Some of you may know that I am in Nigeria for the summer and will be living here part-time for the next few years. Most of you had no idea. It is a welcome and wonderful adventure.
Immersing yourself in a different culture is educational, inspiring, and also confusing at times. When I first visited Nigeria, I viewed my environment through the framework of my experiences.
Not only is that not fair, it isn’t smart.
And I started thinking about this in terms of grant writing.
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A few months ago, I launched an emergency grant campaign to offset my client’s costs relating to an unexpected, large-scale exotic animal rescue.
When I first launched the effort, I felt strongly that I knew everything about my client’s program and the type of funder who would likely help in this emergency situation.
I was very wrong.
I led with the recognizable exotic animals and the story that I assumed would compel funding.
I was wrong for assuming.
The thing is…I don’t really know much about the exotic animal community or the rescue world, so I wasn’t telling the right story.
Turns out, one of the rescued animals is endangered, which opened up several more grant opportunities.
And, funders who support these initiatives know about these animals. I stopped making assumptions and quickly brought myself up to speed about each of the animals. I learned about who funds these projects and why. Only then was I able to write a compelling narrative.
In much of the same way that Americans should leave their assumptions behind when traveling to Africa, grant writers shouldn’t assume that we are the experts.
Get feedback. Listen to the funders. And listen to the organizations you serve.
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants
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