You Are the Champion

The stereotypical grant professional is a studious-looking introvert behind a keyboard. Not only is that perception false, but it simply cannot be true if you plan to drive your agency toward increasingly larger private awards.

Many grant professionals spend too much time writing. And waiting. They wait for their organizations to create strategic plans. They wait for their colleagues to tee up multi-year program initiatives. They wait for budget approvals. If those things don’t come to fruition, grant seekers might do some, shall we say…creative writing. They make educated guesses about the short-term future of a proposed initiative and then ask the relevant staff manager to approve them.

In short, they drive the game plan out of desperation. Who can blame them? Their performance goals and their organizations’ financial health are at stake.

I know this first-hand because I’ve seen it play out repeatedly: A chief executive brings a funding opportunity to the lead grant seeker, offering a few sentences of exciting but murky plans. With only days until a deadline and a request that will be among this agency’s largest, an unsuspecting professional is left with a weighty task.

Plan to Plan

Vague or nonexistent planning is the most frequent reason that major grants get derailed. If your boss is looking for foundation or corporate grants to become a larger income stream—and if you, as the responsible employee, are not getting what you need to succeed—then no amount of savvy writing will lead to long-term success. Program officers see plenty of proposals that are put together in a matter of days. They can smell an idea that is raw from the lack of robust planning.

Yes, your well-crafted narrative might secure the current award and even the next. But at some point, the reports will be due. You will need to ensure that your team conveys a sound accounting of your project. Consider yourself lucky if you haven’t experienced the panic that ensues when your colleagues are unprepared for that first funder report.

What is a grant seeker to do? In some cases, you will want to simply walk away from an employer that cannot provide the basic tools for your success. Before you do, it’s worth attempting a steep helping of self-agency.

Agency within Your Agency

There’s plenty you can do to educate and activate your colleagues regardless of your place in the hierarchy. To corral the necessary plans, data, budgets and approvals—and do so on time—you simply must become a champion of the grants function. In doing so, you become:

• An educator, ensuring that your co-workers understand the funding process and their roles in it

• An advocate, encouraging your leadership to engage in robust planning and other prerequisites that make your nonprofit a credible investment

• A convener, gathering the people most likely to impact the above

Whether you are a junior-level writer or a chief development officer, the steps are similar. Your path will be easier the more senior your position, but I have seen plenty of staff at all levels make a substantial difference in their coworkers’ contributions to proposal development. This is the typical route:

1. Get organized. Figure out what you most need from your colleagues. Consider your most recent proposal: Which sections caused you to struggle? If goals, budgets, data or some other key piece tops your list, you’ve got a starting point.

2. Identify one or more allies. Let’s say that your organization’s data is your number one hurdle. You can’t easily articulate measurable impact. Your ideal ally will be the person responsible for data collection. If that person doesn’t help you get what you need, consider an executive-level colleague who understands or is willing to learn the importance of outcomes and will help take action along with you.

3. Be clear about what you need. Once you identify your ally, make a compelling case for why data, in this case, stands to bolster your organization’s revenue. Since our topic is major grants, you should have some nice-sized numbers to include in your talking points. Ideally, you want your ally to respond with something like, “Really? You think that if we collect two metrics well, we could secure at least another $100K next year? Let me see what I can do.”

4. Find or create the right forums. Ideally, your partner will enrich your perspective and help you make the case to others. If there’s a small team or committee that stands to further your cause, attempt to get your issue on its next meeting agenda. Call a special gathering if you must.

5. Keep the drumbeat going. One request for assistance rarely does the trick. That might be hard to hear, but it’s good to know in advance that you will be on a journey. One that must begin long before a deadline. First, an ally will hear you. Then another priority will throw you both off track. You will reset. The two of you will next schedule a meeting with the big boss. And then the executive team. And so on. Each opportunity for a follow-up discussion is a chance to convey in more detail exactly what you need and why.

This drumbeat eventually becomes a cadence. That’s what it takes to break through the competing demands most executives face. If you’re committed to this work, the rhythm will continue. It will take different forms, maybe moving from data collection (once sufficiently addressed) to crafting objectives for a much-discussed program. Each step will make your work stronger.

Along the way, don’t forget to listen. It’s possible that your colleagues hear and understand your needs but feel that they must address other issues first. I don’t see too many executives turn away the opportunity to secure major grants. But they might need an educator, an advocate, or even a convener to help them succeed.

If you’re like I was and fancy yourself a writer who cherishes your quiet job, understand that major grants require that you begin to see yourself in a leadership role. It helps to have a chief executive who recognizes this. If you don’t, make that conversation a priority. No matter your title, your proactive stance will help you and your organization flourish.