There are a number of things that determine whether your
mission will be adequately funded. Here
are five things you can do today to bring in more dollars.
1. Match your
organization to the right grantor prospect.
All grantors have a specific mission focus. For instance, while the grantor may generally
support programs for low-income women, they may actually only support a single
facet of that group. There's no use in
applying for funds for heating cost support if the grantor is only funding
breast pumps to allow working mothers to stay in the job market. Read all of
the information you can find on the organization and decide if it is a good fit
for your nonprofit.
2. Refine your focus to emphasize
grantor/grantee alignment.
Don't rely on a one-size-fits-all application. If you have a general emphasis on a specific
client profile, emphasize the portions that have direct alignment to the
prospective grantor. Each grantor and
their mission focus is different and should be developed as such.
3. Match your grant development costs to the potential
award.
If the grantor specifically states that their maximum grant
is $1,000, and it's going to cost $500 for your staff or your contracted
grant professional to produce the grant application and administer the funds,
that might not be cost effective. All grants have non-reimbursable costs, and
you want to get the most return for your investment of time and/or money.
4. Be sure you meet the minimum requirements
to apply
.
Most grants stipulate that you must be a 501(c)(3) to apply,
and may include time in business, minimum existing revenue amounts, ability to
show matching fund potential, formal organization and program budgets, audited
financial statements or other qualifiers as well. If you can't meet ALL of the
requirements, your application is likely to be discarded without even being considered.
5. Document your results to date before you
apply
Grantors want to know that your program is effective and/or
sustainable. Even if you are currently
seeking funding for a one-time event, such as the coming year's holiday turkey
giveaway, show how you will reach the maximum number of intended recipients and
why your program is using the funds to the best possible advantage (things like
getting wholesale pricing for the birds, for example). Long-term existing programs need to show that
they have made a lasting positive impact and have a good chance of continuing
to do so.
None
of these things will guarantee an award, but doing them well will greatly
improve your success rate.
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