There is great value in taking a step back in order to go forward. Examining where we are and where we’ve been, and then assessing the progress, is a healthy exercise for us all — even us grant professionals. If we take a moment and ask ourselves if we’re honestly pleased with where we’ve come, it can uncover some truths about where we are as opposed to where we COULD be.
We’re at about mid-point in the year, and we can ask ourselves:
- Do we have the same drive and energy we had on New Year’s Day?
- Is there enough “life” to our proposals, or are they starting to read like they’re on life support?
- Have we achieved what we set out to do?
- How’s been our success rate?
- Are we using a lot of empty excuses to cover our tracks?
- Is there a lot of redundancy that we’re leaning on (i.e., recurring grants)?
If your grant program is showing signs of running out of steam, it might be time to grease the pistons by asking yourself some tough questions. If you’re observing lethargy — in yourself, your writing, your staff, your programs, or your stewardship efforts — then you have to believe someone else is noticing it too. And if that someone is a funder or potential funder, then that could be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I have felt deflated before, sure. If a proposal gets denied, I’m in a slump. If I am struggling to describe a program or the need for it, I get discouraged and frustrated. If a long-time repeat funder sends a Dear John letter, that’s a gut punch. If I am so busy doing reports and attending meetings that I don’t have time for the income-producing efforts I am PAID to do, then I feel hopeless.
But what I should do is get to the bottom of it. Figure out what’s at the heart of what’s missing or being done wrong or being done poorly — and fix it.
I reiterate time and again in the Unlock-Grants course that you, as the grant professional, are a leader in your organization. And a good leader doesn’t just accept the status quo; they recognize areas for improvement, and they DO something about it.
Look behind why your agency’s grant program is just chugging along, and adjust your thinking — before it goes off the rails! Here are three foundational strategies to keep a grant program on track.
1. Ensure your programs are grant-strong
STEP BACK and look hard at your programs’ strength in an increasingly competitive grant seeking landscape. How do they stack up? Can they boast strong measurable outcomes? And if not, is there something substantive those programs are doing that can be captured organically and reported on? Take your programs through the Logic Model process to ensure they are strong at every step of their development and life cycle. Think like a litigator or investigative reporter and poke holes everywhere you see an opportunity for improvement. Work with your program staff to fill those holes, logically.
2. Ensure your identified funders are good matches and stewarded appropriately
STEP BACK and make sure you’re not making assumptions about a prospective funder; call or email them and check if there’s a mission match, check about your proposed ask amount, and ask about your program’s chances of cutting through. A different program of yours might resonate better, but you won’t know unless you have that conversation. For your repeat funders, STEP BACK and make sure you’re not taking them for granted; don’t send a rubber-stamp copy of last year’s grant application, don’t wait to contact them only when it’s time to ask for money, and DO remember to thank them.
3. Ensure you prioritize your time and activities for maximum profitability
STEP BACK and look at the way you spend your time. Log your time in all the different tasks that encompass your day/week/month. Then analyze. Not enough time spent in funder cultivation and stewardship? Or prospect research/keeping the pipeline full? Or professional development? Find ways to prioritize. Maybe you spend too much time in meetings. If so, see if your portions can be at the top of agendas so you can step away afterward. Too much time in rote tasks? There’s lots of ways out there to automate those and tools to help you. Your time is your most precious commodity, so make this the year you take charge and prioritize how you spend it. Your grant success will be the reward!
Without proper programs, the right funders, and enough time to pursue the right grants the right way, what else is there to a grant program? As you examine where you are at this point in the year, STEP BACK, look around and assess, and then GO FORWARD and resolve to prioritize these steps, and the success of your grant seeking will surely increase.
