The proposal graveyard is a dreaded place where grants go to die.
Not because the program was bad.
Not because the mission wasn’t worthy.
But, because the proposals were not memorable.
The biggest threat to our grant submissions isn’t rejection- it is invisibility.
If a grant reviewer can’t remember your program after reading your proposal, it will slip quietly into the proposal graveyard.
Here is how to resurrect a dead proposal:
- Lead with clarity, not jargon. Most often, the grant reviewers aren’t experts in your industry and they may not know the language. Explain your program in plain terms.
- Make it sticky. Create imagery in the form of a success story or testimonial that will stay with the reviewer long after they read your proposal.
- Rely on the 15 second rule. If someone outside of your organization can’t read your proposal and summarize your program in one sentence, it is time to revise.
Before you submit, ask yourself if your proposal will be remembered or buried.
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants