Think Strategically!
You have done the research to identify a set of potential grantmakers that may fund a particular project or program. Now you need to develop a strategic approach to secure the funding needed. That means determining what will motivate each funder to give you an award.
Creating a strategy will help you achieve a higher success rate when seeking funds. In addition, by sharing your overall strategy with grantmakers, you will gain credibility with them. This will also help engage your board of directors.
Keep in mind that most successful strategies are those that are fact-based. This is where the research in identifying the most appropriate grantmakers comes into play, as you now know basic facts such as their average grant award, what types of projects they fund, upcoming deadlines, application procedures, etc. Developing a funding strategy takes into account the facts you have collected as well as a few assumptions.
Not all grant proposals you write have to be woven into an overall strategy. Often there will be what are called “one offs.” For example, your banker asks you to submit a request for...
