Recommendation for Starting a Non-Profit: Plan First – Do Good Second

Non-Profit Consultant and Expert Grant Writer, Derek Link, has more good advice for non-profit organizations that want to flourish:

I get about a call a week from people who have formed a non-profit organization recently and want to find grant money to help them get going. Unfortunately, many of these well-intentioned folks are ill-prepared to turn their good ideas into action. As I begin to ask questions about their organization, they have few answers. What they mostly know about what they want to do is based on speculation and assumptions. I find that they have rarely done any meaningful preparation before filing the paperwork to establish their 501(c)(3) status.


I fear that many these good people will fail at their efforts to start a non-profit because they haven’t done due diligence before what is, in reality, starting a business. If these people came to me before they went to the trouble and expense of starting a non-profit, I would recommend that they complete a business plan for the enterprise first. It isn’t that their ideas are bad; it’s just that they never asked the questions that would tell them if the idea is viable.

It is a huge mistake to think that simply because an idea is worthwhile, that it is also going to generate sufficient money to support a viable non-profit entity. Some of the best non-profits I know are in a continual battle for funding - scraping and scratching to make their budgets balance - even with GREAT results over many years.

Creating a business plan for a non-profit will help people craft a viable model or inform them about the lack of viability of the idea. Mind you, I am not saying that people should not start non-profits; I am simply saying that planning any enterprise before launching into implementation is always a wise course of action.

Here are some key questions that a business plan is designed to answer:

1. Are the services needed?

a. Where are they needed?
b. What exactly is needed?
c. Who needs them?
d. How much service is needed?

2. Who else provides these services?

a. Is there room to compete?
b. Who funds the competition?
c. Where are they and who is served?
d. Where are the gaps in their services?

3. What kind of budget will be needed to get it off the ground?

a. Develop a budget detail.
b. Research potential sources of funding
c. Identify potential partners

These and other important questions about starting a non-profit can be resolved through the planning process. Before paperwork and fees are filed for non profit status, a Board of influential and knowledgeable people should be assembled to help guide the process of founding the organization. One person with a great idea can get something remarkable going that does tremendous good in the world, but without comprehensive planning, a great idea may die on the vine. I think that if more people did sufficient planning, they might find that their ambitions to do good would be better served by being on the Board of, or volunteering with, an existing non-profit organization.

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A free webinar for non-profit boards - The Law
 
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Grant Writing is Like Lasagna

Lasagna is one of my favorite Italian foods - it’s the complete package, if you make it right, that is. A good lasagna has layers of perfectly cooked pasta, tomato sauce, Italian sausage, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and I even like to add a little cheddar cheese. Of course, it’s layered several times with all this good stuff!


Now a good grant is similar to a good lasagna! That’s right people, it really is! You have to write a grant in layers, like making nice lasagna. There’s the needs section (layer), the program design section (layer), the project management section (layer), the sustainability section (layer), the evaluation section (layer). And while each section/layer is distinct - like the sausage and the sauce of my favorite lasagna - there’s also a little bit of intermixing of ingredients/repeating of information.

That’s right! You can write a needs section and never mention it again but you will end up with an inferior lasagna…er, grant. You need to repeat the layers, when it’s appropriate. If the needs you describe are met by the project design - as they must be – then a mention of the needs layer is warranted in the project design layer to reinforce the deliciousness of the design.

A good lasagna would be incomplete with only one set of layers. It takes multiple layers to make a first class lasagna and repeating salient/savory points of the grant sections/layers make a grant come together like a good lasagna.

In example, if you say in your needs section that you have a waiting list o 30 parents for a particular program, then you want to point out that the parenting program you are proposing to implement in response to the need will accommodate all 30 parents on the waiting list and maybe even a few more! Abundanza, you have sausage in the first layer, and even more sausage in the second layer! TASTY!

So write your grant like a lasagna, write it in the layers specified in the RFA and then make sure you repeat the most delicious parts of the layers so that your lasagna is complete and not a single layered impostor that nobody will want to eat; and if they do, one they won’t give a 5 star rating.


By: Derek Link, Non-profit Consultant and Expert Grant Writer
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If you're interested in more of Derek Link's obsession with how grant writing is like food, try some of these other posts:
 
Grants Are Like Box Lunches
 
Grants Are Like Sausage
 
Some Grants Are Like Peanut Butter
 
Grants Are Like Donuts
 

An Expensive Day as a Freelance Grant Writer

Non-profit consultant and expert grant writer, Derek Link, shares some thoughts about his expensive day this week:

Some days just cost more than other days. I can go for a week without spending much money except on gasoline and food. But then there are days like today when the universe just seems to have its hand in my pocket and it’s cleaning out my wallet with a vengeance.


I suppose that one of the best things about being a freelance writer is the fact that if your car breaks down, you can go to work in the coffee shop. Well, rather, you have the freedom to link to the Internet and work remotely and you don’t actually have to check with anyone about it.

But if you are an employee, you need to notify your boss or supervisor that your car broke down and that you’re stuck working remotely. You may need to take time off to get the car fixed which has an impact on your income whether you lose vacation time or personal leave, it’s all the same thing -  money out of pocket.

A freelance writer can pretty much work wherever their computer is and can link to clients and needed online resources wherever they have an Internet connection. That’s a pretty nice thing about freelancing.

One issue about working remotely is that it gets expensive quickly. For instance, this morning, I dropped off the car at the mechanic. I then had to take the light rail to a meeting which cost money, and the light rail back which cost money, and then used Internet at a coffee shop which cost money, and bought coffee at another coffee shop which I learned did not have Internet so that was a wasted cup of coffee.

So in addition to paying $150 to the mechanic, and buying light rail tickets, and buying cups of coffee to use Internet services, it is turning out to be a fairly expensive Wednesday. I don’t like spending money, so an expensive Wednesday is not what I was planning on when I went to bed last night.

But that’s the free-wheeling life of a freelance grant writer, you never know where you’ll be working tomorrow and the expenses are out of your own pocket, there’s no accounting department to submit receipts to for reimbursement, when the universe decides to clean out your account, it’s kind of like the IRS, there’s simply nothing that can be done to stop it.

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Uh-Oh: We Got the Grant, But We Didn't Plan!

Often when you are applying for grants clients get very excited and can tend to exhibit what Alan Greenspan called "irrational exuberance."

It is important to remember as a grant writer that developing grant applications without proper planning can create more problems than the grant funding would solve. There is a considerable amount of responsibility and work that goes along with implementation of a successfully funded grant. Careful planning throughout grant development is vital in order to ensure successful implementation.

Here are 10 things to consider when planning for submission of a grant proposal to ensure that your grant is well thought out, realistic, and is based on achievable objectives:

1. Establish a planning committee before the RFP is publicized. Be certain to include all relevant partners who may be interested in participating, impacted by the grant services, and who are logical partners to share costs and in-kind services.
2. Maintain meeting records for the committee including roster, minutes, and agendas.
3. Engage the committee in a needs assessment and program planning process.
4.  Work out collaborative agreements and partnerships.
5.  Develop memoranda of understanding and letters of commitment among the partners.
6. Gather resolutions from boards and leadership committees of the partner organizations.
7. Obtain commitments from the partners for materials, services, budget commitments, participation in governance, and commitment to contribute data.
8. Develop a program design that the planning committee is in agreement with to address the needs identified in item 3.
9. Create an evaluation design to ensure that partners are aware and committed to data collection that will validate the achievements of the grant program.
10. Engage the planning committee in reviewing the grant narrative as it is being developed in order to ensure its accuracy and feasibility.

Often it is the responsibility of the grant writer to act as the voice of reason and to share their experience with clients who may be irrationally exuberant (or irrationally hesitant) about a grant opportunity. This may seem counterintuitive, in that you may feel that you are losing valuable business; however, it's good business to bring funding to your client if it is going to result in positive programs and positive outcomes that make them look good and help them achieve their mission. Enabling clients to apply for grants that they are either unqualified to implement or are of a scale that is beyond their capacity is harmful to your relationship with your client in the long run.

My master teacher always told us that failing to plan was planning to fail. Grant writers must be proactive in assisting their clients in the planning process to ensure that the grant submitted is realistic both in terms of current reality and future feasibility for implementation.


By:  Derek Link


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Other posts from The GrantGoddess Speaks that you might like:

How Did I Learn Grant Writing?  - Derek Link

Grant Writer Stalked by Client

Rantings of an Opinionated Grant Writer

Help! Grant Writer Downing in Paper!

How Positive Writing Makes a Better Grant

Also, take some time to visit A Writer's Journey for more thoughts on writing.

Do You Want to Become a Freelance Grant Writer: Are You Barking Mad?

Non-profit consultant and expert grant writer, Derek Link, shares his experience as a freelance grant writer with others who believe they are ready for the task:

 This is a serious question with serious consequences only to be considered by serious people because freelancing is a dangerous business.

First let us peer back through the annals of history to get some perspective on the term with the help of Wikipedia...

According to Wikipedia - The term was first used by Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) in Ivanhoe to describe a "medieval mercenary warrior" or "free-lance" (indicating that the lance is not sworn to any lord's services, not that the lance is available free of charge). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freelancer, accessed on 9/16/10)

As you can see, the term referred originally to a mercenary warrior which is what we still are; however, to borrow an over-used phrase from literature, “The Pen is Mightier than the Sword” or in this case, lance.

Just as a mercenary warrior for hire wasn’t free, neither are freelance grant writers.  We charge for our services reflecting the skill involved and the grave difficulty of overcoming the wicked enemies (RFP’s, RFA’s, Dragon Naturally speaking, etc).

We’re also similar to the warriors of old, in that if we aren’t really good at what we do, we’re likely to die a premature death;  although, our death would be figurative and primarily financial involving a future of cardboard signs and shopping carts; while the warriors, on the other hand, simply died a hideous death.

You must possess certain qualities to become a freelancer. You must be brave to confront the possibility of failure and certain death, you must be skillful to defeat the enemies, and you must be active to find someone who will employ you (or you’re just a vagrant with a lance).

Ah indeed, the life of a freelancer is fraught with danger and intrigue.  It is a life on the road, never sleeping in the same place for two nights (Motel 6), eating whatever you can forage along the road (AM/PM, 7-11, conference buffets), and trying to earn enough money to keep your trusty steed healthy and well-fed (oil change on your ’87 Honda Civic and gas at $4 a gallon – scary).

But you think still this life as a freelancer is for you?  Ah, you’re hale and hearty if you do, but you’ll be forsaking allegiance to one master, a risky business (i.e., leaving your cushy government job).  There will be mistrust because you’re a stranger; there will be misunderstanding (because you don’t speak their language); there will be blind attacks from the right and the left (from nasty Board members and inept leadership); and there will be times of feast and famine (carry trail bars and water in the trunk).

If freelancing courses through your blood then prepare well, for all your skills will be tested and re-tested.

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Knight photo courtesy of Freerk Lautenbag.

Writing a Grant Abstract

Non-profit consultant and expert grant writer, Derek Link, shares some ideas for writing a grant abstract:

An abstract is a short summary of your grant narrative, it gives the reader the big picture and should motivate them to want to learn more about your proposal. You’ll be required to submit an abstract for most proposals, but it is rarely part of the scoring criteria. This does not minimize its importance however, because it may be the first part of your application the reader sees.

These are the basic components commonly requested in an abstract. Be sure to read the Request For Proposals (RFP) carefully to see if there is a specified outline for you to follow that may deviate from this list below:

1. Statement of Purpose: Who is applying? What does this proposal do, who does it serve, where is it located? What is the proposed grant period?
2. Goals and Objectives: List or summarize the goals and objectives that this proposal seeks to address.
3. Management Plan: Summarize the key features that ensure your project will be professionally managed. Adequate budget, agency commitment, supervision, commitment of resoruces, etc.
4. Evaluation: Describe the key features of your evaluation methods and plans which will ensure that the project is properly monitored and that outcomes will be accurately measured.

Remember that most abstracts are limited to a single page so you must be brief and to the point. I suggest that you write the abstract before you write your proposal so you have the whole proposal clearly in mind before you begin to write the detailed narrative.

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Grant Writing Training

Here's Derek's commentary on our two days of grant writing training this week:

Yesterday, Veronica and I completed two days of grant training for a State agency in Sacramento.  It was lots of fun.  I’ve delivered grant writing training in the past on my own, but I haven’t ever teamed up to deliver it.  I think the participants benefitted a lot from having two grant writers giving hints and ideas from their experiences.

As we navigated through our daily agenda, I was reminded of how much there is to learn about grant writing and how much of it is learned by doing (and making mistakes) if you don’t have a good teacher and mentor.  I’d like to believe that Veronica and I helped these folks move along the road to becoming highly competent grant writers, but I know that some of what we said probably went in one ear and out the other simply for lack of experience and ability to put the information into context.  Hopefully they took good notes and the stuff they didn’t completely understand will become clear as they begin to write grants.

People holding jobs with the state often get a bad rap so let me just say that the fifty or so people whom we trained were on time, on task, and they were enthusiastic learners.  Not only that, the people who organized the training were competent, available, and welcoming.  It was refreshing and hopeful to see that there are so many quality people working in state government.

My boss and I gave a comprehensive 1-day overview of grant writing.  At the end of each day, participants could see that there is a lot more to know - and there is - so maybe we will be brought back for a second round of training.

Some companies make grant writing training a dry topic but we have ways to spice it up which are so good, so innovative, and so darned special that if I share them here our competitors will steal them from us (you’ll have to attend to find out – no industrial spying allowed either).  We were thankful to receive many positive comments on our evaluations so we’re pretty confident our methods worked.  All in all, we spent a fun couple of days with a bunch of great people: what more can we ask for!?

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A Glitch in the System

Our T-1 line has been in a terrible snit* for a few days. That may not sound very serious to those of you who don’t know what a T-1 line is, but to those of us “in the know,” we’re darkly aware that it’s very serious indeed.


The T-1 line brings us our telephone and Internet service so we’re pretty useless as consultants without a telephone or Internet connectivity; these are, after all, essential tools of the trade. It’s a bit like the Slurpee machine and the hot dog roller at the 7-11 going on the fritz, or Santa’s Elves emigrating to Thailand. Like convenience stores and Santa, there are some tools one must have to do business.

Oh sure, our computers still work. I can write fascinating blog posts (not necessarily this one), but I can’t post them. I can develop interesting videos and Photoshop pictures, but I can’t send them anywhere. Our T-1 glitch has rendered us electronically hamstrung as it were, and that’s frustrating to a bunch of propeller-heads such as we have become.

T-1 snits are unusual; these phone lines are quite reliable as a matter of course. This history of reliability brings me no satisfaction, it is but weak solace on this sunny afternoon. As I sit in electronic isolation, I fear it’s quite possible that the end of the world has come and I shall never know of it.

Oh joy! A technician has arrived to resolve the problem. After much trudging back and forth between his truck and the connection box, he informs us that a smidgen of corrosion on a connection has caused the snit just as a flight attendant in a snit can stop an airliner.

The problem has been resolved for today so we’re back online and there are pressing matters to attend to so I’d better end this short rant and move on to more meaningful activities.

*snit – adjective – An expression of aggravation roughly equivalent to a red-faced, screaming 2-year-old in the grocery store whose mother is waiting desperately for the person checking out ahead of her to learn how to use an ATM card. See also: Mel Gibson, Christian Bale.

(This post/rant was written by non-profit consultant and expert grant writer, Derek Link.)

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How Did I Learn Grant Writing? - Derek Link

Non-Profit Consultant and Expert Grant Writer, Derek Link, provides the first contribution to our How Did I Learn Grant Writing?" series:

Often people ask, "How on earth did you learn grant writing?"  Obviously it isn’t one of the careers that a high school counselor suggested and I’d wager it’s not one of the careers indicated by any career assessments.

My entry into the world of grant writing started when I took a job in which I was expected to write “Continuation Applications” for federal grants the agency secured before my tenure in the position. Fortunately, the consultant who wrote the grants originally was under contract to assist with evaluation and I was soon under his grant-writing tutelage.

My new mentor liked my writing style which tends to be direct and to the point.  After his contracts with our agency ended, he asked me if I was available to moonlight with his company as a freelance grant writer, so I asked my boss if he’d object to me doing that.  My boss gave me the green light and before long my nights and weekends were spent at the computer pecking away at grant narratives.

Now I don’t want to give you the impression that I was some grant-writing prodigy, some technical-writing-Mozart sitting blindfolded at the computer whipping out successful narratives: I most certainly wasn’t!  My mentor was a brutal and brilliant grant editor and he wielded a micro-cassette recorder as he read my narratives providing biting, insightful commentary which I often swore at (I’m not proud of it but it’s true) as I listened to the comments revising my writing again and again.

Another key thing I did to learn grant writing was take a grant writing class.  The class I took was rather basic, especially after my recent experience in writing grants but it did reinforce some important concepts and practices vital to becoming successful.  The grant writing course taught things like organization, writing style, voice, use of data, integration of the RFP outline, etc.

So in summary, my process to learn grant writing involved a number of things including:

1. I had a job that required me to write grants.
2. I had a great mentor.
3. I had the motivation to persevere in the learning process.
4. I took a grant writing course.

The intellectual exercise of writing a grant is still a great challenge.  Being able to hold the whole program in your mind as you write ensures continuity and clarity and requires you to be fully mentally present throughout the process.  I find grant writing to be a strenuous mental exercise. Learning to write grants will kind of make your brain sweat.

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Grant Writing Success – A Non-Profit Walmart State Grant

Non-profit consultant and expert grant writer Derek Link shares a grant writing success story:

A couple of years ago I was contracted to write some grants for a non-profit organization named Challenge Aspen in Colorado. My grant research led me to the Walmart Foundation’s State grant program and I was soon on my way to a grant writing success story.

The grant proposal we submitted secured a grant of $30,000 to support an important outdoor Challenge Aspen Military Options (CAMO) program for disabled female veterans. The program supports courageous women striving to re-build their lives after being disabled in the wars.

There were a number of important factors that contributed to this grant writing success:

1. Challenge Aspen does great work and documents what they do.
2. Challenge Aspen has a staff and a budget which ensured the work would get done that the $30,000 was targeted for.
3. There was a clear mission and measurable objectives for the proposal.
4. Challenge Aspen staff provided the documents I needed in a timely way and they gave me excellent feedback to ensure that the narrative accurately reflected the needs of the program.
5. Challenge Aspen had a competent grant writer (moi!)

Each grant writing success story involves a partnership between a functional non profit organization and an expert grant writer. It is always a joy to write for a non profit that is dedicated to its mission and can prove its effectiveness!

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The Can’t Be Dones (CBD’s)

I would not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum.

Frances Willard (1839 - 1898)

I have run into my share of resistance to change in my career as a consultant. In fact, I don't know a successful consultant who has not been forced to address this issue at some point.  Non-profit consultant and expert grant writer, Derek Link, shares his thoughts today on the "Can't Be Dones," those who consistently resist change:

Have you worked with someone who counters every idea for change with, “It Can’t Be Done”? I’ve found sometimes that people mistake their experience for wisdom when all they’re really doing is applying all previous failures to thwart new ideas.

You see “Can’t Be Dones” have become timid about trying new things for some reason. New ideas scare them because they’ve been around long enough to witness failure, perhaps lead others into it, or be led into it themselves. Sometimes, they’re just tired out and should probably retire, or get an attitude transplant.

“Can’t Be Dones” like it when things are in homeostasis, they’re comfortable there. It may not be that they’re happy with the way things are, but it’s a level of discomfort that they’re comfortable with and accustomed to, so it’s not worth changing something and possibly making it worse.

I’ve witnessed the “Can’t Be Dones” at work and their vocabulary around changes is always the same:

1.  “So-and-so tried that ten years ago and it didn’t work.” (not willing to examine why it didn’t work, or how this is different, or they may have no clue about either and don’t care).
2. “That won’t work here” and it’s usually because someone else won’t go for the idea, align with the change, adapt to the situation. (Not that the Can’t be Done is opposed, just other people).
3. “Shouldn’t be done” That’s a bad idea because it conflicts with tradition, customs, norms, morals, values, color of the building, rules, regulations, laws, Celtic lunar rituals (whatever, there will be a reason, and it doesn’t have to be a good one).
4. “You need to build consensus first.” This is a smokescreen for, “I will never join the majority; so, you feelin’ lucky punk?”

A lot of energy can be wasted on trying to get “Can’t Be Dones” to move in the direction of change. I suggest that you get everyone to move past them and they usually do one of two things, 1) They eventually grumble along behind the pack like a cranky kid who’s tired and didn’t want to go on the hike to start with, or 2) they will resist the changes by stopping on the trail, digging in their heels to test your commitment to moving forward.

It’s important to understand the thought processes of a “Can’t Be Done” and to try to engage them early and often in the process of brainstorming changes. Once in a great while through relationship-building in this manner, they can be brought over from the dark side of resistance. When the CBD’s refuse to join the hike, just be ready to drag them along the dusty trail of change kicking and whining.

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Eight Things a Grant Sample Can Teach You

Writing a grant is always a challenging exercise. People who aren’t grant writers always ask me if I can’t just take a previously written grant sample and rewrite it for another client. They think grant writing can be more efficient like building a successful template and then rearranging the pieces for a new competition. It sounds logical, but it simply doesn’t work.

The “bear” of grant writing is that each grant MUST be a unique creation. It is for a specific client with a specific set of needs, and those needs dictate a specific set of remedies, that are dictated by the specific talents and resources of the specific agency making the application, and on and on…

In short, there is no one-size fits all grant template. “Well,” one inquisitor pressed, “surely when it is the same grant competition for the same client, the grants must be almost identical” (after all, he was thinking, their address and phone number haven't changed). NOT necessarily so! Even the same grant competition revises the request for application (RFA) each year before it is issued to better represent the desires of the issuing agency. So no, resubmission involves a whole lot more work that merely changing the dates on an application.

So what about the title of my article and how does all this apply to grant samples? Well, the point of collecting and reading grant samples is not to copy a previously successful grant because as I’ve already stated, the formats will be different, the requirements will be different, and probably everything else you will write is going to be different.

Here are 8 things that grant samples CAN provide you that are very valuable:

1. You can learn a lot about the style of language that is effective in your writing.
2. You can learn ways to show data in tables and graphs that emphasize the right things.
3. You can learn how other applicants portrayed concepts or processes in a graphic that might be useful to telling your story.
4. You can review evaluation plans that might inform your evaluation design to make it more comprehensive.
5. You can see how the various sections of the grant were addressed, numbers of pages used, integration of data, research cited, etc.
6. You can learn more about the topic of the proposal including applicable research, funding statutes, applicable regulations where indicated, etc.
7. You can learn about specific populations and regions of the country where grants are given and approaches to the grant purpose that you may not have thought of but which might be applicable to your situation.
8. You can also learn formatting, style, tricks of word processing that save space, utilize non-narrative portions of the application to clarify and extend concepts.

There are many great benefits to reading successful grant samples and these are just a few. We work hard to collect as many grant samples for each type of competition as we can and we read through them to educate ourselves on best practices and best programs. It has been a worthwhile effort on our part as our clients can attest.

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Grant Writer Recharged and Writing

Derek, our non-profit consultant and expert grant writer, is back from his vacation and ready to get back to work:

My vac’s and hol’s* are over for now and I definitely feel recharged by the beauty of the Faith Valley where I was fortunate enough to spend a few days. People not from Northern California may think that beaches, surfers, bikinis, and Hollywood are an accurate representation of California. Many people outside California do not know that Northern California exists at all, or if they do, they may think that San Francisco is representative of our little piece of Paradise.

I know it’s probably irrational to let you in on the truth, mostly because you may want to come here to live, thereby overpopulating the place with ATV’s. But I trust your ability to comprehend the value of the place pictured here, and the rarity of being able to experience such an unspoiled environment and to care for it properly.

If you do plan to come visit the places pictured here, please treat the place with the reverence it deserves. By that I mean, pack out your trash, be careful with camp fires, don’t shoot anything, catch and release what you can’t eat, don’t strip limbs off trees to cook marshmallows with, etc. In other words, just be a good human please, and if you don’t, my mother will probably be castigating you publicly in the meadow with a fury known only by the few who have survived it.

Here are a few pictures:

Faith Valley, Alpine County, California, USA – (One of three connected valleys, Hope, Faith, and Charity – Interestingly, this picture looks a lot like the one that Veronica chose for my previous post and strangely, she has never been there!)

A coyote – (Wiley-looking ¿qué no?)






A Faith Valley sunset – (ahhhhh…)

I’ll be using these pics for my desktop background for a month or two so I can quickly go back in my mind to the peace and serenity of that place, the breezes blowing the sage, the Chickadees chattering while busily cleaning insects off the pines, and the screech of the Marsh Hawks chasing away the Bald Eagle who dared to soar through their territory.

Back to grant writing now – and happily so - recharged as only Faith Valley can make me (well, maybe Kauai too).

*Canadian for vacation





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Grant Writer on Vacation

Derek is on vacation, but before he went on vacation, he wrote about it.  I (Veronica) want you to know that my vacations are nothing like his. I think I could learn a thing or two from his philosophy about really getting away from it all for a few days.

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You may wonder – or not – what a grant writer does on vacation? Do they tow their editor along with them? Are staff instructed to send out urgent messages about new RFA’s? Do they splurge on buying a dozen grant samples to read poolside whilst sipping umbrella-drinks?

While all of that sounds reasonable (unappealing) and must be considered (not for a second), the answer for this grant writer is NOT. No editor, no grant samples, no rfa’s or rfp’s, no laptop either (the only exception would be an umbrella drink).

For my Vac’s and Hol’s (Canadian lingo for vacation) I’m going to the mountains, to camp, in the wilderness, near a stream, in a valley, where coyotes howl and night and where Native Americans long ago lived and dropped the odd arrowhead to be found.

I am always a writer, so I will be taking along my latest Moleskines to write and sketch in, and books to read, “Elements of Style” (still trying to develop one) and perhaps a recreational book or two I am in the middle of reading. Of course I will bring a cooler with some cold beer, dry ice and food, sunscreen, a hat that I can only wear with dignity in such a solitary landscape, and several changes of clothes.

The high mountains in August are cool, clear, and the peacefulness of the environment is good for a writer’s soul. Days with no television or radio, the only human intrusion is the occasional truck going up the road and the odd jet flying overhead somewhere with angry flight attendants. They should really try soaking up what they’re zooming over sometime, just not when I am there please.

Yes, my batteries are going into the shop for recharging on my Vac’s and Hol’s. My brain will not be in neutral, it will shift into another gear less burdened by the cares of the world and more open to inspiration, listening for the spirit of the Creator in a place still fresh from His hand.

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Five Grant Writing Errors to Avoid.

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What is a Grant Writer?

Non-Profit Consultant and Expert Grant Writer, Derek Link, answers the question "What is a Grant Writer?" in his own unique way:

So many times, in response to the standard “guy” question, “So, what do you do?” I get this deer in the headlights response to my answer, “I’m a grant writer.”  The predictable follow-up question is, “Really?  What’s a grant writer?” 

Most people (not all) have heard of grants but most people think it’s a gift-wrapped gold bar that Uncle Sam sends out to undeserving people who make obscene artwork.  So I explain what a grant is first.

What is a grant?

Basically, a grant is an effort on the part of the government to solve a problem, improve a condition, demonstrate the validity of an idea, and sometimes – it’s true (I wish it weren’t) – pay back a political favor. 

The government goes about this by organizing a grant competition.  This competition is assigned a budget and the size of the grants is usually pre-determined, and so the budget allocated to the program determines the number of grants to be given out.  Applications are developed and made available, deadlines for submission of applications are set, and criteria for scoring the applications are created. 

When all of the applications come in, they are sorted and checked to make sure the writers followed all the rules, those that did not are tossed into the trash can and the rest are scored.  The highest scores win the dough, everyone else gets zilch and has to wait for another round of competition.

What is a grant writer?

After I get the person to understand what a grant is, then they often must be helped to understand what the application entails.  This is when in the conversation they glaze over and their minds stray off into “I like pizza” mode.  So I usually cut it short with “A grant writer writes the applications for grants,” which is really all they wanted to know and more than they wanted to know all at the same time.

Guys usually ask you what you do because they’re trying to gauge your level of success to see if you’re someone they can relate to, aspire to be like or perhaps give a dollar to.  But being told that someone is a grant writer is impossible to quantify. 

Being a doctor or a lawyer implies one is making a substantial income but a grant writer is such an unknown that people who care about that stuff – and guys often do – really have a hard time wrapping their head around what it means.

I like that part of being an inscrutable grant writer, apparently savvy about the mysterious inner-workings of government, apparently owning the ability to help others access a trickle of the government wealth, and having an occupation with no common point of reference with which to determine my income level. 

I am a Grant Writer. With this title, I can remain somewhat of a social-class enigma at events and social functions (at least until I go out to the parking lot and fire up my ’97 Honda Civic).

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To Do Lists Keep This Grant Writer on Task…Sometimes

Making a list of things to do at the beginning of the day is usually a useful exercise for me, especially when I am extremely busy like now with web work, or when I am in the middle of grant writing.

If I don’t make myself a list, I find myself blundering about chasing windmills and perhaps not finishing something important or failing to finish something from the day before.

I like my lists and I draw a blue line through finished tasks with a highlighter as I complete each one. It makes me feel more competent to finish things and be able to cross them out throughout the day.

Of course there are days like today when things not on my list intrude and rudely insert themselves into my neatly ordered agenda for the day. I have fourteen things on the list today and I’ve only crossed off two of them. And besides my walk I have worked steadily. I’m not sure what all I did or why it was so important, but I got it done and it’s not on the list and now I am a little panicked that I haven’t made nearly as much progress on what I decided was important at the start of the day.

What to do, what to do? I could refocus and begin a new eight hour shift working into the night, but I’ve already eaten the last piece of fruit in my lunchbox and the rest of my provisions are far away in my kitchen.

So I’ll probably have to start with the same list (-3 now, this blog post is another item HA!) tomorrow that I am finishing with today. I don’t feel as competent as I do on days when there is only one leftover task.

But that’s life isn’t it? Sometimes things just go the way they’re expected, sometimes good planning is interrupted by new realities, and sometimes, work simply has to end in order to answer the call of the grumbling stomach and drive home for some chips and salsa.

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This post was contributed by Non-Profit Consultant and Expert Grant Writer, Derek Link.

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Help! Grant Writer Drowning in Paper!

This post was written by Non-Profit Consultant and Expert Grant Writer, Derek Link, but I must admit that his desk looks quite tidy compared to mine. The issue he struggles with is the same one I struggle with, except that the piles of paper on my desk are threatening to take over. This is how it always is at the end of the grant writing season.  Now I have the joy of cleaning it up. Enjoy Derek's thoughts.  Can you relate?

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It’s hard not to get buried in an avalanche of paperwork as a grant writer. Sometimes my desk starts to look like a paper recycling operation. I collect so many pieces of information necessary to the work, grant samples, a grant outline, pieces of research, books, booklets, digital disks, notes, charts, graphs, tables - some of it hard to find, and some of it needed once for one sentence, and then never used again.

The trouble is that when I do some research and toil away to find some precious piece of information for a grant, I tend to place a value that piece of paper that it may not merit. After all, if I can find it once, I can find it again, so why am I in angst about throwing it away? The truth is that my filing skills are not going to make it any easier to find in a file cabinet anyway. I’d be much better off doing another Google search or creating a bookmark for the location.

I’m afraid that my computer desktop looks a lot like my physical desktop much of the time. I place things there that I am working on and then before I get them filed away neatly and logically where I can find them the next time I need them, I am on to the next task and these files sit there sullenly until I get annoyed at the clutter and throw them in the virtual trash can.

I know I should be more organized and diligent about keeping order in my papers and megabytes but I don’t often have the motivation to do those things. I used to have a secretary to hand things off to. I’d say to her, “File this please”, and she would, and when I needed it again, she would know where to find it. It was magical.

But alas, for many years now I have been my own secretary and on Secretary’s Day I am not tempted to treat myself for my excellent work. In fact, if I could find a stack of pink slips, I’d give my inner secretary one.

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Be a Professional (Pro)

Some advice from Expert Grant Writer, Derek Link on being a professional:

I was given sage advice as a young man, "Whatever you do in life, be a Pro, because there are so few Pro's". Like much advice I’ve received in life, it was given without asking; but this once I was happy to receive it. I was on a balcony, outside a classroom where I was taking a class for my Master’s, taking a break. The instructor’s elderly husband had come along with her for some reason and was also enjoying the afternoon sunshine outside the room with me, and we were chatting.

He was a successful man; although, the details of his success I’ve long forgotten. He saw an opportunity in our conversation about the class I was engaged in to share a wisp of wisdom with me.

“Be a garbage man,” he said, “Be anything you want to be, but be a Pro at it”. Be a professional. I thought a lot about that conversation over the past 25 years or so that have gone by and I’ve tried hard to live my work life as a Pro. I haven’t always succeeded, I’ll admit. At times I get lazy, distracted, unmotivated, timid, or dissatisfied; and it is at those times that I merely plug along at my work. When I merely plug along, I am never doing my best work.

To be a Pro means the following to me:

1. Be honest (with discretion)
2. Show Up (always and on time)
3. Work until the job is done right
4. Be brave enough to take risks
5. Constantly grow and seek opportunities to improve
6. Attend to the details
7. Be well-groomed and well spoken
8. Keep petty personal events private without being cold
9. Be supportive of the growth of others
10. Contribute positively to the professional climate
11. Be loyal
12. Be helpful

There are likely components I am forgetting to mention in here but these are the first twelve that come to mind and which - when I live by them – have served me well in my career. Please feel free to comment and add other ideas to the list.

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How Positive Writing Makes a Better Grant

Yesterday on my Twitter account (Grant_Writer if you want to follow me) I received a tweet from someone I won’t name and the gist of the tweet was that this person was watching a single Mom struggling on a teacher’s salary to put a child through college – “sigh”.


Well, I thought this warped perspective must have some relevance or I wouldn’t have been meant to see it. Before pondering the significance of this to grant writing, I replied to the person’s tweet something to the effect that the person is indeed fortunate to be “struggling” with a “salary” (of any kind in this economy) and a “child in college” (what a great burden). Life could be so much worse.

Grants must be written from a perspective of abundance and positive energy. While there may well be some difficult circumstances that caused the grant to be needed, like extremely low reading levels among 4th grade students, or hunger and homelessness, or whatever the need may be, the reader wants to hear about the hope the grant provides for overcoming those circumstances. The reader wants to believe that your grant will resolve those issues, and that you are confident and competent to accomplish the objectives.

Writing that presents a “woe-is-me” attitude simply makes me want to jump off a bridge. I may well sympathize with the needs presented, and usually this is the strongest section of even a bad grant because most everyone can point out what’s wrong. But pointing out what is right that will lead to a positive outcome is the key.

Take my twitter “followee” as an example. This person could have tweeted something like, “So proud of my friend putting her child through college on a teacher’s salary-hurrah!” - Or – “My friend’s struggle to put her child through college on a teacher’s salary will pay off! She’s my hero!”

It’s all in the perspective, so choose to write grant narratives in a positive tone, one that promotes your energy, that clearly illustrates your fresh ideas, and that forcefully expresses confidence in your competent ability to overcome the current reality and create a better tomorrow!

By Non-Profit Consultant and Expert Grant Writer Derek Link

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Happily Slogging On!

Here are some thoughts from Non-Profit Consultant and Expert Grant Writer, Derek Link, on focus and perseverance:

Doing something difficult is always a trial of wills. You must enforce your will over the task, and over all other competing tasks. You must make a commitment that the task at hand is the one that matters most, and devote your focus on it entirely through the inevitably arduous march toward completion.

I’ve experienced this happy slog over and over in my life. Fortunately I got good advice about the slog along the way, and actually before I even began my first one (the university). I had a wonderful teacher in high school named Norm Barker. He was an architecture teacher and a terrifically talented person. He could do anything with his hands. I admired him because of those skills, and he was actually in my neighborhood so I got to see some of his handiwork first hand. He rebuilt a 1961 Porsche from paint to engine to upholstery, he built his own stereo speakers, he took an old wood-burning pot-bellied stove that he’d found in a field and welded up all the bullet holes and recast the missing parts and it was a thing of beauty when he finished.

What Mr. Barker taught me, in addition to some drafting skills, was that dedication to an endeavor produced good results. I recall that he was inspiring me to become an architect at one point as a student and he showed me a list of the courses at Cal Poly I’d need to take to become an architect. I remarked to him that I wasn’t good at math (truth be told, in high school I didn’t do my homework which mostly accounted for my poor math scores). He told me a valuable thing that sustained me throughout my Bachelor’s and my Master’s degrees: Mr. Barker said, “Derek, there’s nothing you can’t get through for one semester”. BRILLIANT ADVICE, Mr. Barker.

So, this is a long bird-walk to get to my topic of the Happy Slog. When you are in the midst of writing a grant and you’re feeling like you’ll never slog through it, just keep Mr. Barker’s advice in mind (with a little twist) “There’s nothing you can’t get through in three (fill in your deadline) weeks.” The deadline will come and go, so keep your mind focused and ignore all the competing distractions that are bound to come your way.

Slog on grant writers, slog on!

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