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I don’t mean ready to receive the money… I mean ready to implement a successful grant strategy? Ready to start to seek and secure grant funding? Ready to be accountable to funding sources?
Are You Grant Ready?
Do you know what foundations are within a 20-mile radius of your organization? You should since geographic proximity is the number one predictor of if a grant making foundation will give your organization grant funding. Do you know the best way to contact each of those foundations? What are their deadlines for submitting a proposal?
Are You Grant Ready?
Are your By-Laws in order? Will they withstand outside scrutiny? Do you have the latest policies the IRS (and many foundations) now requires? Are financials sufficiently transparent?
Are You Grant Ready?
Do you have an effective elevator message? Have you refined your mission and vision statements? Do you have a detailed budget that communicates your ministry effectively? Have you developed an effective means of introducing your organization to funding sources? Do you know what funding sources fund organizations similar to your organization?
Are You Grant Ready?
If a lack of funding is the only thing holding your ministry back… it is time for you to get Grant Ready!
Whether you answered yes, no, or maybe to the questions above, every ministry should ensure grant readiness before plunging into a grant development strategy!
A grant readiness analysis should supply your ministry with everything your organization needs to establish a grant development program for your ministry OR to revitalize a stagnant grant program. The process helps to establish a strategy that can be implemented in a consistent, persistent, and organized manner thereby maximizing your potential for success.
Components of a Successful Grant Readiness Analysis:
Conduct an Organizational Development Analysis
Before your church, ministry, or organization starts a concentrated and focused grant funding process, you first need to understand how you are going to be perceived by funding sources, identify an appropriate mix of funding sources, know what programs and services are most likely to be attractive to funding sources, and be aware of any critical issues that may doom any effort before it even gets started.
A personal fundraising consultant can aid you in this process and would rely on proven experience to strengthen your nonprofit organization’s capacity to successfully raise grant funds and create long-term stability for your ministry, church, or organization.
Whether developed by a grant writing consultant or by internal staff, you will need to have the proper tools and resources to perform your own analysis of funding preparedness to address strengths, weaknesses, and critical issues. This process provides the initial guidance and support needed as you begin to implement your grant development strategy.
Develop a Grant Application Template
In addition to developing proposals in response to a specific RFP or foundation, it is helpful to develop the MGA as a more generalized proposal which can be modified to meet the individual requirements and expectation of each funding source. You will then modify this document for each application to individual foundations and other funding sources.
Develop Organization and Project Budgets
A poorly developed budget can detract from an otherwise well written proposal. A well thought out and properly developed budget is critical and the master budget helps accomplish the goal of developing a budget that foundations will find clear, understandable, and comprehensive.
Develop a Letter of Inquiry TemplateThis is often the first contact with a funding source and can mean the difference between an invitation to apply and a polite “please try again in the future.” You need to have a masterfully produce initial letter catered to your organization’s needs to ensure exceptional results. Often, it is best to use a fundraising or grant writing consultant to help develop this for your ministry.
Research and Develop a List of Funding Source
A critical step for any organization beginning to seek funding is to know what funding opportunities are available to them. It is best to conduct initial research, identify the 25 best funding sources specifically matched to your organization, and develop a profile of each of these funding sources to use throughout the implementation of your grant strategy.
Identify a Funding Directory for ResearchTo continue searching for funding sources on your own, you will need to identify and secure a directory of grant funding sources. Ideally, you will be looking for funding directory with Christian funding sources so the listings are specifically interested in funding Christian ministries and churches.
Get Training in Grant Writing and Development
There are a variety of sites offering free e-training opportunities focused on Capacity Building and Strategic Planning, Corporation and Foundation Giving, Board Development and Individual Giving, Government Grant Applications and Grant Management, and Program Evaluation. Much of the free training available was developed by leading consultants for the federal governments Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
Once you have completed these steps, your ministry will be grant ready? So many organizations try grant writing and fail or do not even know how to get started. Ministries fail at grant writing for one of two reasons; either they implement a disorganized and haphazard approach that is doomed to fail or they quit and give up on grant writing before they start to see results. Conducting an initial grant readiness analysis will give you all of the tools to implement a successful grant development strategy and will position your organization for successful grant development.
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Source by Dr. Jeffrey J. Rodman
