Demystifying Grantseeking: What You Really Need to Do to Get Grants
- Book Review,
by Larissa Golden Golden Brown
Review
What do you really need to do to get grants? Get thee a system! Not just any system; this one.Proposal writing is a science and art. The art part is writing; the science part is research, strategy, observation, and painstaking work. Demystifying Grant Seeking is about the painstaking part, but the authors skillfully render the components in manageable, sustainable portions, palatable for the busiest of non-profit professionals.Larissa Golden Brown and John Martin Brown walk you through a grant-seeking system that works. The Browns' plan is for: the newcomer who must be led into the process; the experienced proposal writer who needs to keep track of all the office's activities; and anyone who wishes to streamline operations while improving quality and consistency.Don't think this is just about how to get to funders. This is about how to collect information, manage it and other materials, and promote communication habits to create a winning grants office. The authors describe the grant-seeking cycle in five parts: 1) learn - about your organization, your community and your potential funders; 2) match - your needs with the funder's interests and performance; 3) invite - the funder, through the proposal, to invest in the organization and the community; 4) follow up - on the program and the partnership; and 5) evaluate - the grant-seeking process to fine tune it before renewing the cycle.They take the time to dispel many grant world myths, including "All you need is one well-written grant proposal" and "You need to 'know someone' to get a grant." They even point out the basic necessities for operating a grant-seeking office -- mercifully low-tech and manageable.Quickly, though, they get to pre-writing part of the process. Proposal writers know that much time is spent learning about the organization, its programs and plans, sometimes developing programs or shaping them to enhance their appeal to funders, and collecting information and support materials to satisfy the donor and dramatize the project. The Browns' emphasis on what they could call the "discovery phase" is very well placed. Their checklist of questions for interviewing the CEO, the program director, and staff assures solid internal research. The answers to those questions become the backbone of the finished proposal.Chapters on collecting, developing and refreshing support materials, and program, donor, and grants management files have excellent ideas for simplifying work and improving the delivery of quality of information. The authors' recommendations on managing information in the office are surprisingly simple. Cultivate their habits of keeping only what is important, and completing related tasks together (filling a "to read" file or saving leads for a morning of electronic research) to maximize efficiency. These systems definitely work. My office has already adopted their deadline cards, organizational resume, and the filing and record keeping ideas. Check the back of the book for sample forms and an application.The section on maintaining relationships with funders may be a bit too subtle for some newcomers, so let me emphasize the importance of disciplined relationship management. This is the beginning of a long-term partnership with the donor: attend to it if you hope it will flourish. So use their "follow-up form" and funder communication ideas to guide you. It is far easier to keep a funder than to get a funder.How about sustaining momentum in a busy office? The authors wisely recommend annual reviews of grant-seeking efforts and staff summits that prioritize projects and define staff responsibilities in proposal preparation. Never underestimate the importance of non-development staff in an organization. Their ideas, information, and support are critical for success. A little internal public relations through periodic review meetings and regular, but brief, reports to staff will foster a team atmosphere that helps get good work done for everyone.Demystifying Grant Seeking is a very fine combination of Larissa Golden Brown's fundraising successes and Martin John Brown's writing abilities (they probably share those, too). It is a generous gift to those who work so hard on behalf of good causes. Read it and keep it. (Review by Sarah S. Brophy)
Review
"Demystifying Grant Seeking is a very fine combination of Larissa Golden Brown's fundraising successes and Martin John Brown's writing abilities (they probably share those, too)." (Review by Sarah S. Brophy)
Review
"At last! A practical, hands-on— and most importantly, realistic— guide to the entire grantsmanship process. Unlike so many how-to guidebooks which promise what they cannot deliver, while propagating the myth that successful grants require nothing more than a 'winning proposal', Demystifying Grant Seeking correctly places the proposal in its proper context alongside the 'other 90 percent of the process' that funders truly consider. As a former foundation program officer, I heartily recommend Demystifying Grant Seeking!" —Marilyn L. Gross, president, Educational Funding Strategies, Ltd., and publisher, THE INTERNET INSIDER— for Grantseekers & Fundraisers
Book Description
Demystifying Grantseeking is an inspirational and instructional guide to grantseeking. The authors--successful grantseekers in their own right--show you how to overcome the common fears fundraisers often experience and offer sound, practical advice to successful grantseeking. The book provides you with a systematic and logical way of searching for grants, and helps to identify which foundations to approach so fundraisers don't waste time on dead-end proposals.
From the Inside Flap
For weeks you have put your energy into writing a grant proposal. When it is finally finished, the proposal seems to be everything you had hoped for— eloquently written and well-crafted. You put it in the mail and hope for the best. But the "perfect" grant fails to get funded. What went wrong? Demystifying Grant Seeking shows you what to do to get the grants your organization needs. Many books help you write grants. This inspirational and instructional guide takes you beyond crafting proposals to offer practical advice on building an effective grant-seeking process. It reveals a new path to success that begins by dispelling the myths and fears that get in the way of effective grant seeking. Demystifying Grant Seeking clearly defines the principles that underpin a successful grant-seeking process and outlines a five-step system that will enhance grant-seeking efforts for both fundraising novices and seasoned professionals. Demystifying Grant Seeking presents a proven framework that will give you the tools you need to: Discover the authentic needs of your community and what makes your organization's work meaningful and important Create foolproof materials that will become the base of all future grant proposals Determine how to make your formal requests for funds Manage the relationships that could help or hinder your proposals Organize your follow-up process and make it productive Analyze your experience to determine how your next project can be improved Appraise your next opportunities and upcoming deadlines Create an effective system for the next grant seeking-cycle This nuts-and-bolts book covers all the details of effective grant seeking and includes a list of the materials needed to set up an office that is geared for grant-writing success. The book is filled with exercises that will help you learn a new way of operating so you can seek grants with efficiency and integrity.
From the Back Cover
In Demystifying Grant Seeking, authors Larissa Golden Brown and Martin John Brown offer down-to-earth advice on implementing an effective grant- seeking process based on the art of fearless grant seeking. Written for nonprofit professionals and fundraisers— no matter what their level of expertise— this hands-on resource outlines a five-step program that will help to dispel myths, overcome fears, and lead to grant-seeking success. Using the suggestions outlined in Demystifying Grant Seeking fundraisers will: Learn about their organizations, communities, and funders Match requests to funders Invite funders to invest in their organizations Follow Up both internally and with funders Evaluate results, methods, and opportunities
About the Author
Larissa Golden Brown is a partner in Brown and Brown Consultants which helps nonprofit organizations streamline their grant-seeking process and fund their plans and dreams. Brown also specializes in grants coaching and instruction inspiring people to take on their own fundraising. Her clients have included the Oregon Children's Foundation, The Salvation Army, Community Outreach, Inc., Portland Opera, and Sisters Of The Road Cafe. Martin John Brown is a partner in Brown and Brown Consultants. He is a scientist turned writer whose work has appeared in High Country News, Venue magazine, The Bear Deluxe, and other publications.
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