I always learn neat things from my students as we work through business problems together. After all, every business (including nonprofits) exists to solve a problem for its customers. The latest problem my students and I worked on centered around grant-writing and it was a solution that even I needed.
The question was “is there a simple structure that we can use to provide a consistent routine of writing a grant?” The problem was not only in writing a grant but how to develop a consistent routine or a set of habits connected with getting down to the business, from beginning to end, of submitting at least one grant per month on behalf of an organization.
The solution is part self-motivation and part project management. We made a simple list of actionable and repeatable things we can do monthly to get a project out of the way.
1. Search for grants that fit the need of your target population or organization.
2. Review requirements and ask the grantmaker questions
3. Fill out the application for each grant using the organizational information you have developed and saved in a word document.
4. Review the application and allow colleagues and friends to help you to edit.
5. Submit.
You can repeat this process every month, for each project, until you get a routine down that you are comfortable with. For this process, you can use a list, sticky notes or software to remind you of the steps. I personally use Asana which is a web and mobile application designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their projects and tasks. Other web and mobile apps include Trello and many others. The key is to have something to manage your steps and the steps of your team.
To learn more about grant writing visit my webinar. I’ve made it simple and straight forward. I cover the steps you need to make your project come alive to make a transformation in your community.
Tip: Don’t try to be a super-grant writer. One project per month is a good pace. The reality may be that you may only have time for one project per quarter. Don’t judge yourself by other’s standards. Once you start your new routine, keep up the momentum that you and your team have set.
By learning, you will teach, and in teaching, you will learn – Latin Proverb
Have fun putting this to work!