Improve Your Grant Writing Success Rates: Part 2
Are you interested in learning how to improve your grant writing success rates? If so, this series is for you. Last Monday, we took a look at how starting on the right foot can set your organization up for success. To read more about grant research, click here. This week we are going to focus on how to capitalize on your connections.
Connections
“It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.”
Nonprofit organizations thrive off of relationships. If you want to achieve your mission, you have to build relationships with your clients, volunteers, community partners, and donors. Grant writing is no different. You may notice (in your grant research!) that sometimes foundations will even say “proposals by invitation only.” If the Foundation is not expecting your proposal, that is what is called a “Cold Proposal.” Cold proposals are much less likely to receive funding simply because the Foundation does not know you yet. However, If you aren’t best friends with your local foundation president, don’t worry! Here are some tips for building connections:
Call Program Officers
Most foundations have staff members whose primary job involves working with organizations who are seeking funding. These Program Officers are used to calls from organizations and are often happy to help. You should always make sure to call the Program Officer before you write your proposal. Not only will it introduce your organization to the Foundation, but they can also give you tips for how to make your proposal better. Sometimes Program Officers may tell you that your grant isn’t a good fit for funding. Don’t feel hurt, ask the Program Officer about the Foundation’s current funding priorities, and consider that call worth all the time you would have spent developing a grant that had no chance.
Ask your Board
Your Board members and volunteers are fantastic assets to your organization when it comes to foundation connections. Ask your Board to list all their potential, influential contacts. Or, start the habit of sending an email to your Board each time you identify a foundation. You may be surprised to find out what connections exist through your Board and volunteers is to mine sites like LinkedIn and Facebook. First, look up the staff and board members of the identified Foundation and then check social media to see if you have any connections. Sometimes a simple email stating “Hi, Sarah (Program Officer) I volunteer with XYZ Organization and am passionate about their work. I want to introduce you to Scott (Grant Writer) who is working on this amazing program…” makes all the difference in the world.
Attend Events
Lastly, spend time actively developing relationships with foundations in your area. Follow the Foundation on social media and attend their events. Maybe you feel you don’t need to know much about a workshop entitled “Innovation: Putting BroadBand to Work” but it might be worth attending the workshop to share what you do with that Foundation and begin to build relationships
Connections are essential when writing grants. You may have a fantastic program and an excellent proposal, but if your grant is cold, you may not have a chance at funding. Hopefully, these tips and trick help you to feel confident about building relationships with foundations. If you are interested in grant writing services are guidance on how to develop a grant plan, contact Spark Group for an initial consultation.
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