by Cynthia M. Adams, CEO, GrantStation.com
New to grantwriting? This series will help you establish files and collect information to begin the grantwriting process that will result in a winning proposal.
- To gather and polish the basic documents for grant writing.
- To generate compelling proposals using these basic documents.
- To feel confident as you begin writing grant requests.
12 Steps to Writing a Winning Proposal
When we talk about getting started in the realm of grantseeking, it is mainly a checklist of items you need to collect and modify for your grantseeking efforts. There is little original writing that has to be done initially so you should find this part of the overall grantseeking process fairly straightforward and relatively easy to accomplish.
I suggest setting up an electronic folder (shared with others in your organization, even if it is just the Board of Directors Chair) and giving it a name such as: Grant Writing Docs.
Once you have gathered and 'tweaked' the items that are required as either reference resources or actual attachments to grant proposals, you will want to maintain this information primarily in electronic form.
Be sure to review and update these files as your organization evolves. Always date stamp everything so you know when each document was last updated. I suggest using the same style and format (e.g., font, spacing, margins, etc.) for all of these documents. This saves you time when cutting and pasting the information into a letter of inquiry or grant proposal.
And don't try to make these documents "pretty". You don't want them to include extensive layout and design because every time you cut and paste you'll find yourself monkeying with weird paragraphs, titles that are bolded, etc. Keep these documents simple and easily transferable.