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Creating a Grantseeking Calendar for 2010 – Part 1
by Cynthia M. Adams, CEO GrantStation
Adopting a Process
Too often we identify a grantmaker for a particular project just because a staff member walks in our door and says, “Can you find me funding for this project?” Or we draft a grant request because a board member brings a copy of a request for proposals to a meeting and says, “I think we could get this money.”
Too seldom do we actually create a calendar that builds a grantseeking schedule around a set of projects identified by the board of directors or executive director.
This series of articles will help you establish an annual grantseeking calendar that will keep your grantseeking focused on those programs and projects that need the funds. Making use of this calendar will allow you to say “no” to grant opportunities coming across your desk that may side track you from your overall plan.
Chasing money is just about the biggest black hole there is in the nonprofit world, and many of us risk falling into it. The first step in developing a grantseeking calendar is to design a request for proposal (RFP) decision matrix that will help you pre-screen potential grantmakers. Establishing basic criteria for judging whether a grant opportunity is worth your organization's investment of time and energy is a true time saver.
The next step is to identify the projects that need funding in the next six to 18 months. (Be sure to review your general operating budget to see if there will be a short fall, as you may want to include seeking grant funds to supplement your general budget as well.)
You will then need to complete a two-page Project Description Worksheet (explained in more detail later in the series) for each project that requires grant support. These worksheets will facilitate the task of identifying potential grantmakers, which is a manageable process using the searchable databases on the GrantStation website.
After you’ve come up with a list of possible grantmakers it’s time to draft an overall grants strategy for each project. Each of these specific grants strategies will feed into the longer-term grantseeking calendar.
I prefer to establish an 18-month grantseeking calendar. However you can set whatever timeline feels workable for you and your organization.
If you keep updated copies of each Project Description Worksheet in a three-ring binder you can use it for quick reference when talking with staff, board members, and grantmakers. You can also take the binder to your board meetings and pass it around for board review. It’s a good way to keep the board aware of the work you’re doing in the grants arena.
The Project Description Worksheets will need to be “tweaked” from time to time as grantmakers are identified and grants are awarded or denied. You'll also be adding new projects and deleting projects as you go along. These are working documents which are meant to change. The grantseeking calendar will also be revised often, reflecting the changes to your Project Worksheets.
Building a grantseeking calendar does take time, but once you have all the pieces in place you will find it is fairly easy to adjust the calendar, and to continue to extend the calendar as you go forward. Remember that this is an organic document that will change over time
Other articles in this series:
Main Page
Part 1 – Adopting a Process
Part 2 –Developing a Decision Matrix
Part 3 – Identifying Needed Funding
Part 4 – Generating a Grants Strategy
Part 5 – Establishing a Grantseeking Calendar