As former foundation CEO Martin Teitel reminds us in The Ultimate Insider’s Guide to Winning Foundation Grants, success in grantseeking boils down to two things: great organizations doing great work; and effective communications.
What does the latter entail? Teitel offers these three easy-to-follow rules:
Be Clear
- Eliminate jargon
- Write for your real (as opposed to imagined) audience -- i.e., funders who don't know your organization that well
- Leave out the math and formulas
Be Concise
- Not one word more than the length specified in the funder's guidelines
- Use a spear, not a club -- i.e., make your point and move on
- Revise, revise, revise
Be Compelling
- Share your enthusiasm for the work you and your colleagues are doing
- Base your request for funding on facts, not hopes or wishes
- Put your organization's story at the center of your appeal
Sound advice. What would you add to the list? Use the comments section to share your thoughts....
-- Mitch Nauffts
