How Did I Learn Grant Writing? - MaryEllen Bergh

The latest post in our "How Did I Learn Grant Writing?" series has been contributed by grant writing expert and Grant Coach, MaryEllen Bergh. MaryEllen's post comes with the subtitle, "How I Grew a Left Brain."

We all use both sides of our brain to some degree but in most people one side dominates. For me, the right brain has always taken precedence – creative, random, intuitive, holistic, and a whole to part perspective. This view has served me well for several decades as I only needed my analytical, logical, and sequential part to whole left brain perspective when I wrote lesson plans or balanced my checkbook. So how, you ask, did I learn grant writing, a mostly left-brain dominated task?


After many years as an educator and educational consultant, I thought the prospect of becoming a grant writer challenging and exciting as well as offering a great opportunity to unleash my creativity in helping clients design and develop programs and services. I enthusiastically jumped in with both feet and eyes wide open. I read successful proposals and tips for grant writing by experts in the field, and reconnected with journal writing to hone my writing skills, but, best of all, I was able to work beside a very successful grant writer who became my mentor. She helped me understand the nuts and bolts of the process and provided invaluable feedback (“Mmmm, I can see that you are excited about the design but where did you address the funder’s criteria?”). I was able to participate in her grant writing courses and learned how important it is to listen to clients and help them find the funding to make their dreams a reality. The first grants I wrote (and rewrote…and rewrote…and rewrote) helped me understand the need to create an outline of the narrative to ensure all criteria are addressed and to communicate complex ideas in clear, concise language. One day, after reading a draft of a proposal I had written, my mentor looked at me and said, “Finally, you’ve grown a left brain.” That did make me smile!

I have written many successful proposals over the last 10 years and, while I always don my “left brain hat” to actually write the proposal, I still begin the writing process by visualizing the big picture, drawing the project design, and scribbling my notes all around the design (usually in a variety of colors). So yes, I have grown a left brain over the years but I have found that there is still plenty of room for creativity in grant writing.

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You can read more tips from MaryEllen Bergh, the Grant Coach, at the GrantGoddess.com member site.
 
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Grant Writing Success through Thoughtful Planning and Preparation

Grant Coach MaryEllen Bergh knows a few things about achieving grant writing success through planning and preparation. In this post, she shares some of her valuable knowledge and experience with you:

A successful grant proposal is one that is thoughtfully planned, well prepared, and concisely packaged. When you have found a funding source that is a good fit for your proposed project, the temptation is strong to immediately begin writing; however, your proposal will be much more effective if you take some time up front to plan.  Thorough planning helps you determine where to start, where you want to go, how to get there, and how to know you have arrived. Grant writing success requires that you communicate your proposed project effectively and in enough detail so the funder has a clear understanding of all the components of your project, how it fits their funding priorities, and how you will carry out your program or service over the project period. Writing successful grant proposals requires preparation, attention to detail and a great team with passion and perseverance. Here are 3 tips to prepare for a successful grant proposal:

1. Gather your proposal team. Most successful proposals are written by teams. The team members each contribute specific expertise, so that the organization can prepare its proposal more efficiently.
2. Read the funding guidelines. The most important step in writing a successful grant is thoroughly reading the funder’s Request for Applications (RFA) or Request for Proposal (RFP) before you start. Since you will be responding to the guidelines established by the funder, you want to make sure that each member of the team understands the funder’s priorities and instructions for submittal. If the RFA includes a reference to a website or publication, it is often helpful to read that as well.
3. Complete a proposal outline. The outline gives you and your team a roadmap to follow. Establish a timeline for gathering information and input needed to complete each section of the proposal.

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Learning to Collaborate

Some thoughts from our Grant Coach, MaryEllen Bergh, on schools and collaboration:

The Full-Service Community Schools Program Grant application has just been released so my thoughts have turned, once again, to the fact that schools just can’t take on all the problems of today’s children and their parents and, at the same time, focus on turning around a school labeled as “failing.” Schools need other agencies to share some of the responsibility.

Imagine a community school intentionally transformed into a neighborhood hub – open all the time to children and their families and, in this school, a range of support services is provided by community agencies to help students overcome the obstacles that interfere with their learning and success in school.

In order to create this system of comprehensive, coordinated support in a community school model, schools have to learn to work in different ways. Schools have tended to be isolated to a significant extent from direct intervention of other professionals; where they have had to work with other agencies, their relative size, statutory nature and high degree of control over what happens within their walls have often made them difficult partners (and I know many community non-profits working with children at school sites can attest to that!).

Educators and human service providers traditionally have been on different tracks. To collaborate, schools (and agencies) must be willing to negotiate on issues such as confidentiality, discipline, equipment, and transportation, to name a few. Many large educational initiatives (Safe Schools/Healthy Students, Healthy Start, 21st Century Community Learning Centers) insist on collaboration – often on the school site – and this has shifted the balance from control to cooperation. Principals and teachers realize that they need the cooperation of other professionals in order to reach the standards of performance by which their schools are judged.

Full service community schools are jointly operated and financed by a school district and a community-based organization. Each community school is unique based on what the neighborhood needs. Does the full service community school work? Preliminary research shows improved achievement, much better attendance rates, lower delinquency, and significant student and parent approval. Joy Dryfoos (well-known researcher and advocate of full service schools) states that the full service community school is a strategy – not a program – for “redesigning education to meet the needs of a modern, dynamic society.”

Learning to collaborate is a critical key in successful community schools. Collaboration benefits schools and community organizations in several ways:

1. Working as a team leads to improved effectiveness, more efficient use of resources, better access to services and more productive partnerships;
2. When schools and community based organizations cooperate to align resources with common goals, children and youth are more likely to succeed academically, socially, and physically;
3. Collaboration among professionals provides opportunities to enlarge and deepen practice as school staff and community organizations learn from each other; and 
4. Much more can be accomplished for children and families as a team than can be accomplished by any one organization in isolation.

Take a look at the Full Service Community Schools Program application.


For more information: Inside Full Service Community Schools, by Joy G. Dryfoos & Sue Maguire.

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Virtual Collaboration

Here are some thoughts from our Grant Coach, MaryEllen Bergh, on Virtual Collaboration:

Collaboration is a process of participation through which people, groups and organizations work together to achieve desired results. Starting or sustaining a collaborative journey is exciting, sometimes stressful, and even new for many. Successful collaboration requires focus on the goals of the team and on the development of trusting relationships. These relationships allow people to overcome problems that might arise through the collaborative process. While most of our collaborative tasks are still done in face-to-face meetings, technology has enabled us to collaborate from afar. It has given us the ability to be members of a professional learning community that may include people from around the globe.

Is collaboration on virtual teams as effective as collaborative teams that meet face to face? Dr. Jaclyn Kostner (author of Bridge the Distance) found that virtual teams tended to keep their focus on priorities better than face-to-face teams and, in fact, virtual meetings were frequently shorter; however, the virtual collaborative teams failed more often. One of the reasons for this higher rate of failure, according to Dr. Kostner, is that virtual teams did not develop the relationships that allowed them to work as a team to overcome problems – they did not collaborate in any meaningful way. As organizations move toward using technology to facilitate collaboration among teams that are split by distance what are some ways that teams can collaborate better at a distance? Here are a few tips:

1. Don’t multi-task at virtual meetings. Close your email, turn off your alerts and pay attention. The only time an entire virtual team can collaborate is when they are meeting. If you want your team to collaborate and be a team make sure that everyone pays attention and participates in team meetings.
2. Meet face to face as often as possible. While the technology tools that enable us to communicate virtually save time and money, there is no better way to develop relationships than face to face. This may not be a possibility for teams that are at long distances apart. Make sure that you do allow some virtual time to get to know your team.
3. Create office hours when team members can be reached. Collaboration among team members is an important way to create relationships and overcome the barrier of distance. Because it is so difficult to get anyone live these days, set up hours for each team member when they agree to be available, answer their phones, and take the time to work with the other team member.

Dr. Kostner was the spokesperson for a study conducted by Frost and Sullivan (Meetings around the World) sponsored by Microsoft and Verizon. The basic conclusion from this study was “The more collaborative organizations are, the better they perform. Conversely, the less collaborative they are, the worse they perform.” So if virtual teaming is in your plan, pay attention to creating a virtual team that collaborates well.

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Find Happiness in the Midst of Deadlines

Spring! Does anyone have the time to stop and smell the roses? Amidst grant planning and deadlines, budget slashing and planning, state testing, and annual performance reports, stress takes center stage – zapping our energy and our health. MaryEllen Bergh, Grant Coach, shares some simple strategies to keep you happier and healthier this spring.
In an article in Prevention Magazine (May 2010), Alyssa Shaffer writes about 12 Power Health Moves that provide major benefits for our bodies and our minds. Here’s how 3 of these moves - holding hands, writing thank-you notes, and laughing - can keep you more relaxed and much happier.

1. Hold hands and reduce stress by 200%! A little hug and a few minutes of holding hands with your partner, significant other, or friend can lower your blood pressure. A study conducted by researchers at the American Psychosomatic Society told two groups of partners that they were going to give a speech (an exercise that typically causes a spike in blood pressure). The first group sat holding hands for a short while and shared a hug for 20 seconds before the speech. The other group was separated (no hand holding or hugging allowed) shortly after the task was described. During the speech, the blood pressure and heart rate of the non-hand-holding/hugging group was more than double that of the people who held hands. Other research has demonstrated that a heartfelt hug (lasting at least 20 seconds) from a friend releases a bonding hormone called oxytocin which reduces stress, lowers heart rate, and improves your mood. Make sure you squeeze a little squeeze into your life today!
2. Write a thank-you letter and feel 20% happier! Researchers at Kent State found that students who wrote letters expressing gratitude to someone special were happier and more satisfied with their lives. Through the process of writing a heartfelt sentiment, students had time to think about the connections between themselves and others and to count their blessings. There is one caveat, states researcher Steven Toepfer, “Dashing off a quick email or texting a pal might not have the same effect as taking the time to reflect and put pen to paper.” Put yourself in an attitude of gratitude and send a little thank-you to someone in your life.
3. Laugh and improve blood flow by 21%! We all know that humor and laughter keep us balanced amid chaos but did you know that it is also good for your heart? A recent study from the University of Texas at Austin found that those who chuckled during a comedy increased the dilation of blood vessels by one-fifth for up to 24 hours; when they watched a serious documentary, the arteries constricted by 18%. Laughter releases feel-good neurochemicals that have numerous favorable effects on the body. Laugh long and prosper!

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Grant Writing and the Space/Time Continuum

Time seems to fly by at a faster speed every year, particularly during the busy grant season when it is easy to get overwhelmed with grant projects and all the other things that can’t be put on the back burner while the applications are being completed.  Grant Coach, MaryEllen Bergh, shares her thoughts on this phenomenon of the inetrsection between grant writing and the space/time continuum:

I’ve heard that time expands when you need it and contracts when you don’t. Is that a factor in the space/time continuum? Well, I don’t know for sure if it is a factor but I do know that the earth is slowing down and that soon we will not be dealing with gravity at all (which will be a blessing for all the parts of my body that have not already succumbed to the forces of gravity). How do you know that this is true, you ask? Every Monday, my colleague and I have the same conversation, “Blog posts go up today,” and I reply “Right!” Seems simple but Monday comes amazingly fast. I blink and I hear the words again, “Blog posts go up today.” “Right!” So, you see, it’s basic physics (thanks to Eric Maisel for pointing this out to me) – as you approach the speed of light, time slows down. Since it seems that I am traveling at the speed of light, would that mean that I am not getting older or that the earth is getting ready to stop rotating?


Why do you think artists dream of spending a couple of months painting in Fiji or a month or two writing in Paris? I am sure they dream of spending time in those places because they see themselves experiencing time differently there; they envision “beach time” or “café time.” They see themselves not in a rush with no one asking them to do “this” or “that” or judging them for taking all day to stare at the ocean or drink an espresso. The calm pace provides a space for observation, reflection, and allows creativity to walk in the door.

In our real lives, we spend our whole day rushing from one thing to the next until all we have left is 15 minutes before going to bed – just enough time to feel badly about all the things we did not get accomplished. Today, even when we are sitting, we are speeding. We are looking for our next cell-phone call, texting, reading and responding to emails, updating Facebook, writing proposals, blogs and copy, rushing from one task to another… overwhelmed as we valiantly attempt to tackle each item on our agenda. Sometimes I feel the strains of exhaustion early in the day and question my ability to effectively address all my tasks.

Eric Maisel in A Writer’s Space talks to us about how to get into the right “space” to write, how to orient and organize our neurons to help us get a grip on our writing lives. In lesson 19, he provides an exercise on creating space to write through mindful self-reflection. Here are the 4 steps: 1) Grow quiet (this is when I turn off the email alerts, silence my cell phone, close my door and breathe); 2) Reflect (I consider what I need and how I will accomplish these needs); 3) Stay calm (I breathe, relax into what I want to accomplish and set my intent); and 5) Take action (I consider the length and nature of my to-do list and edit my agenda including setting reasonable expectations. Time does expand when I choose to experience time differently.

 
 
Related posts:
 
Time Management Tips for Grant Writers
 
Facing the Blank Page (Or, Beginning to Write)
 
Good Grant Writers Are Like Wedding Planners
 
Making Time for Grant Writing by Focusing on the Dream
 
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Stress Relief through Laughter

Whether it's grant deadline stress (something we know a lot about here!) or the general stress of living, one of the things Grant Coach MaryEllen Bergh recommends is laughter.  Here's her advice on the topic:

Life can be stressful and, in the current economic climate, we are dealing with challenging and serious concerns - individually and professionally - each and every day. I am here to tell you that there is a remedy that is fun, free and easy to use and it will improve your health, relieve stress, and improve your relationships. What is this magic elixir? It is none other than laughter.

Laughter is contagious! The sound of someone enjoying a good belly laugh infects everyone, even eliciting a tiny smile from the dourest sourpuss within hearing distance. Laughter makes you feel good and that good feeling stays with you even after you quit laughing – for up to 45 minutes, actually. Humor and laughter has helped me keep a positive, optimistic outlook even through sadness and pain. Laughter makes me feel lighter and, during the busy grant season when things can get a bit overwhelming, humor helps me relax and recharge; it relieves my stress which, in turn, improves my focus so I actually accomplish more. I love the laughter break!!

Laughter is also good for your health. Scientific evidence has shown that humor and laughter help people breathe easier and it massages the heart and other vital organs. It may also increase the release of disease-fighting cells in the immune system. Like the effects of exercise, laughter quickens the pulse and stimulates the cardiovascular system. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins promoting an overall sense of well-being and, in some instances, temporary relief from pain. In addition, humor can alleviate negative emotions -it’s hard to feel angry, sad, or anxious when you’re laughing.

Start now to bring more laughter into your life. According to Laughter is the Best Medicine (helpguide.org), here are some things that you can do right now to incorporate humor and laughter into your life.

1. Smiling is the beginning of laughter. When you look at someone or see something even mildly pleasing, practice smiling.
2. Count your blessings. Make a list of the good things in your life. Keep a gratitude journal that allows you to focus on the positive. Negative thoughts are barriers to humor and laughter.
3. When you hear laughter, move toward it. Sometimes humor and laughter are private, a shared joke among a small group, but more often it is not. People are happy to share something funny because it gives them an opportunity to laugh again and feed off the humor you find in it. When you hear laughter, seek it out.
4. Spend time with fun, playful people. These are people who laugh easily – both at themselves and life’s absurdities – and who routinely find the humor in everyday events. Their playful point of view and laughter are infectious.

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Grant Writing Success Starts with an Abundance Mentality

Attitude really is just about everything when it comes to success of any kind. Grant Coach MaryEllen Bergh shares her thoughts on the importance of maintaining an abundance mentality in the grant world:

How can the way you think about resources (time, energy, people, money) affect your success? If you always think about what you don’t have (scarcity), you are not able to see what you do have (abundance) and you see only problems instead of solutions. Scarcity thinking is the enemy of change – for individuals and organizations.

People with a scarcity mentality tend to see everything in terms of win-lose. There is only so much; and if someone else has it, that means there will be less for me. The more principle-centered we become, the more we develop an abundance mentality, the more we are genuinely happy for the successes, well-being, achievements, recognition, and good fortune of other people. We believe their success adds to...rather than detracts from...our lives.

In any task that we undertake, our success depends on a variety of things but one key component that is frequently overlooked is having an abundance mentality. Viewing things from this perspective allows you to look at how something can be accomplished rather than why it can’t be done; you look at possibilities rather than problems. People who begin from abundance believe that there are enough resources available to reach their goals and also that their success doesn’t mean failure for others.

Scarcity thinking, on the other hand, is a belief that there is not enough to go around and that, as a result, we must settle for less. For example, instead of “We can’t ask for that much money, we are only a small district…they won’t ever give it to us” think “What can we achieve for students in our district when we are able to fully fund this program?” Instead of “Look at all the resources we need” consider “Look at all the resources we have.” Scarcity thinking is limiting but safe; we don’t have to move into new territory. A scarcity mindset gives us permission to excuse poor performance (“We don’t have the time or the money or the people to do this!”). While we need to think realistically about the alignment of resources used with resources available, an abundance mentality allows for innovative ways of thinking about the use of those resources and how we deliver services. The challenge is to override your fear and to recognize when you have moved into that scarcity mindset.

Abundance starts in your mind. The more you think that you have all the resources that you need to succeed, the more you will succeed. Thinking abundantly reveals possibilities and opportunities that might never have occurred to you if you weren’t open to the concept that there is enough for everyone. As individuals, we are often willing to challenge and change our belief systems, but we can’t go very far in changing the mindset of an organization if the leadership doesn’t see the need to change their patterns of thinking. What kinds of activities need to happen in your organization to change from a focus on scarcity to one of abundance?

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Are You a Risk Taker?

Here are a few thoughts from our Grant Coach, MaryEllen Bergh, on taking risks:

Taking risks means daring to try new approaches or ideas with no predictable control over results or consequences; in other words, taking action when the outcome is unknown. There are very few things in life that come without any risk and quite a few of the most remarkable things frequently have a higher risk associated with them. For example, writing grants comes with quite a bit of risk but, if you are successful, amazing things can happen to support your organization’s vision. If you don’t take the risk, perhaps because you see that there will only be 8 awards in the entire United States, yet you know you meet the criteria and have an innovative design, you will never have the chance to be one of those eight awards!

The key to taking risks is to keep things in balance. Make sure that you do the research and the thinking necessary to make a smart decision about the opportunity but don’t over-analyze every possible outcome to the extent that you miss the opportunity. Ultimately, if the opportunity fits, just do it. If you didn’t have a wild success the first time, learn from your mistakes and try again. If you were successful, jump back in. In the words of T.S. Eliot, “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.”

The Arts - A Vehicle to Improve Student Achievement

Our Grant Coach and resident Art Expert, Mary Ellen Bergh, explores the question, "Can we afford to sacrifice arts education in our schools?"

At the beginning of this decade, for the first time in the history of public education in the United States, the arts have been officially recognized as one of the subject areas necessary for all children’s basic education. However, administrators, under pressure to improve test scores, have reduced arts education and arts programming in favor of increasing instructional time in language arts and math. In doing this, they may actually be eliminating critical links to academic success for many students. How does the study of the arts contribute to student achievement and success? And, why is it important to keep the study of the arts strong in our schools?

Brain research and multiple intelligences theories are providing evidence to support including the arts in a balanced curriculum. For example, brain research indicates that studying the arts may lay critical neural pathways important for later development. According to Eric Jensen (neuroscientist and author of many books on brain-based learning), when children learn to play the violin, the drums, or other musical instruments, “they seem to develop strong pattern extraction and develop abilities that are essential to higher brain functions in logic, math, and problem-solving.” Arts education can also offer teachers additional ways to reach all students in a manner that other instruction doesn’t.

A significant body of research provides evidence connecting student learning in the arts to a wide array of academic and social benefits, particularly for young children, students from economically disadvantaged circumstances, and students struggling to achieve standards. Arts activities have been shown to improve reading and language development, math, and cognitive skills (spatial reasoning, problem-solving and creative thinking). Research also shows that learning in the arts provides motivation to learn, positive attitudes toward learning and helps to create a learning environment that is conducive to teacher and student success.

If a broad education that includes the arts can provide students with the skills that positively impact academic success, schools must be given the opportunity to offer these programs. Good arts education programs require ongoing support from administrators, teachers and parents. Ensuring that the arts are part of a school’s culture requires effort, advocacy, and a persistent voice for the importance of arts education. Become an advocate for the arts in education! Contact your local arts organizations to develop partnerships to bring art and artists into your schools and work together to secure funding (grants, fund-raising, etc) to provide arts programs and professional development for teachers.

Some Thoughts from the Coach on Setting Your Intent

Here are some thoughts from the Grant Coach, MaryEllen Bergh, on setting your intent to help you get things done:

Prioritizing tasks and setting your intent based on priority can help you remain focused on completing your project.

It always amazes me how unfocused I can be – overwhelmed by the amount of things I want to accomplish…immediately. Making lists and checking things off is one of my ways of dealing with tasks; however, instead of looking at what I have accomplished, I seem to look at what I didn’t get done.

When I take the time to breathe, I can access my inner coach and ask myself, “What do I really need to complete today?” Then I get clear about what I want, I set my intention for the day (I intend to write at least 1 section of this application…I intend to read 1 chapter of, “Thinking Write”…I intend to be fully present with my grandchildren today). Keeping this intention with me, I find it easy to remain focused on my priority for the day.

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