Program + Grants can = Grants Success!

A 5-Part Series – Installment #1/5

There is sometimes a disconnect between Program staff and the Grants team in a nonprofit. They speak different languages, and so communication issues arise.

The Program leadership and staff working on the front lines of your nonprofit works directly with the people you serve. They are your “boots on the ground,” your “eyes and ears” to knowing your program participants, what’s working and what’s not. Sometimes they have a master’s in social work (MSW) or higher degree; in any case, they are your experts.

Often Program staff have a language all their own, what they call things or what they think is important is baked in, and the acronyms and shorthand they use get confusing to the uninitiated. Maybe they find it difficult to even translate what they know to you and me, because they’ve lived it and know it so innately.

But they are your pipeline to information for your grant proposals. You share a goal — to get funding to run their programs and fulfill your agency’s mission — but often they don’t “get” what you need to make that happen, and we don’t “get” where their heads are either.

If this describes your situation in your nonprofit, let’s break down some of those points of detachment between Program and Grants in this series and see if we can’t find a fix.

MY NEED, YOUR NEED, OUR NEED

For the Grants person, the Need Statement is the lynchpin of a strong proposal. But what we mean when we say “need” is not always understood outside of our profession — by Program or anyone else, most likely. Take your Grants hat off for a sec, and listen to how it sounds objectively:

The first component of the Logic Model is the Need, or Problem.

We say that little statement and everyone else is like “huh?” So we have to do a bit of translating so the Program people can get what we’re asking for. Yes, it’s true; we Grants people have our own lingo too!

When we ask “What is the Need for the program?” we don’t mean “We need a van,” or “We need more staff,” or for the start-ups: “I want to get paid!” The need is NOT the agency’s need, or your need.

We need to explain to Program that basically, a “Need Statement” points out the need the people you propose to serve have (economic, housing, education, etc.), and how your program or project will meet that need. That’s a mind shift, so let that sink in with who you’re working with.

The Need Statement describes who those people are, what their circumstances are, and what led them there — their living conditions, job status, economic situation — whatever descriptors tie back to how you propose to fill their need best.

A well-crafted Need Statement can help the grant maker understand how the proposed project or program will address the identified problem or issue. This can include:

• information on the target population,
• the specific activities that will be undertaken, and
• the expected outcomes of the project.

Work through that point by point, helping your Program staff know what you mean at each step. Pull that out by asking — at each piece of information, or activity, or outcome they express — “Then what?” or “What else?” This will be time well spent.

Another important aspect of a Need Statement is that it should be realistic and specific. The Need Statement should identify a specific problem or issue (emphasis on “specific”), and the proposed project or program should have clear and measurable objectives that can be used to evaluate the success of the project (emphasis on “clear and measurable”).

Here’s a crude and simple example to illustrate what I mean:

See the difference? The problem went from general and vague to specific. The objectives went from broad and indefinite, to measurable (the rate will double), time-bound (3 years), clear, and specific.

Here’s a tool to help ensure your program’s objectives are precise and unambiguous. It’s called SMART Objectives and using this tool can help you strengthen your message to your funder:

• S = SPECIFIC (is our objective detailed and particular?)
• M = MEASURABLE (do we have results we can measure?)
• A = ATTAINABLE (can we reach this objective with the resources we have?)
• R = REALISTIC (is this objective attainable?)
• T = TIME-BOUND (goal reached within how much time?)

Work with your Program people to reach a clear and exact problem or need statement, and an equally clear and exact objective.

Translate what you mean about the Need and the outcomes, ask your Program experts for links to articles or websites with stats on the need you’re trying to address with your program, and hopefully next time you ask for The Need, you’ll be understood!

The next installment of this series will address Program Budgets. Terrifying for some, especially those that don’t consider themselves “numbers people.” We’ll unravel what we as the Grants people need to express to make it understood what is needed for the Budget. Stay tuned!