Help Writing Winning Grant Proposals

Are you looking to raise money for your animal rescue agency?  Or finding important research dollars for your health related charity?  No matter what your mission is, there is a foundation out there, waiting for you to apply for a grant.

This article will help you write winning grant proposals.

While the grant writing process may seem like an arduous task the first time you undertake it, the work you do to think, plan and write your proposal will pay off many times over as you apply for multiple grants.

In fact, one of the secrets of writing successful grant proposals is the creation of boilerplate material that remains consistent in all of your applications.  For example, the history and mission of your organization generally does not change.  Take the time to craft these sections once, and you will simply cut and paste for multiple applications.

There are three steps preparing a winning grant proposal:

Ask Others For Help – Perhaps a board member or volunteer has grant writing experience. Or your organization may have money in the budget to hire a freelance grant writer or consultant.  Of course, many times this is not the case.  Maybe your community has a local resource that offers courses, such as a Community Foundation or even your local college.

Use a Database – It’s true that data is critically important to the health of all non-profit agencies.  Keeping your donor records in good order proves to foundations that you are worthy of funding.  It’s also a best practice to record all of your contacts with Foundation leaders and board members.  A good rule of thumb is if you where hit by a truck today, could someone pick up where you left off tomorrow?  Your mission is important and deserves this level of detail.

Develop Your Case for Support – The case statement is the most important aspect of a winning grant proposal.  It must be compelling, clear and full of passion.  But don’t get carried away just on emotion, it must be measurable.  Funders want to know what is needed, why your agency is perfectly aligned to fill the need, and how lives will be impacted.  It must be interesting and should be updated on a regular basis.  Don’t let your case statement get stale.  It is the lifeblood of your mission.

If writing grants seems overwhelming, go ahead and get some additional help.  A class at your local community college or community foundation can get you up to speed quickly.  The work you do in class could actually form the body of your first grant proposal.

Or you could turbo-charge your efforts and take an online course or download an ebook such as the Grant Proposal Toolkit.  Volunteers and professionals have both used it with success to complete their first grant proposals in five days. 

I have been a professional fundraiser for over a decade and I know that any templates, or materials that I can get my hands on, does wonders helping me get the job done with confidence. 

You just might find, that with a little help, you are talented at writing grant proposals.  There is nothing like the first check to make you a believer.