I recently went through a grant winning slump with one of my clients. We started out strong, winning a few local grants and a big national grant and then the rejection emails started coming in.
I was able to garner some brief feedback from two funders, but nothing substantial.
My client became discouraged and I could feel their confidence in me begin to waver. I also felt my own confidence begin to waver.
Before I got too low, I took control of the situation.
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First, I read through my rejected grant applications. I noted any areas that were unclear or needed improvement and I rewrote a few narratives.
Next, I got into the proper headspace to look at my client’s organization with fresh eyes. I tried to put myself in the place of the grant funders. Where were the weaknesses?
Here is what I identified:
- The Board of Directors was lacking. There wasn’t enough diversity and the bios weren’t strong. We needed to add at least three board members. I suggested adding racially diverse board members with industry expertise and at least one with CPA experience.
- The organization lacked press. They only had one lackluster video that was two years old. We needed to launch a PR campaign and get our local media excited about the work we were doing.
- Since the organization is small, there was no staff. We needed to transition at least two 1099 contractors to W2 employees. Grant funders don’t usually get behind organizations with 100% volunteers or contractors. Someone needs to have skin in the game.
- Website transparency was also lacking. We needed to publish our Board and Staff bios and headshots, our 990s from previous years, and press releases.
I scheduled a call with my client and we discussed this list. They agreed to make the changes and within a few months, the grant awards began rolling in again.
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants
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