This reminder is more for me than you. 
Last week, I was knocking out a proposal on the day it was due.
I was feeling like a boss…until I hit Submit.
I immediately received an error message stating that I can’t submit until I connect the Bonterra profile with updated ACH information.
OMG! (I figured it out and submitted in time, but I nearly died of panic.)
Similarly, a colleague recently complained to me about how grant portals always seem to freeze at 11:58PM.
You’ve uploaded all the attachments, answered all the prompts, hit submit, and now watch that spinning wheel go around for 10+ minutes.
Panic sets in.
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Strong grant proposals start long before the proposal is drafted- they start with clear, trackable impact. Imagine a world where you can log into a platform and generate a real-time outcome report. No more scrambling for data at deadline time.
While we can’t control portal glitches (or their suspicious timing), we can control one thing: submitting earlier than the final five minutes.
Deadlines are real. But “11:59 p.m.” is not a strategy.
Submitting early allows time to fix corrupted PDFs, formatting surprises, or that one required attachment buried in the guidelines.
Grant writing is stressful enough without playing chicken with technology.
Future you will be very grateful for an earlier upload.
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants