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Dalya Massachi
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3. Today’s Speaker
Dalya Massachi
Writing for Community Success
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4. 10 TIPS FOR
SUCCESSUL
GRANT
PROPO$AL$
Presenter: Dalya F. Massachi
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 4
6. OUTLINE
I. The life cycle of a grant proposal
II. 2P2R Planning System: 4 easy steps
III. Powerful writing techniques
IV. Spot the weaknesses
V. Bonus handouts (follow-up)
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 6
7. 1. KNOW THE LIFE CYCLE
OF A GRANT PROPOSAL
(6-12 months)
You research foundations
You begin relationships
You submit an LOI or proposal
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 7
8. Program Officer reviews your proposal
You answer any outstanding questions
Program Officer advocates for you
Board votes on your proposal
You rejoice OR learn why you lost
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 8
10. 2. USE THE 2P2R SYSTEM
1. Understand your “Good writing does
Purposes. not come from fancy
word processors or
2. Define your expensive typewriters
or special pencils or
Priority info. hand-crafted quill
pens. Good writing
3. Know your comes from good
Readers. thinking.”
– Ann Loring
4. Refine your
messages.
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 10
11. UNDERSTAND YOUR SPECIFIC
WRITING PURPOSES.
Inspire the funder with your unique ideas.
Encourage the view of your organization as a
solid investment.
Explain your pressing issue.
Show that you share goals and values.
Instill trust in your ability to get the job done.
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 11
12. YOUR UNIQUENESS:
So powerful that it cuts through inertia,
gets noticed, and gets people talking about
you.
Under-served clients, location, etc.
Outstanding credentials or experience
Extensive collaborations
Unusual point of view or approach
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 12
13. EXAMPLE: Beyond Breast Cancer
Beyond Breast Cancer is different from
other breast cancer organizations in
that we focus on quality of life. We
acknowledge the challenges and
limitations of living with breast cancer,
and we believe that focusing on
activities that our clients are able to
enjoy cultivates a higher quality of life
than might otherwise be possible.
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 13
14. ASK YOURSELF:
1) What’s inspiring and intriguing about
your organization or program?
2) What is the unique value it adds to the
community?
3) What makes your org a good investment-
NOW?
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 14
15. DEFINE YOUR
PRIORITY INFO
Facts and figures
Importance of the issue
Results you envision
Solution you propose
Track record
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 15
16. ASK YOURSELF:
What does your work mean for the community:
personally, economically, spiritually, emotionally,
socially, etc.?
How does your work serve, excite, entertain, or
educate your community?
“So what?” How does your work lead to something
better for the community?
“What’s in it for US?”
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 16
17. EXAMPLE: HOMELESS SHELTER
PROGRAMS: You offer homeless families a soup
kitchen, warm beds, restrooms, child care, long-
term job and housing services
BENEFITS: (the difference you make – so what?)
Higher level of nutrition and stability
Higher level of employment
Fewer families living in cars or on streets
Less desperation, often leading to crime, drug abuse, etc.
The sense of being a community that cares for everyone
Lower long-term financial cost to local area
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 17
19. PROGRAM OFFICERS:
Foundation gatekeepers
Have background, concern BUT may be
unfamiliar with your particular slant/niche
Are time-pressed
Want to be inspired
Have been around, frequently talk to others
Are people too, with hearts, minds, concerns
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 19
20. WHAT INFORMATION IS OF
MOST INTEREST TO THEM?
True match with your goals and priorities
Program is a high priority for you
High chance of success: realistic, specific plan
Clear, measurable impact on a vital community need
-- NOW
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 20
21. Beneficiary involvement
Strategic collaboration/role in the field
Strong evaluation plan
Replicable model
Community support ( and in-kind)
Funded by other foundations
Note: Corporations are looking for how their
investment will benefit them.
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 21
22. HOW TO FIND OUT MORE?
Read their publications, websites, grant
guidelines.
Research what they have previously
supported.
(Is there enough similarity with your project,
yet uniqueness in your specific approach?)
Call or email to clarify.
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 22
23. REFINE YOUR MESSAGES.
Match your READERS’ interests
with your writing PRIORITIES.
(This takes time!)
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 23
25. 3. FOCUS ON CLARITY
“The most powerful factors in the world are
clear ideas in the minds of energetic
men [and women] of good will.”— J Arthur Thomson
You know all about your program, but
your readers don’t. Explain everything!
Avoid vagueness; talk specifics.
Use examples, quotes.
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 25
26. 4. TELL STORIES
Talk about how people have
benefited: results they have seen
and importance.
What are some characteristics of great
stories?
A beginning, middle and end
Memorable characters
Interesting setting (time and place)
Compelling plot or conflict resolution
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 26
27. 5. TAKE CUES FROM THE FUNDER
Remember to answer all of the funder’s
questions with details.
Use the funder’s language.
Use headings and sub-headings with chunks
accessible at a glance.
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 27
28. 6. AVOID JARGON AND
UNEXPLAINED ACRONYMS
Does the term mean the same
thing to them as it does to you?
If you must use technical terms or
acronyms, explain them the first time.
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 28
30. 7. SHOW, DON’T JUST TELL
Convey striking details
Use metaphors and analogies
Show HOW your solution benefits folks
Use word pictures:
NOT “affordable housing and good nutrition”
BUT “safe roof and 3 solid meals a day”
Compare your topic to a more familiar one.
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 30
31. EXAMPLE
The Frameworks Institute used stats from U.S.
Dept. of Ed’s 2005 study, “Calories In, Calories
Out: Food and Exercise in Public Elementary
Schools,” and crafted this message:
“Exercise is something that children need
every day. But half of all students attend
schools that have reduced their phys ed class
to just one or two days per week. Part-time
fitness is no more effective than part-time
reading or math instruction.”
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 31
32. 8. MAKE YOUR PROPOSAL
PLEASING TO THE EYE.
Use:
white space
legible font
numbering
bullets
charts
simple graphics (maps, diagrams, etc.)
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 32
33. 9. CULTIVATE CONCISENESS:
LESS IS MORE
“I didn't have time to write a short letter,
so I wrote a long one instead.” —Mark Twain
Sentences: 14-20 words max.
No freeloading words
KISSS: Keep It Short, Simple, Skimmable
Average LOI:1-3 pp.; full proposal: 7-10 pp.
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 33
34. 10. PROOFREAD
Check your document
for grammar,
punctuation, spelling,
and other slip-ups.
Always read your piece
out loud (even if it’s
only to yourself). Most
people hear words as
they read them, so your
words should roll off
the tongue.
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 34
35. LET IDEAS GERMINATE.
"The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to
get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon."
—Robert Cormier
Wait at least 24 hours before starting
to revise.
Try keeping a notepad & pen
on your nightstand. This invites
creative ideas to visit you.
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 35
36. EXERCISE
SPOT THE WEAKNESSES:
Can you identify the problems
in this piece?
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 36
37. EXERCISE
(SPOT THE WEAKNESSES)
Dear Program Officer:
We are pleased to submit this brief Letter of
Intent to the Over-the-Top Foundation. We
propose the “Get A Life Project,” which will
have a negligible effect on housing conditions
for low-income women and will probably do
nothing to change their economic status.
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 37
38. EXERCISE
(SPOT THE WEAKNESSES)
We don’t have an innovative bone in our
bodies, so we’re just doing the same old
project that we’ve always done, and it’s not
part of any larger plan. In fact, we think there
are already many organizations doing this
work in our town.
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 38
39. EXERCISE
(SPOT THE WEAKNESSES)
Based on no community feedback or
involvement, we believe that our Get A Life
Project will provide much-needed assistance.
It’s not clear how we will do this work, but we
are sure that we’ll come up with something.
To be sure, we definitely will not be
evaluating it.
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 39
40. EXERCISE
(SPOT THE WEAKNESSES)
Our project does not address any of your
priority areas, but we know you will make an
exception because of our good intentions. We
will have to indefinitely rely on your
foundation to sustain our work. Otherwise
will have to close.
Sincerely,
Wanda Grant
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 40
41. FINAL THOUGHT
"Find a subject you care about and which
you in your heart feel others should care
about. It is this genuine caring, not your
games with language, which will be the
most compelling and seductive element in
your style.”— Kurt Vonnegut
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net 41
42. Your special discount:
www.dfmassachi.net/event.html
2 BONUS HANDOUTS:
1) Proposal Checklist
2) Sample Cover Letter
~Both Available on the Same Website!~
©2011 Dalya F Massachi 42
www.dfmassachi.net
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