A superior resource to help your nonprofit win the grants you deserve
In an increasingly competitive nonprofit world, even top organizations struggle to extend their fundraising reach or simply maintain current funding levels. This thorough guide to crafting winning grant applications takes you through the entire process--from pinpointing the right funding opportunities, to writing persuasive proposals, to following up later.
Practical, reliable, and accessible to seasoned pros and grant-writing greenhorns alike, Webster’s New World Grant Writing Handbook provides comprehensive coverage of:
- Different types of foundation and corporate grantmakers
- Defining your project, as well as your organization’s mission and goals
- Tailoring your applications to each grantmaker’s interest areas
- Writing convincing letters of inquiry
- Organizing and writing hard-hitting proposals
- Following up on proposals after they’ve been submitted
- Effective donor cultivation after proposals have been approved
Featuring sample proposals, letters, and application forms; proposal checklists; a glossary of terms; and many illustrative examples, this complete resource is ideal for any nonprofit--whether you’re in a multimillion-dollar university development office or the smallest humanitarian agency.
Author(s): Sara D. Wason
Edition: 1
Publisher: Webster's New World
Year: 2004
Language: English
Commentary: 169563
Pages: 338
WEBSTER'S NEW WORLD GRANT WRITING HANDBOOK......Page 3
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 5
TABLE OF CONTENTS......Page 7
Major Themes......Page 13
How This Book Is Organized......Page 14
PART I: UNDERSTANDING CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION FUNDRAISING......Page 17
HOW CORPORATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS FIT INTO YOUR OVERALL FUNDRAISING STRATEGY......Page 18
WHY CORPORATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS GIVE......Page 21
FOUNDATIONS......Page 22
LOBBYING......Page 23
FOUNDATION TYPES......Page 24
FOUNDATION GIVING......Page 28
CORPORATIONS......Page 29
CORPORATE SUPPORT......Page 30
WHAT CORPORATIONS GIVE......Page 33
IMPLICATIONS FOR FUNDRAISERS......Page 35
PART II: THE NEW PHILANTHROPY......Page 37
CURRENT EVENTS......Page 38
GLOBALIZATION......Page 43
DEMOGRAPHICS......Page 44
THE NEW DONOR......Page 47
IMPLICATIONS FOR GRANT SEEKERS......Page 48
FOUNDATION GIVING TRENDS......Page 49
CORPORATE GIVING TRENDS......Page 55
COLLABORATION......Page 61
VENTURE PHILANTHROPY......Page 62
EFFECTING CHANGE......Page 63
GENERATE THE IDEA......Page 65
TABLE......Page 66
FUNDRAISING GOALS......Page 67
INVESTMENT......Page 69
READINESS......Page 71
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT......Page 72
PROBLEM......Page 73
PROJECT PLAN......Page 74
RESOURCES......Page 77
MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME PAGE......Page 78
WHAT MAKES A GOOD PROSPECT?......Page 79
THE LOCAL LANDSCAPE......Page 80
UNDERSTAND WHERE GIVERS GIVE......Page 82
HELPFUL NEWSLETTERS......Page 83
BUSINESS PUBLICATIONS......Page 85
PROJECT-SPECIFIC GRANT SEARCHES......Page 86
SEARCH STRATEGY......Page 87
PERSONAL CONNECTIONS......Page 88
GENERAL SEARCH ENGINES......Page 89
FREE PHILANTHROPIC DATABASES......Page 91
ELECTRONIC DATABASES......Page 92
HIGHER EDUCATION......Page 93
SUBSCRIPTION DATABASES......Page 94
FAMILY FOUNDATIONS......Page 95
RAGS......Page 96
FIELD......Page 97
GOVERNMENT FUNDING......Page 102
YOUR FINAL LIST......Page 104
MAKE THE BEST INITIAL APPROACH......Page 107
THE BEST METHOD......Page 108
APPROACH......Page 110
WHO SHOULD I APPROACH?......Page 111
LETTERS OF INQUIRY......Page 114
ADVANTAGES/DRAWBACKS......Page 115
FLOW......Page 116
INQUIRY......Page 120
INQUIRY......Page 126
CONCEPT PAPER......Page 129
SAMPLE CONCEPT PAPER 1......Page 133
SAMPLE CONCEPT PAPER 2......Page 135
EMAIL INQUIRIES......Page 137
TELEPHONE CALLS......Page 143
PERSONAL VISITS......Page 154
THE NEXT STEP......Page 160
HANDLING REJECTION......Page 161
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES......Page 163
THE OUTLINE......Page 165
TIMING......Page 166
GATHERING INFORMATION......Page 171
APPROVAL PROCESSES......Page 172
PROPOSAL PRODUCTION SCHEDULE......Page 173
CONTINGENCY PLANS......Page 175
YOUR ORGANIZATION......Page 177
THE FUNDER’S PERSPECTIVE......Page 178
LENGTH, STYLE, AND FLOW......Page 181
APPLICATION FORM......Page 183
PROPOSAL GUIDELINES......Page 184
PROPOSAL COMPONENTS......Page 185
COVER LETTER......Page 186
COVER PAGE (OPTIONAL)......Page 189
INTRODUCTION......Page 190
ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION AND CREDENTIALS......Page 194
STATEMENT OF NEED......Page 197
PROJECT METHODS......Page 207
BUDGET......Page 223
ATTACHMENTS......Page 239
NONTRADITIONAL PROPOSAL FORMATS......Page 240
LETTER PROPOSALS......Page 241
COMMON APPLICATION FORM......Page 242
PACKAGING THE PROPOSAL......Page 243
GETTING THE PROPOSAL THERE......Page 245
INITIAL SCREENING......Page 247
FROM STAFF TO BOARD ROOM......Page 248
CORPORATE PROCESS......Page 249
TIME FRAME......Page 250
DEADLINES AND DECISION TIMELINES......Page 251
FOLLOW UP ON YOUR PROPOSAL......Page 253
SAY THANK-YOU......Page 255
HANDLE A DENIAL......Page 257
PARTIAL REQUESTS......Page 261
CONGRATULATIONS: YOU’VE BEEN FUNDED......Page 262
PART IX: EFFECTIVE STEWARDSHIP......Page 265
RECOGNIZE THE FUNDER......Page 266
SHOW GRATITUDE......Page 267
COMMUNICATE ABOUT YOUR PROJECT......Page 268
THE FUNDER’S EXPECTATIONS......Page 269
SHARE YOUR SUCCESS......Page 270
PROGRESS REPORTS......Page 271
YOUR PROJECT MANAGER DOESN’T DELIVER......Page 274
THE PROJECT MANAGER IS LATE WITH A REPORT......Page 275
STEWARDSHIP RESPONSIBILITY......Page 276
BUILD ON YOUR SUCCESS......Page 278
APPENDIX A: SAMPLE PROPOSAL......Page 279
COMMON GRANT APPLICATION......Page 293
ONLINE APPLICATION......Page 298
PERSONABLE......Page 303
A GOOD LISTENER......Page 304
LEADERLY......Page 305
MATURE......Page 306
ORGANIZED......Page 307
ETHICAL......Page 308
KNOWLEDGEABLE......Page 309
CAREER ADVICE FOR CURRENT AND PROSPECTIVE FUNDRAISERS......Page 310
APPENDIX D: GOVERNMENT GRANTS......Page 313
THE PROPOSAL PROCESS IS MUCH MORE RESTRICTIVE......Page 314
THE APPROVAL PROCESS IS CLEARLY DEFINED......Page 315
BUDGETARY AND PAYMENT PROCESSES DIFFER......Page 316
GLOSSARY......Page 319
INDEX......Page 323
