Grantwriting for Growth:

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• Grantwriting for Growth
• 10 Strategies for Successful Grantwriting From
  the Reviewers Eyes

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FACILITATOR

• Partial TA Client List
• The Ethiopian Community Development Corporation
  Arlington, VA
• The COGIC Urban Initiatives Economic Development
  St. Louis, MO
• Good Africa Coffee of Uganda, Africa
• African Community Health Institute San Diego, CA
• Somali African Parent Association, Minneapolis,
  MN
• Womens Employment Opportunity Project, Atlanta,
  GA
• Atlanta Refugee Womens Network Atlanta, GA
• Philadelphia Development Partnership,
  Philadelphia, PA
• Greater Newark Business Development Consortium,
  Newark, NJ
• CHAMAL, Lynchburg, VA
• The WORLD (Welcoming of Refugees for Lansing
  Development) Lansing, MI
• Burmese Advocacy Center Fort Wayne, IN
• Midwest Community Development Corporation
  Minneapolis, MN
• Sustainable Rural Regenerative Enterprises for
  Families Atlanta, GA.

• Elizabeth Wilson
• President, EW Associates
• Atlanta, GA
•  Elizabeth is a true expert in low and moderate
  community economic development initiatives and
  policy. Her management portfolio exceeds over six
  million dollars to develop small businesses and
  includes initiatives funded by the eBay
  Foundation, Hewlett Packard Philanthropy and the
  Prudential Foundation.
• M. Wilson has a strong knowledge of urban,
  economic, and small business development. Since
  1996, she has provided professional leadership
  and training in the development of nonprofit
  services and management including program design,
  project planning, development budgeting, staff
  recruitment, marketing and fundraising in her
  various positions. She is the author of business
  training curriculum and several books, including
  When Life Gives You Lemons, Open a Lemonade
  Stand and Young, Gifted Entrepreneurs
•  

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Annually 307.65 Billion Given
Source Giving USA 2009, Giving USA Foundation,
researched and written by the Center on
Philanthropy at Indiana University
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Strategies for Successful Proposals
Reasons for NOT receiving a grant

Based on an analysis of more than 700 proposals
rejected by the US Public health Services. Roy
Meadot, Guidelines for Preparing Proposals,
Chelsea Lewis Publishers, Inc.
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Follow the Directions
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• Organize, Clarify and Structure

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Directions Matter!

• 35 50 of ALL federal and foundation proposals
  are rejected because they are poorly organized or
  dont conform to the RFP guidelines.
• Read and analyze the RFP
• Research
• Read winning proposals
• Follow the outline laid out in the RFP

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Remember

• Every year, proposals are disqualified because
  the writer failed to follow general format
  directions regarding the number of pages,
  appendices, fonts, spacing etc. 
• Reviewers rank proposals lower when writers fail
  to follow instructions regarding what content
  goes in which section of the proposal.

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Independent eyes see better
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• Organize, independent eyes and collaborate

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Types of Reviewers

• Mechanical Lockheed Martin (50 rejection)
• Human External Intermediary organizations,
  paid reviewers
• Human Internal Foundation or Corporate Staff,
  volunteer stakeholders

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• Mechanical
• Review Team
• Funder Team

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• The Writer
• Review Team
• Content Reviewer

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Duties of Your Review Team

• Review checklist
• Spelling, grammar
• Timelines
• Research
• RFP Outline
• TTTTs iiiiiii
• Did you answer the ???

• Review strategy selling points
• Cohesiveness
• Jargon-free review
• Goals clearly stated
• Responses are strategic, feasible, realistic,
  logical
• Competencies

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Finish Early
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• Timelines, checks and balances

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• Submitting a proposal on the due date is late to
  a Reviewer.
• Early proposals receive favorable consideration.
• Late proposals, even if received, receive
  negative consideration from reviewers.
• Online Mechanical

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File 13 Proposals

• Faxed
• Handwritten
• Too many attachments, pages to read
• Obviously patched together from a variety of
  sources
• Templates

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Remember

• Proposal submission rules must apply to everyone.
  It is not up to the discretion of the program
  officer to grant you dispensation on deadlines.
• Equipment failures, power outages, hurricanes and
  tornadoes, and even internal problems at your
  institution are not valid excuses.
• Get your proposal in two or three days before the
  deadline.

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Remember

• Dont Bore the Reviewer

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Prove It
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• Back up your facts, edit, and tie in to other
  data

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Remember

• Format and brevity are important Do not feel
  that your proposal is rated based on its
  wordiness.
• Proposals are meant as convincing documents, not
  reports or research.
• State your case, make your main points early and
  stay organized.

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Remember

• Reviewers hate being challenged to read densely
  prepared text or to read obtusely prepared
  materials.
• Take pity on the reviewers. Make your proposal a
  pleasant reading experience that puts important
  concepts up front and makes them clear. Use
  figures appropriately to make and clarify points,
  but not as filler.

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Tell A Story
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• Beginning, Middle End

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Remember

• Address the big picture.
• As you are writing, convey your passion and
  enthusiasm for the project, so that reviewers
  become excited as they read your proposal.
• Describe why your project is exciting and
  distinct from others.

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Develop a writing process
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• Detail your facts, edit, and tie in to other data

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Step 1-Prewriting Step 2-Drafting Step
3-Revising Step 4-Editing Step 5 - Final
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Where's the Beef? Present a clear path from data
to interpretation to theory to result.
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What sets your Proposal Apart? Whats New and
Different?
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Innovate Best Practices
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• Create, Expand, Go Beyond

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Whats Better?
Whats New?
Whats Innovative?
Whats Hot?
Whats New?
New Services?
Whats New?
New Use of Technology?
New Markets?
Efficient?
Whats New?
Problem Solved?
Whats Different?
Whats New?
Whats New?
Whos New?
Whats New?
Whats New?
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3 Cs Capacity, Competence Capabilities
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• Tell Your Story, Why Your Team, Meet The Need

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Remember

• Make sure the proposal shows that your team has
  both the background and expertise to carry out
  the project.
• Know your organizations areas of expertise, what
  are your strengths and what are your weaknesses.
  Play to your strengths, not to your weaknesses.
• Establish your credentials and expertise in a
  subject area. Your track record does count.

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Focus on Needs
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• Know Their Story, Relate to the RFP, Meet Their
  Need

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Remember the Funders Needs
Ask "what can WE do for the corporation/funder/org
anization rather than what the corporation/funder/
organization can do for US". 
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Remember

• Know the funding source from which you seek
  support.
• Never submit a proposal to a funder if you are
  not certain that it is the correct source to
  support your work.
• Dont waste your time writing a proposal that has
  no chance of success ...unless

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Unless

• You want to receive feedback from national
  reviewers
• You want to begin to build relationships with a
  new funder
• You want to develop a portfolio of ideas
• You have a concept and want it vetted

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Know your Communitys Needs

• Community Assessments
• Focus Groups
• Surveys
• Requests
• Complaints
• Empty areas
•  

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Know your Organizations Needs

• Strategic Plans
• Complaints
• Skill sets abilities
• Board Leadership Vision
• Uniqueness  
• Natural affinity

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Relationships Matter!
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• Know Who, What and Why Before You Ask !

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Build Relationships

• Make contacts through your networks
• Memberships in organizations that facilitate
  networking
• Know what the Funder is doing in your
  community/their footprint
• Develop the Capacity to quickly publicize your
  organizations activities

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Build Relationships

• Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media
• Online Newsletters, website
• Blogs, webinars, trainings
• Client testimonials
• Media opportunities
• Provide opportunities to collaborate on Board of
  Directors, Loan Committees, Advisor Boards,
  Volunteers, Memberships, community organizations
• Fraternal organizations

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10 Strategies Checklist

• Follow Directions
• Independent Eyes
• Finish Early
• Prove It
• Tell A Story
• Writing Process
• Innovate
• The 3 C's
• Focus on Needs
• Build Relationships

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Resources and Tools

• 10 Strategies for Successful Grant Writing
  PowerPoint
• Foundation Center Corporate Giving Resource List
  PDF
• Writing Winning Proposal by Shipley Nordic
• Requests for Proposals Feb 2012

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QUESTIONS?
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Follow up Contact Information Elizabeth Wilson
biznow_at_aol.com404-344-2601 www.elizabethwwil
son.com