The first few days and weeks of the new administration have been fraught with change. How this shakes out — good, bad, or indifferent — remains to be seen, and I hate to pass judgment too early on. But we in the nonprofit sector have been pummeled, and it’s not over yet. And may not be for some time. It’s been a “Ready. Shoot. Aim.” scenario, and the rush to institute sweeping change has backfired. It seems there’s been little forethought into the ramifications, and the switcheroo’s have reminded me of an important lesson. And we grant pros can all learn from this scenario.
- Read and re-read the entire RFP, or application and its questions. Make a worksheet of all the questions, noting character counts.
- Make an outline of your initial thoughts on what each of your answers could/should be.
- Then step away. Sleep on it. Or take a walk.
- The point here is to mull what you think they asked, and what you initially thought you should say in response. You might be surprised how giving your brain a little space to reconsider might change your viewpoint.
- Update your outline based on your reevaluated thoughts.
- Start writing, but don’t stay too married to your outline or the space considerations. Not yet. Just write. You may surprise yourself at what bubbles up as a salient point or something that would really resonate with your funder.
- Reconfigure and re-order your draft under the questions asked. Again, don’t worry too much about character counts at this stage. That shouldn’t kill the momentum.
- Read and re-read the questions and your answers. Do you make sense?
- Now you go at your draft with a “red pen,” getting yourself roughly within character limits. Consider: Is what you’re saying relevant? Is it truly important to this funder in THIS answer?
- Still over the limit? Is there a way to cut down unnecessary words (like “seek,” instead of “seek to find.”)? Drill down. Or is the space so limited that the funder is really telling you “Just bullets is fine here”?
- Send it to your superiors (and a peer reviewer if you’ve got one!) for their feedback and input.
At this point, you should have a concise, significant narrative that is fact-filled, thoughtful, devoid of fluff, and gets to the point. Your funder and their reviewers will appreciate you! Maybe even fund you!
Not rushing, not taking into account the consequences of your words or actions, not setting your initial thoughts in stone, NOT using the “Ready. Shoot. Aim” approach — all these “Tips” may help you churn out a better application. Best of luck, I’ll be thinking of you!
