January is the month we devote to big goals, fresh starts and new practices. If your nonprofit’s Big Goal for 2019 is winning large awards from grant makers, then getting ‘grant ready’ is your first priority.
Get Competitive
No matter the age, size or operating budget of your nonprofit, there are ways to make your organization more competitive for grant funding. Nonprofit leaders covet grant awards because the gifts tend to be larger and many funders allow annual applications and repeat awards. On the other side of the checkbook, funders carefully evaluate their potential grantees’ financial health and overall well-being. They want to award money to the organization that will make best use of it. Not sure if you are ready to compete successfully for grants? As you gear up for your grant-seeking journey, don’t leave home without demonstrating:
Five Must-Have Tools
- A clear, concise and compelling case for support
- Successful outcomes supported by statistical data and stories of lives changed
- Financial well-being and long-term viability
- Experienced, diverse and engaged leaders
- Strong partnerships with other service providers
Prepare and Pack
If you’re confident that your nonprofit has all these tools packed and ready to go, then your odds of hearing “Yes!” to your request are high. By preparing these documents and gathering this data in January, your nonprofit will give itself every advantage in its pursuit of grant funding in 2019.
Are You Grant Ready?
Are you wondering if your nonprofit is grant-ready? Take the Grant Ready Quiz that I’ve created to help you assess your readiness. The quiz results will tell you how close you are to grant-winning success. Once you receive the results, a link will be sent to you to download a handy dandy Grant Ready Checklist. The checklist is a useful tool that can help you prepare for frequently asked questions and gather the attachments required with each proposal. And if you find any of the checklist items confusing or daunting, we are available to help you tackle any or all of them in 2019.
