5 Common Mistakes Nonprofits Make When Writing Grants
Not selling both your cause and your organization
If you work for a nonprofit, you undoubtedly are passionate about what you do. You know your cause inside and out and go to great lengths to promote it. Funders might not share your same passion or possibly don’t understand the rationale for what you do, but they do want to feel as if their donation is making a difference. It is your job to make a compelling case as to why your cause matters, and to show funders beyond a shadow of a doubt that their donation is essential. Most nonprofits do a stellar job pitching their cause, but forget to sell their organization. When you do this, what you’re really doing is making it easier for the funder to say yes to an agency that does the very thing you suggest - even though it might not be yours! Each line in a proposal is valuable real estate. Make sure you’re using it to answer two fundamental questions: why this and why you? You know the answers to these questions best, so make sure funders know too!
Being too humble
It’s hard to talk about ourselves without sounding arrogant. This translates to proposals that avoid sharing some of your best work, which is the very thing that answers your fundamental questions of why your cause and why your organization. Don’t be afraid to shine a light on your achievements! Sometimes you have to toot your own horn to let someone know you are there.
This pitfall is the very reason we love being adjunct grant writers; we get to write proposals in our clients’ voice, yet have enough distance from their organizations to convey what they do without sounding pompous or dull.
Forgetting your audience
What happens if you write a proposal to a general-giving funder and assume they are experts in your field? The result is much the same as being at a party when someone acts as if we should know all about their line of work, even if it’s a specialized field: we feel a little less smart and definitely belittled. If that’s how we feel talking to someone, think about what it’s like for a potential funder to read something they can’t understand. Most funders receive so many proposals that rather than calling you for clarification, they’ll just toss your application.
Sending non-customized proposals
Many nonprofits work so hard creating a template they forget it’s just that: a springboard for other proposals. Do your research to find out what really drives the funder you’re applying to. Look at their 990’s and find the pattern among those they’ve funded in the past. Make a word bank of the terms and phrases they repeat throughout their Request for Proposals—then be sure to use those very words in your proposal as you explain how your organization implements them in your service delivery.
Rushing to submit
Weather we like it or knot, typos can make the funder subconsciously assume you to a lower level of intelligence and organizational capacity—as this sentence just proved. Be disciplined and finish your proposal early so someone can critique it before the deadline.
When we review proposals for nonprofits, (click here for more information on our grant review service) we note any typos, but the real value comes from having someone who doesn’t know the intricacies of what you do read your proposal. Many times, the wording isn’t clear, or questions arise that should have been addressed. For example, if an agency talks about building protective factors in youth through one-on-one mentoring but never shares that mentors are screened, background checked and trained, the funder innately wonders if this service is beneficial or if it poses a threat to those it serves. An external reviewer will help determine if you’ve answered why this and why you.
Double check against these pitfalls, start submitting stronger proposals and, with a bit of luck and a lot of research and work, enjoy the fruits of your labor as your funding base and programs grow.
