Foundation staff review stacks upon stacks of grant proposals each
year. From time to time, they may even see proposals that are downright
scary. In the spirit of Halloween, here are three 'monster' proposals
that you should hope to avoid.
Frankenstein's MonsterSure
- it sounds easy enough. Everyone writes their respective sections of
the proposal and then puts them together in one document and sends it
to the funder. Too often, however, the result can be a
loosely-stitched-together proposal that is confusing and full of
inconsistencies and repetition. Reviewers can tell when a proposal has
been patched together without substantial revision, and a narrative
that is disorganized and incoherent is much less convincing than one
with a uniform voice that flows smoothly from section to section.
While
it's not uncommon for several different individuals in an organization
to be involved in the proposal writing process, it is imperative that
one person take the lead when it comes to editing and formatting the
final document. This individual should review the proposal for
accuracy, consistency, organization, and especially continuity. A
well-edited proposal will flow naturally from section to section and
convey the story of your organization and its programs with ease.
The BlobIt
starts with an executive summary and a statement of need. Then the
narrative hits the project description and continues to grow - rapidly
surpassing 3, 5, 10 pages - until the proposal has become a bloated
mass of paper and ink.
Brevity can be one of the most
difficult traits to develop as a proposal writer. There is a compelling
urge to include as much detail as possible when describing programs to
prospective funders. However, this can cause a proposal to become
lengthy and cumbersome for the reader. Besides, most applications now
come with strict guidelines that limit sections of the proposal to
certain page lengths. How can a proposal writer cope with these
restrictions?
First, it's all about finding the right amount of
detail to include. For example, if you are seeking funding for a
tutoring program, the grantmaker probably doesn't need to be told how
many desks are in each classroom. They might want to know, however, the
number of volunteer tutors you plan to recruit and how. Other ways to
keep your proposal concise include using simple, direct language and
avoiding long, rambling sentences. Having an outline can also help you
stay focused and remember the key points you want to get across to the
reader in each section. Brevity doesn't just apply to the narrative,
either, so remember to limit your attachments and supporting materials
to those items that the funder specifically requests in their
guidelines.
Night of the Living DeadWho
among us hasn't pulled an all-nighter? Whether it was cramming for that
final exam in college or staying up to get that presentation ready for
the big meeting, we've all been guilty of procrastination at some point
in our lives. Still, this is no way to succeed in grantseeking.
What
quality do reviewers look for most in a proposal? Clarity. This is
something that you're not likely to achieve while hunched over your
laptop at 2 o'clock in the morning. Moreover, the less time you leave
to check through a proposal, the more likely it is that the reviewer
will find troubling mistakes in grammar and spelling that may
contribute to a negative response. How do you fight the urge to put
off finishing a proposal until just before the deadline?
Keeping
an updated grants calendar with important submission deadlines and
follow-up dates will help you stay on track with your proposals. Going
even further, creating self-imposed due dates for proposals well in
advance of actual deadlines is one way of ensuring that you have plenty
of time to revise and edit the document before sending it off. Also, on
those occasions when you become aware of a new opportunity only at the
last minute, consider waiting until the next funding cycle to apply.
Keep in mind - you only get one chance to make a first impression with
a grantmaker. Don't let it be a frightening one!
Want some more tips on proposal writing? Try these titles from our collection:
Grant Proposal Makeover: Transform Your Request from No to Yes.
By Cheryl A. Clarke and Susan P. Fox.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2007.
The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing(5th ed.)By Jane C. Geever.
New York: Foundation Center, 2007.
Thanks to Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta for this great post!
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