Proposals can get rejected for a myriad of reasons that have nothing to do with you. Sometimes the funder just runs out of money and has to make some tough decisions.
But wouldn’t it be great to have a way to design a program that is so incredibly, undeniably strong that it truly beats out the competition?
That trick for strong program (and proposal) development exists! You just have to put it into practice.
Trouble is, the “trick” I’m thinking of gets people confused, and they avoid using it. But unlocking its mysteries would make things so much better for you, your agency, and your win rate!
What’s the trick? It’s this: the Logic Model.
Don’t stop reading! I swear, I’ll break it down and you won’t be sorry.
The Logic Model gets a bad rap, it seems serpentine, with confusing terminology. It took the W.K. Kellogg Foundation 71 pages to lay it all out. But it CAN be simplified, and I have done that for you! It’s what I explore in my latest ebook, “Why Proposals Get Rejected.”
Once the Logic Model’s mysteries are un-wound in clear and simple (logical) language, it makes it seem more useful. And it is useful! It has so many applications and ways it will make your proposals winners!
- Program design
For a program that moves towards its goal with each activity it carries out, the Logic Model process is what you need to go through to catch any holes and plug them. It forces you to look at and account for each activity of your program, and assess if it is helping you achieve the outcomes you desire, and reach your stated goal.
———————————————————– - Program evaluation
For identifying what to evaluate and when, use the Logic Model! The process shows you at what point you have an objective to measure — and that’s where you can evaluate if you are meeting that objective. If I state in my Logic Model that the program intends to serve 100 people in the first 90 days, I can measure that and know if we are on track, or if we need to pivot.
- Program reporting
If your Logic Model process has shown you when and what to track, Just Do It! If you know what to track and that’s the tracking you’re doing, then that’s what you can tell your funders you will be tracking and showing as your progress to goal. This makes your grant reporting work laid out for you, and knowing what your benchmarks are in advance makes the job less burdensome.
———————————————————– - Proposal writing
Your Logic Model is the ultimate tool for a logically mapped-out program description with no gaps in its logic towards achieving its goal. With your Logic Model laid out, you literally have the logical progression of your “case for support,” and your case is airtight. If you rigorously go through your Logic Model process, your proposal language can follow its “if-then” progression.
- Program budgeting
Not to mention, the Logic Model helps with your program’s budget, by compelling you to lay out ALL the components needed to carry out your program successfully. It makes you ask yourself: will we have all the stuff we need? All the staff we need? All the space we need? The Logic Model process helps you lay out all eventualities and foresee any circumstances that might cost you, and include them in your program budget.
That’s FIVE compelling reasons to download the ebook, plop down and go through it! In the book, I break down the Logic Model, review its benefits, explain clearly what its components are and how they connect to each other and to your goal, and show its use in grant applications. I spend extra time on places where people get hung up about Logic Models, and I even give several real-world examples.
It’s a worthwhile 36 pages — not dense, a lot of white space. Not too academic-sounding, not a head-banger. Just me, talking to you. Making it make sense.
Give it a try! Download it now!
