Keys to Grant Success: Here’s What’s Working
By Susan D. Rostkoski, Principal Consultant
The SCC team is celebrating the many successes that our clients have achieved in raising funds for their critical missions. One of the ways we help them in that effort is to provide grant writing services. I have for you a checklist of items that our clients say have given them the best opportunity to gain the funds they need to fulfill their missions (*see note below for a taste of our statistics).
- Careful research – This is also known as getting the right program in front of the right funder at the right time. Resources available to find such funders are many: Foundation Directory, Guidestar, Foundation Center, Grants.gov, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, in addition to many local and national firms that do the searching for you. A close reading of the details provided is crucial. But back channels are important, too. Stay abreast of what your colleagues are saying, what the funder posts on social media, and where there are convenings that the funder provides.
- Professional relationships – Understanding who the program officer is, how trustees influence giving, and what community relationships the funder has all contribute to the proper ask. This can be difficult because program officers are often overwhelmed with requests or they simply don’t encourage them. But some staff will talk with you, so keep checking and asking. Just be sure that, when you do reach that key person, you don’t ask questions about information that is already publicly available. Let them know that you have done your homework.
- Targeted writing—I once had a program officer tell me that she enjoyed reading proposals from my organization because we actually answered the questions they asked. She also said that what we did not include was important: extraneous information, fluffy ideas that appear to be filling a word count, and/or claims that aren’t backed up by the rest of the proposal. But nothing is more important than making your request “come alive” (i.e., both head and heart information). Through the proposal, bring the funder into an understanding of how your organization does its work, where you are growing or shrinking particular aspects of your agency, and your passion for the mission.
- Follow up – This means not only knowing key decision dates but sending a thank-you letter for a successful outcome (you’d be surprised how many people don’t do this). If your grant request was declined call or email to ask “what could we have done better? You might also include an invitation to events that relate directly to the program for which you requested funding.
Why does SCC maintain a record of such success? It’s because we immerse ourselves in the life of the agencies we serve, and the agencies we serve are committed to their mission and clients.
Were there other factors? Of course! For example, giving from any funder could be affected by market or economic conditions, pre-committed or multi-year funding, pandemics that shift the immediate priorities (sound familiar?), or outdated knowledge of your agency (surprisingly common).
Contact us if we can help you accomplish your mission (www.strategic-cc.com).
*SCC’s 2021 statistics tell an exciting story: 63 grants were submitted on behalf of 9 different clients. While 4 are still pending, 44 were successful (i.e., 69% success rate!). These grants accounted for $1,495,261 for programming as varied as housing, food shelves, higher education, conflict resolution, and youth activities.