1. February 19, 2010 Grant Proposals Step by Step Alice L. Ferris, MBA, CFRE GoalBusters LLC www.goalbusters.net

2. February 19, 2010 What do you know about grant writing?

3. February 19, 2010 Agenda Defining your project Identifying your funder Proposal writing Pet Peeves

4. February 19, 2010 Defining Your Project

5. February 19, 2010 What are you trying to sell? Why is it important to your organization? How will it contribute to your mission? How will peoples lives be affected?

6. February 19, 2010 What makes a project attractive to a funder? Restricted Start up or early stage Limited term for fundersustainable beyond 2-3 years Clear and measurable impact

7. February 19, 2010 Developing a master proposal Who Where What When Why How

8. February 19, 2010 Boilerplate materials Mission, Vision, Values Board list Staff list in project area Audit Form 990 501(c)3 letter Corporate Certificate Organizational or department budget

9. February 19, 2010 Identifying Your Funder

10. February 19, 2010 Philosophy Don't waste your time or the funder's time with a frivolous proposal

11. February 19, 2010 Basic research Open or Invitation Only Deadlines Application process Funding range (sometimes) Areas of focus Programmatic Geographic Contact information

12. February 19, 2010 Sources for information Foundation Center Library Grants.gov Google Corporate and Foundation websites Guidestar.org Donor lists of similar organizations NOZA (www.nozasearch.com)

13. February 19, 2010 Next level research: Personal Contact To ask if this is of any interest If you cant find basic information anywhere else If its a closed foundation but you personally know someone there If you think your project fits within scope, but youre not sure If they dont say you CANT call

14. February 19, 2010 Applying for a Grant

15. February 19, 2010 Follow Directions! Determine funder requirements in research stage Put things in their order

16. February 19, 2010 Types Letter of Intent Full Proposal Follow Up Proposal

17. February 19, 2010 Letter of Intent Usually one to three pages Executive Summary of Project Lets funder make initial evaluation or in the case of more informal funders, can be the only proposal

18. February 19, 2010 Full Proposal Structure varies from funder to funder Usually very detailed and involves lots of rules Sometimes this can be the initial and only contact with a funder

19. February 19, 2010 Follow Up Proposal Usually at funder's request Sometimes may be as detailed as a full proposal Huge variation in structure

20. February 19, 2010 Who needs to be involved CEO or Executive Director Program director Volunteers sometimes Finance director YOU

21. February 19, 2010 Make it engaging!

22. February 19, 2010 Classic story structure Introduce your hero, get him up a tree, throw rocks at him, then get him out of the tree. Robert McKee, Screenwriting Guru Or George M. Cohan, depending on where you check

23. February 19, 2010 Classic Story Structure Introduce Protagonist

24. February 19, 2010 Classic Story Structure Introduce Protagonist Inciting Incident

25. February 19, 2010 Classic Story Structure Introduce Protagonist Inciting Incident Identify Obstacles and Barriers

26. February 19, 2010 Classic Story Structure Introduce Protagonist Inciting Incident Identify Obstacles and Barriers Propose a solution and make the funder part of it

27. February 19, 2010 Evaluation measures Qualitative Quantitative How will this impact the community or end user? NOT how it will impact your organization, necessarily

28. February 19, 2010 Editing Especially important for group written proposals Get outside input

29. February 19, 2010 Submit and Follow Up Don't be late! Follow directions Site visits if necessary Okay to call if they say it's okay to call Okay to ask for feedback once they make contact

30. February 19, 2010 Proposal Writing Steps Follow directions! Determine the proposal type Identify the players Gather your facts and story Set real evaluation measures Save time for editing Submit to the funder

31. February 19, 2010 Reporting You're not done yet! Budget time for grant management

32. February 19, 2010 Pet Peeves

33. February 19, 2010 How to turn off a funder All data, no story Fluffy needs statement Not following instructions All qualitative evaluation measures Unrealistic budget Bad grammar, unprofessional presentation One size fits all proposal Late proposal Trying to circumvent the process

34. February 19, 2010 Questions?

35. February 19, 2010 Thank You! Alice L. Ferris, MBA, CFRE Partner GoalBusters LLC alice.ferris@goalbusters.net www.goalbusters.net www.twitter.com/goalbusters