win-win.

— 47 —
At one point, I had contracts for a total of six days per week, but because the workflow
varied — some weeks I was very busy and other weeks I was not — my cash flow stayed
regular!
Of course, I still had one-off contracts when a group only needed:

• One large proposal written.

• The research on finding potential funding sources.

• A Case for Support.

• Research on a topic that they could incorporate into their own writing.

In each instance, I had a fee schedule for the particular project.

Offer “How To” Seminars

“How to” seminars can be handled in different ways:

• Offer ‘how to’ seminars for local nonprofit groups. Make a PowerPoint presentation
from the Grant Writing Success program and teach the staff and volunteers the
key elements of applying for grants. You can do this as a free service, or you can
advertise the workshop and charge a fee for the two or three-hour presentation.
• Work with the funders. The local United Way or Community Foundations may use
your services and expertise to provide a training opportunity for the organizations
they support. Inevitably a group will say, “That was excellent information, thank
you. But … we really don’t have the time to do justice to the proposal. Can you
write it for us?” Bingo, you have another contract.

Write the Communication Tools: Newsletters, Emails, Blogs, and

Annual Reports …

You’re a writer. Who better than a writer to understand the importance of good
communication?

The benefits of good communication within a nonprofit are endless, and in my experience,
the nonprofit rarely has time to stay on top of that task.

Keeping donors informed is key to maintaining the giving relationship; keeping the public
up-to-date is key to developing new relationships, which leads to more donors and more
supporters at special events. These activities support volunteer recruitment.

Volunteers need to be kept in the loop to see the connection between their volunteer role
and the organization.

Staff needs to keep management informed; management needs to keep the Board informed.

— 48 —
Good news needs to be shared and bad news needs to be managed.

Websites need to be kept current.

Once you have taken the time to get to know everything there is to know about a
particular nonprofit who better than YOU to fill some of their writing jobs? Suggest that
you can write the annual report, newsletters, articles, case studies, web pages, Blogs,
emails, and media releases … the list is almost endless — and so is your earning potential!

— 49 —
 Chapter 7

The Business Side of Grant Writing

In Chapter 7, you will learn about the business side of grant writing. Specifically:

 Reminders of some of the administrative tasks that have to be taken care of with
any small business;
 Samples of a variety of templates that you can adapt to help promote your business
as a professional.

Some days, after a steady stream of meeting deadlines, it is a pleasure to sit back and get
caught up on the various administrative tasks.

 Before you get too far along, you will need to register your grant-writing business
with the appropriate Government office. This will ensure you are able to deduct
the costs of your business from your income at tax time. Each state, province, or
country will have different processes to follow, but you want to be sure everything
is in order when it is time to file your income tax.

 Set up a file system to collect all of your receipts and household bills. Generally,
the costs of doing business can be deducted from your income. If your records and
receipts are incomplete, it will cost you money in the end.

 Meet with an accountant or other appropriate professional to make sure you have
done everything to ensure your business record keeping is complete.

 Register a domain name.

 Develop a website. If you don’t know where to start, check out the AWAI article:
‘How to Plan Out Your Freelance Website Content In Under an Hour’ by
Rebecca Matter. It is a great resource and helped me get started on my own site.

 Decide on an economical way to get your site set up. AWAI’s Wealthy Web Writer
has lots of resources available to get you started.

 Have a logo designed or design your own.

 A good writer needs a tagline! Mine is ‘Research. Writing. Results’. Play with the
words that make up your own USP to find a great tagline.

— 50 —
 Print business cards. In the old days, I went through a lot of business cards. Now
I do so much work online, that I only get them printed 250 at a time. I like to
have them handy for Chamber of Commerce events, AWAI events, and for any
local clients.

 Write up a one-page flyer that you can hand out at networking events or email as
a PDF to prospective clients. I learned the hard way that it is a good idea to convert
your promotional items to PDF. Then the cyber gremlins and different versions of
Word do not play havoc with your typesetting.

— 51 —
 Samples and Templates

Self Promotion Flyer

Here is a template that you can adapt or improve upon for your own needs — an editable
Word doc can be downloaded from your myAWAI Member Page.

Your Business Name

Your Byline

If you are an Executive Director, Fundraiser, or Board Member you

may want to ask yourself a few questions:

• How many grant proposals have you submitted in the past

12 months? Do you wish you had been able to prepare more?

• Is it difficult for your staff to find the focused time it takes to

research and write grant applications?

• Do you find more and more of your time is spent on trying to raise
revenue when it should be spent on the programs you deliver?

• Did you know there are over X # of Foundations, Corporations,

and Government bodies who have philanthropy dollars to distribute
in your country.

What is stopping you from getting your share of this revenue?

It’s time for a cost-effective, targeted solution to bring your financial needs to
the attention of the many potential funding sources that are out there.

If you want to increase your annual revenue, then you need to get started
now. Your company name can reduce your workload and stress by doing the
research and writing for you. Put your needs in front of the right funding
decision-makers now! Call or email and we can talk about your needs.

Your name and contact information

***

— 52 —
Query Email or Letter

Along the way, you may want to contact some nonprofit groups where you live or
through the Internet. You can adapt the following letter or email to help with your initial
networking. Download available from your myAWAI Member Page.

Dear ___________ ,

As the ________ (Fundraiser, Executive Director, or ___) for _____ organization’s

name). I suspect you find that there is never enough time in the day to get
everything done. No matter how well you plan, there is always something else that
has to be done NOW.

If you are like thousands of others who are responsible for raising much-needed
money for your programs, you do not have time to submit grant proposals on a
regular basis. Sure, you may apply for the one or two that have specific deadlines,
but what about the millions of dollars available through grants that have no call for
proposals?

Did you know …

• There are thousands of untapped sources of grants available to nonprofits.

• There are millions of dollars available that you will never hear about
because they do not include calls for proposals or deadlines.
• Most nonprofits do not apply for grants on a proactive basis from the
hundreds of Foundations that may be a perfect match with the group’s
mission and mandate.
• Securing funding through grants is an underdeveloped part of the
fundraising strategies within most nonprofits.
• If you set up a proactive way to regularly send out grant proposals, you
can add much needed money to your programs and special projects in a
very cost-effective/cost-recovery manner.

I am a Grant Writing Specialist. I work on a freelance basis helping to add

desperately-needed revenue to budgets of nonprofit organizations like yours.

May I come in to talk with you about your programs and special projects? If I can
have 30 minutes of your time, I can do some preliminary research for you. I will
provide a detailed report to outline the potential money that is available for groups
with your mission and mandate.

Although the cost to meet with me is nil, the benefit of meeting with me may be
priceless.

Please email or phone me with some potential times when it would be convenient to
get together.

Sincerely,
Your Name
Grant Writing Specialist

***

— 53 —
Establishing Need

Here are some questions to help you collect the information you will need to present a
well thought-out proposal for each nonprofit group you meet with. If meeting with the
appropriate staff person is not practical, you can always collect the same information
through a phone or email interview.

Your goal is to …

• Get a sense of how much — if any — grant writing they do.

• Identify what special projects are either under-funded or in need of funding.
• Ask for permission to do some preliminary research — at NO CHARGE — to see if
there is any potential for their organization to secure grants.

1. Do you submit grants proposals when you have a new project to get off the
ground — or as part of your ongoing fundraising plans?

2. How many grant applications do you submit in a year?

3. Do they tend to be to the local Community Foundations that have a call for
proposals once or twice a year?

4. Do you have any special projects at the moment that you need funding for?

5. Have you ever asked for money from a Service Club or a Corporation in
your community?

6. Do you have a current Case for Support that you can use whenever an
opportunity arises to ask for money?

7. Any other observations:

— 54 —
Grant Writing Proposal Template

When you have all the information you need and you’re ready to submit a formal
submission to a potential client, feel free to adapt the editable Word doc that you’ll find
on your myAWAI Member Page. I’ve had great success with this template. It definitely
helps to show the nonprofit that you have given their grant-writing needs a great deal of
thought.

This is the proposal the Director of Development will present to the Executive Director, or
the Executive Director may present to the Board to secure approval to sign a contract with
you. It is designed to answer all of their questions and to show clearly that engaging a
Grant Writer makes good business sense.

Proposal to Increase the Submissions for Grant Funding

Prepared on behalf of the

Name of the nonprofit organization

Prepared by _______

Copywriter specializing in Grant and Proposal Writing

Phone
Cell
Email
Website

— 55 —
 Executive Summary

This proposal provides an outline of the opportunities available to Name of the

nonprofit organization with regard to raising revenue through grant submissions.
In general, there are over X# of sources of grant funding available to the
nonprofit and charitable sector from Foundations, Corporations, and Government
sources in (name of your country).

Grant writing requires an enormous amount of time, a specific skill set, and
dedicated, focused time to prepare a submission. The lead-time between
preparation, submission, and final decision of the funding source can be quite
extensive. However, if you don’t prepare and submit regular grant proposals,
Foundations and Corporations will never be a source of funding.

The key recommendations outlined within this report include the following
observation:

Grant submissions should be made on a proactive basis: available

sources of funding should be regularly and actively researched so
that as projects evolve, the funding can be sought from as many
sources as possible, and as quickly as possible. The ongoing and
special projects outlined by Name of the nonprofit organization
represent an excellent opportunity to begin the process.

Insert a sentence promoting you and your business.

The objectives for contracting with Your Business would include:

• increasing funding potential from grant submissions

• recovering the cost of the fees paid for the services of Your Business
• funding projects that would otherwise not have had financial support
• leaving Name of the nonprofit organization Board of Directors with a model
that can be followed to research and write future grant submissions

It is being proposed that Your Business be engaged on a project fee basis. The
full details are included in the proposal.

This proposal represents a valuable opportunity to access much-needed funds

that will aim to enhance the overall budget of the PROJECT.

Your Name
Date

— 56 —
 Overview of Your Business

YOUR BUSINESS provides specialized expertise to the nonprofit sector: we take

the mystery and work out of grant and proposal writing for nonprofit agencies by
researching, writing, and submitting requests to raise much-needed revenue.

This business complements the other specialized segments that have evolved in
the not-for-profit sector. Specifically, in order to be cost and time efficient with
ever decreasing resources, many organizations are subcontracting segments of
their fundraising needs. New freelance businesses have evolved that specialize
in such components as direct mail, special events, email and website campaigns,
telemarketing, and planned giving. A business specializing in grant and proposal
writing is a logical extension of this trend. Unfortunately, the demand for
professional Grant Writers far exceeds the number available.

Organizations contract with Your Business to ensure they are accessing their
share of the available philanthropic dollars. Many staff and Board members are
unaware of the available grants and corporate donations; likewise, they are
unaware of where to begin to research such availability. This business provides
a unique service: matching charity needs in a targeted fashion with donor
availability.

Your Business has the experience and knowledge to:

• access key information on potential donors
• network with decision-makers
• communicate with the not-for-profit sector
• match organization needs and donor needs
• prepare well-written proposals
• provide a cost-effective solution to funding challenges

Your Business provides a specialized service to address an integral component of

your fundraising needs.

— 57 —
 Background

• Insert a sentence or two about the initial meeting, email, or phone contact
you had with the organization.
• Typically, an organization has to “spend money to make money” and this is no
different.
• A major goal of any fundraising initiative is to recoup the initial investment,
plus earn revenue that the organization could not otherwise access. It was
determined that there were a large number of Foundations that could be
approached.

Steps Involved in Submitting Grant Proposals

A targeted approach to grant submissions would start with a general search of

Foundations, Corporations, and Government departments that might match the
themes of the organization’s projects.

I access detailed information through the following databases: ______

________.

The individual Foundation, Corporation, or Government body would then be

further researched to identify such critical information as:
• eligibility criteria
• submission deadlines
• application guidelines
• contact information
• details regarding the assets of the funding source
• trends in previous grant awards

Inappropriate funding sources are eliminated, further narrowing the potential

submissions.

It will be noted that the number of potentially interested funding sources varies
greatly depending on the specifics of the keywords used to do the initial search.
In many cases, this fact allows you to slant your request to the interests of
the funding source. The proposal itself will not necessarily change, unless one
source has a very specific application form that must be completed. In that
case, the information is the same but the format changes — all of which is time-
consuming. This stage of the research will also indicate specifically what you
might ask for from a particular group. For instance, some will fund operating
costs, some will not; some will fund capital costs, some will not; some will fund
the evaluation component. In any case, your request will then be in line with the
specific criteria. The Foundation or Corporation will know you have done your
homework.

— 58 —
The third level involves contact with the potential funding source by mail,
telephone, or in person (when practical).

Finally, a well-written proposal is developed. For most Foundations, the proposal

will generally include the following information:

• Mission Statement
• Background Information
• Need Statement
• Goals
• Objectives
• Outcomes
• Strategies
• Time-lines
• Evaluation Plan
• Budget
• References
• Appendices

In some cases, particularly with Government sources, the applicant has to

follow a standard application form. The questions will ultimately cover the
above information.

A well laid-out document commonly referred to as the Case for Support

should also be prepared for each project in need of funding. The Case for
Support outlines the rationale for a potential funding group to invest in your
organization. It becomes the written justification to show that your organization
is a worthwhile investment opportunity. The Case for Support should elicit
excitement for your project.

Unfortunately, there are no guarantees in this process. Every step should be

taken to ensure you are submitting a well-researched and written proposal
that meets the criteria of the funding source. But at the end of the day, each
submission is dependent upon a number of factors, some of which are out of
your control.

Note of Caution: individual funders specify who is eligible to receive grants.

In some cases, the wording states, “Grants are available only to registered
charitable organizations who possess a charitable registration number.” It is
our understanding that the Name of the nonprofit organization is a registered
charitable organization with a charitable number. (Note: This language will
change according to the country you are working in.)

— 59 —
 Recommendations

I. The Name of the nonprofit organization should take every opportunity

to access all available sources of income available to the not-for-profit
and charitable sector. Specifically, partnerships should be fostered with
Foundations, Corporations, and Service Clubs.

II. Grant submissions should be made on a proactive basis: available sources

of funding should be regularly and actively researched so that as projects
evolve, the funding can be sought from as many sources as possible, and as
quickly as possible.

III. Eligibility criteria and deadlines should be monitored in a coordinated fashion

to ensure opportunities are not missed.

IV. The time needed to prepare a detailed submission should be capitalized on

by submitting the proposal to as many funding sources as possible. The
positive side of approaching several sources is that each funder will see
that there are a number of potential funding partners; the negative side is
that some projects may be funded in a piecemeal fashion, as the money
sometimes appears to ‘trickle in’.

V. A Case for Support should be prepared for each project in need of funding or
for the organization as a whole.

In summary, grant writing should be an integral part of the funding plans of

the Name of the nonprofit organization. A coordinated proactive approach
will pay off in dividends over time. Grant writing is not a quick fix to funding
needs, but if properly planned and executed, can play a respectable part in the
organization’s operations.

What Your Business Can Offer

There appears to be an opportunity for grant writing to meet some of the needs
of the organization through a contract position.

Your Business could be engaged to assist in the research of funding sources,

and the preparation of the Case for Support and grant proposal submissions for
the ABC PROJECT.

— 60 —
The objectives of contracting with Your Business would include:

• Increasing funding potential from grant submissions.

• Recovering the cost of the fees paid for the services of Your Business.
• Funding projects that would otherwise not have had financial support.
• Leaving with the organization a model that can be followed to research
and write future grant submissions.

Your Business will be responsible to:

• Complete initial research to identify all potential funding sources.

• Gather additional information for proposal writing.
• Research Foundations, Corporations, and other appropriate sources to
identify suitable matches.
• Develop a database report to include all key information including
deadlines and contact information.
• Write the appropriate Case for Support documents.
• Prepare and submit an application to any other specific grant source that
may have a pending deadline.
• Write Draft Proposals and/or Letters of Intent for the initiative.
• Present Drafts to the organization.
• Incorporate changes/typeset proposals.
• Adapt proposals to specific criteria as identified by potential funding
sources.
• Write cover letter customized for each proposal.
• Recommend to the organization what steps they should take to
complement this process, e.g., meeting with potential funding sources.
• Attend meetings as required.
• Deliver completed proposals to contract organization for Courier/mail
arrangements.
• Initiate follow-up phone calls to funding sources or recommend follow-up
calls be made by the appropriate personnel.
• Continually research and identify new potential sources of funding and
bring to the attention of the contract organization.
• Provide work in a timely fashion.
• Monitor results.
• Report regularly to the Board of Directors or designated personnel on
status and progress.
• Add or subtract options as needed.

— 61 —
 The Name of the nonprofit organization agrees to:

• Provide the necessary information and feedback to ensure the content is

accurate and relevant.
• Approve final documents before submission.
• Make phone contact or attend meetings with potential funders as
recommended by Your Business.
• Provide access to photocopying of drafts and finished products as required.
• Courier or mail to the identified funders.
• Notify Your Business when any correspondence is received from
funders/potential funders.
• Notify Your Business when grants are approved for the PROJECT.
• Add or subtract options as needed.

Fee Schedule

We will prepare a fee schedule based upon your feedback and the extent of
grant-writing services that you require. As a general rule, we find that either a
project fee basis or a retainer system is the most practical and cost-effective for
the organization.

Conclusion

The Name of the nonprofit organization has numerous opportunities to apply

for funding for special projects through grant submissions. Grant writing is a
specialized skill that consumes many hours of focused time. A contract with
Your Business will provide the opportunity to apply for much-needed funds. The
inclusion of administration costs in all funding proposals will help to ensure that
the fees paid to Your Business are ultimately recouped by the organization.

In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream
always wins … not through strength, but through persistence.

The same could be said for grant writing!

Respectfully submitted by _______

Date _______

— 62 —
 CHAPTER 8

Additional Resources

Chapter 8 provides a summary of additional resources.

There are a number of resources for U.S. Grant Writers in Grant Writing Success:
Opening the Door to Financial Opportunity (Chapter 26, pages 270 to 272).

Following are some additional resources — including the ones that have already been
referred to in The Grant Writer’s Toolkit.

The Foundation Center

This website allows you do a very basic search of potential Foundations for free. The
Foundation Center has five levels you can subscribe to, depending on how much detail you
want to uncover. Membership prices range from approximately $20 a month to just over
$175 a month.

The Foundation Center’s Cooperating Collections

A valuable find! Cooperating Collections are free funding information centers in libraries,
Community Foundations, and other nonprofit resource centers that provide a core
collection of Foundation Center publications and a variety of supplementary materials and
services in areas useful to grant seekers. The site helps grant seekers (YOU!) by providing
access to the Center’s database of grant makers and their grants. In addition to each of
the 50 United States, they list links for Australia, Brazil, China, Mexico, Nigeria, South
Korea, and Thailand.

You can download a free six-page report that provides contact details for each of the
current Funding Information Centers. Download a list of Cooperating Collections (PDF)
directly from http://foundationcenter.org/collections/

Foundation Search — A division of Metasoft’s BIG Online

www.bigdatabase.com (U.S.)

www.bigdatabase.ca (Canadian)

According to the website Metasoft’s flagship product, BIG Online, is the only searchable,
North American database of online Corporate, Foundation, and Government grant-making
information. The new service is called Foundation Search, a fully searchable, online
database containing the tax returns (Form 990PF & T3010’s) of every registered private
Foundation in the United States and Canada. You need to contact them directly about
membership fees.

— 63 —
Fundraising & Grants Directory, a service provided by Fundsnet Services Online
Fundsnet Services provides free grant writing and fundraising resource assistance to
those in need of funding for their programs & initiatives. The site provides categories,
for instance: children, youth, and family grants (152 sources); International Grants and
Funders (364 sources); arts and culture grants (201). The search function will not be as
sophisticated as a database that you have a membership to, but it will certainly provide a
good place to start.

The International Grants are broken down to Australia and UK Grants (49); International
Grants and Funders (181), and Canada Foundations and Grants (135).

Imagine Canada, Canadian Directory to Foundations and Corporations

Membership fees vary but options include nonprofits (fees vary by size of the organization),
libraries, and for-profit groups. They list grant-giving Foundations in Canada, American
Foundations that grant in Canada, and over 200 Corporate Giving Programs.

Michigan States University Libraries

This site is through Michigan State University and is listed under ‘Jon Harrison’s Home
Page’. There is a wealth of information on grants including the above link entitled
‘International and Foreign Grant Makers’.

United Way of America’s Outcome Measurement Resource Network

United Way of America and United Way organizations have championed the adoption of
outcome measurement by health and human service programs. The Resource Network
offers information, downloadable documents, and links to resources related to the
identification and measurement of program- and community-level outcomes. I have used
the following links:

Outcome Measurement: What and Why?

Introduction to what outcome measurement is and is not, key terms, and the
rationale for and benefits of engaging in outcome measurement.

UWA Outcome Measurement Resources

Descriptions, excerpts, or downloadable copies of United Way of America outcome
measurement resources.

Resource Library
Includes full-text resources and links on program outcome measurement,
community-level initiatives, and related topics.

— 64 —
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation
www.wkkf.org/

In addition to the outstanding free resources on Evaluation and Logic Models outlined
previously in The Toolkit, the Kellogg Foundation is a rich resource. The website has
a searchable database of over 14,500 grants made beginning in 1990. Grants made
from 2006 to present can be sorted by focus areas: educated kids, healthy kids, secure
families, racial equity, and civic engagement. Grants are made in the United States
(80%), with the balance allocated to Latin America, Mexico, the Caribbean, northeastern
Brazil, and southern Africa. 

AWAI’s Resources for Grant Writers

You have everything you need to become a successful Grant Writer by studying Grant
Writing Success: Opening the Door to Financial Opportunity, The Grant Writer’s
Toolkit, and the 90-Day Action Plan.

But, if you’d like more information to make your writing even stronger, here are three
must-have resources.

 You need to study the gold standard that gives you everything you need to know
about the skill and art of Copywriting — study the Accelerated Program for
Six-Figure Copywriting.

 You need to know how to successfully target nonprofits with persuasive writing —
study Copywriting for Nonprofits — How to Write Inspiring Copy for the
Fundraising Market.

 You need to know how to uncover those golden nuggets that will make the
potential donor say ‘Wow, I didn’t know that! NOW I get it!’ — then study
Secrets of Becoming an Internet Research Specialist.

— 65 —
A Few Favorite Books

All writers have a collection of favorite books that get earmarked over the years. I have
used the following books when I have worked within the niche of grant writing. Some
sections of each book have been read and used so often in presentations that I have
internalized many of the concepts.

Allen, David. Getting Things Done — The Art of Stress Free Productivity. New York:
Penguin Books, 2001.

Barbato, Joseph and Furlich, Danielle. Writing for a Good Cause — The Complete Guide to
Crafting Proposals and Other Persuasive Pieces for Nonprofits. New York: Fireside, 1991.

Horine, Greg. Absolute Beginners Guide to Project Management. Indianapolis, Indiana:

Que Publishing, 2009.

Strunk, William and White, E. B. The Elements of Style, New York: The Penguin Press, 2005.

Weisman, Carol. Secrets of Successful Fundraising — The Best From the Nonprofit Pros,
St. Louis, MO: F. E. Robins & Sons Press, 2002.

— 66 —