3 Tips to Maximize Your Partnership with a Grant Consultant

Establishing a clear budget, detailed program descriptions, and a long-term strategic plan will help maximize your partnership with a grant consultant. 

Partnering with a grant consultant is a strategic investment in your nonprofit organization’s future. You can maximize this investment by ensuring your grant consultant deeply understands your organization's needs and goals. In this blog post, I’ll review three tips for maximizing your partnership with a grant consultant. 

1. Develop a Clear Budget 

Have you accounted for your nonprofit's needs? A clear budget is a requirement of most grant submissions and is vital to a financially sustainable nonprofit organization. Developing a clear budget will help your organization reflect on its priorities and allocate resources appropriately. 

Your grant consultant will review your budget to deepen their understanding of your organization’s priorities and funding requirements. As a grant consultant, it’s our role to communicate what’s outlined in the budget in a concise needs statement that reflects the organization’s mission, vision, and programming priorities. 

Part of developing a clear budget is defining a grant revenue goal. A clear grant revenue goal will allow your grant consultant to develop an appropriate scope of work based on your organization’s funding needs. This goal will also allow you and your grant consultant to establish SMART goals that provide accountability to the budget. This encourages communication and collaboration between you and your consultant to reach the organization’s funding goals. 

In addition, a clear budget can help your grant consultant develop a grant strategy that reduces your organization's risk by diversifying funding sources and pivoting when funding falls through. 

2. Craft Detailed Program Descriptions 

Your mission and vision statements briefly describe your organization’s purpose. Crafting detailed program descriptions will help you communicate how your organization fulfills its mission. 

Your grant consultant will review your program descriptions to deepen their understanding of your organization’s programming and associated funding needs. Program descriptions will allow your grant consultant to tell the story of your organization’s impact and how the funding will be allocated to further the mission. 

As I covered in our previous blog, Data-Driven Reporting and Outcome Evaluation, funders are also interested in seeing the tangible impacts of your programming on the communities they serve. Therefore, it’s essential to develop clear metrics for your programming that can be used to demonstrate its impact to potential funders. Stories and data visualizations can help your grant consultant communicate your organization’s impact.

3. Create a Long-Term Strategic Plan

You likely have goals for your organization for the year ahead, but what about the next three to five years? Creating a long-term strategic plan will help your organization understand its future funding needs and plan for long-term funding success. 

Your grant consultant will review your long-term strategic plan to understand your organization’s vision and goals for the future. Your grant consultant will utilize your long-term strategic plan to develop a strategy to engage existing, past, and prospective funders to meet your goals and continue to fulfill your mission as your needs and programming evolve. 

In addition, a long-term strategic plan showcases your organization’s commitment to its future, inspiring confidence from funders. 

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In conclusion, establishing a clear budget, detailed program descriptions, and a long-term strategic plan will help maximize your partnership with a grant consultant by providing them with the information they need to achieve grant success. 

Interested in more tips to prepare your grant strategy? 

Our Interactive Grant Readiness Checklist will help you assess your grant readiness before investing in a grant consultant, including a comprehensive checklist, detailed assessment questions, and space to self-reflect and strategize. Use code “READY2024” to access the checklist for FREE through the end of the year.

Grant Intermission: Managing the Summer Slowdown

Grant Intermission: Managing the Summer Slowdown

As summer arrives, so too does a wave of out-of-office notifications that can present an abrupt intermission to the grant process. We’re all too familiar with the summer slowdown that briefly plateaus funding, causing stress and anxiety to nonprofit executives and board members. With the summer slowdown on the horizon, we will help you to navigate pending grant applications and out-of-office notifications with preparation and patience. 

Preparation Strategies to Set the Stage for Success

Preparation is key to managing your organization’s grant applications. 

Develop a Grant Calendar 

Plan ahead by creating or updating your grant calendar. This will help you to stay ahead of proposal deadlines, track progress, and share meaningful grant data with organizational leadership. A grant calendar will help your organization to confidently navigate the application process and remain accountable to deadlines and stakeholders. In addition, if you have long-standing relationships with funders, a grant calendar can provide historical insights helping you to plan more effectively. 

Learn more about key stages in the grant funding timeline to inform your grant calendar. 

We support nonprofit organizations in developing tailored grant calendars. Our grant calendar uses existing grant data or a prospect list to keep you organized with monthly tasks to help you reach your goals, combining:

• Grant history

• Upcoming proposals and reports

• Relationship-building tasks

• Progress toward fiscal year goals

• Custom dashboards.

• Anticipated deadlines

• Detailed and customized notes to help you make the right move

In the summer months, we recommend cross referencing your grant calendar with your organization’s out-of-office calendar to ensure your team has capacity to meet grant deadlines, while managing organizational programming. 

Stay ahead of grant deadlines

With many people on vacation during the summer, it can be difficult to receive answers quickly. 

Staying ahead of proposal deadlines ensures that if any questions arise about the application, you’ll be able to reach funders and make adjustments to your proposal before the application deadline. 

Likewise, if you work closely with partner organizations on proposals to further your collective impact, you may need additional time for collaboration and board approvals. 

Approach funders ahead of time 

Get ahead of the summer slowdown by approaching funders ahead of time or simply schedule time to follow up with funders. Communicate your organization’s intent to request funding and ask questions. 

Communicate with stakeholders 

It’s important to communicate regularly with organizational stakeholders. Your grant calendar provides a jumping off point for key status updates with board members and partners. We recommend sharing consistent, transparent updates with stakeholders to build trust and confidence in your leadership. 

Practice Patience

Once you hit the submit button, it’s time to practice patience, as you have fulfilled your role in the grant application process. Trust the process.

Maintain a positive attitude 

It’s sometimes simpler said than done, but maintaining a positive attitude is very important! Maintaining a positive outlook will help you and your team to stay motivated. 

Maintain team morale by helping everyone understand that your organization has done the work to set up for success with a grant strategy and strong prospect list.

Focus on the big picture and your organization’s mission and long-term strategic goals to help guide you forward during lags in the grant process. 

Plan to follow up with funders

It’s okay to follow up with funders that you haven’t heard from in 2-3 months. Be sure to schedule funder follow ups before you head out-of-office to make sure there isn’t a potential lapse in positive communication. 

Schedule time for rest

Summer is an important time for you to rest, as well! Dive into a book, take a hike, or hit the beach! Whatever it is that helps you to relax and rest. Allow yourself time to recharge and return to your work with a fresh perspective and appreciation. 

Hiking helps me to rest and restore.

In conclusion, preparation and patience are essential to the grant application process, especially during the summer months. Plan ahead by establishing a grant calendar, staying ahead of deadlines, and communicating with stakeholders. Practice patience by maintaining a positive attitude and taking time for rest. Most importantly, enjoy your summer! 

Data-Driven Reporting and Outcome Evaluation

In the ever-evolving world of grant funding, nonprofit organizations face increasing demands for transparency and accountability. Today, potential funders are not only interested in the projects and programs they support but also in the tangible impact these initiatives have on the communities they serve. In this blog post, we'll explore the growing importance of data-driven reporting and outcome evaluation in grant applications, and discuss best practices for demonstrating impact to potential funders.

Why Data-Driven Reporting Matters

Nonprofits have long been committed to making a positive difference in the world, but in the modern grant landscape, the focus on data and evidence-based outcomes has become paramount. Here's why:

• Transparency: Funders want to know how their contributions are being used and the outcomes achieved. Data-driven reporting provides the transparency funders require.

• Accountability: It's not enough to state good intentions; organizations must be accountable for their actions. Data offers a clear picture of an organization's effectiveness.

• Resource Allocation: By analyzing data, funders can identify which programs and projects are most effective and allocate resources accordingly. They want to ensure their investment is having the greatest impact.

• Continuous Improvement: Data-driven reporting enables organizations to assess their programs and make improvements based on evidence. This continuous improvement is attractive to funders.

Best Practices for Demonstrating Impact

To satisfy the growing demand for data-driven reporting, nonprofit organizations must adopt best practices for demonstrating their impact to potential funders:

1. Clearly Define Your Metrics: Establish specific, measurable, and time-bound metrics that align with your program's objectives. This may include indicators like the number of people served, academic achievement, or reduced carbon emissions. Implement a data collection system that allows you to track these metrics consistently. Invest in technology, training, and resources as needed.

2. Consistent Data Collection: Regularly collect and update data to provide a real-time view of your program's progress. Quarterly or annual reporting may not be enough; continuous data collection is ideal. Ensure data accuracy by implementing quality control measures. Double-check data entry, and have a process in place for data validation.

3. Data Analysis: Data isn't useful if you can't interpret it. Consider hiring or training staff with data analysis skills to draw meaningful conclusions from your data. Look for trends and patterns in your data that can guide program improvements and inform your reporting.

4. Compelling Storytelling: Data is essential, but it's often more persuasive when combined with compelling stories. Share real-life examples of individuals or communities positively affected by your programs.

5. Data Visualization: Use data visualization techniques like charts, graphs, and infographics to make complex data more accessible and engaging to funders.

6. Collaborate with Funders: Engage funders in discussions about data reporting expectations. Seek their input on which data points matter most to them. Consider working with funders to create standardized reporting templates, which can streamline the reporting process for both parties.

7. Impact Assessment: Occasionally, consider external evaluations by independent assessors. These assessments can provide a third-party perspective on your programs' impact.

Funders are increasingly looking for concrete proof of impact. By implementing these best practices, nonprofit organizations can not only satisfy the demands of modern grant applications but also drive continuous improvement and better serve their communities.