Being a grant writer can feel overwhelming at times. Collecting documents, meeting deadlines, creating final reports- it’s a lot.
When I feel myself become overwhelmed, I know it is time to reevaluate my systems. Having effective systems in place that work for my brain are the only way I manage grants rather than them managing me.
When my systems are off, I forget simple tasks, barely meet deadlines, and feel out of control of my days.
Here is how I dial in my systems…
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First, I evaluate the tools I am using. Are they working? Have I outgrown them?
For example, I used spreadsheets to manage grant calendars and deadlines for over a decade. When I have only a few clients, spreadsheets are a great system. However, when I increased from three to four clients, I felt out of control.
Rather than limit the number of clients I serve, I put better systems in place.
Today, I use Monday to manage my grant pipeline, document library, final report pipeline. With this tool, I can set up automations and notifications, creating efficiencies and reducing human error.
Adding clients meant that I needed a more efficient and effective grant research tool. I love GrantStation, but Instrumentl is more robust and comprehensive. Today, I use and recommend both tools, but Instrumentl is my go-to.
Another way I standardized my workflow to ensure that I am managing my grants is to create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for my process.
This is a detailed doc of my exact processes including grant research, creating grant calendars, writing grant proposals, follow up, grant management, and final reporting. When I feel overwhelmed, I have a framework that works and following it helps me regain control of my workload. I revise it when needed.
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants
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