Grantseeker, Know Thy Self
by Bob Curley, for Join Together
"You may have started out as a humane cause, but you're not going to succeed unless it's a business." Strategic planning is just one aspect of running a successful business that prospective grantseekers must learn. "Non-profits always say they need money to fund programs, but they don't even know where they will be in two years," he says. Meanwhile, Rickler notes, in most cases at least a year will pass between applying for a (major) grant and actually receiving a check.
Rickler says that rather than just writing grants on a one-shot basis, non-profits need "grant mentoring" -- either from a volunteer or a professional consultant -- that puts assessment and strategic planning ahead of responding to requests for proposals. In Grant Mentoring, Rickler walks the agency through the entire proposal process so they are not alone and the burdon of what to do is not on their shoulders. He tells them "what to do" and shows them "how to do it".
Rickler tells Join Together that a grantwriter should spend 80 percent of his or her time in preparation -- interviewing staff, clients and community members, conducting site visits, and contacting agency with questions. "You have to know the community," which includes citing to local statistics to back your request for funding, he says. Further, Rickler notes, contact with the community prior to applying for grants can give you a clearer picture of needs and build collaboration.
Substance abuse programs in particular must be intimately familiar with the scope of their work when applying for grants, he said. "The problem is that society is not excited about funding substance abuse," according to Rickler. "You need to look for components of your programs to fund. Instead of saying you want to fund a program for indigents, say it's for job training. Instead of youth prevention, talk about youth development.
"Part of knowing your program is looking at what you do," he stresses. "It's not just substance abuse but family reunification, community education, outreach to needy populations. If you think that all you do is substance abuse treatment, then you don't know what you are doing.
"You may not be able to fund treatment with education money, but you can fund part of what you do."
Rickler -- who wrote the grant application that launched the Santa Barbara Fighting Back program as well as designing California's first privately-run prison system -- adds that complete systems -- those which provide a broad spectrum of services -- obviously have a greater chance of getting funding for services related to substance abuse.
Finally, he adds, programs need to focus on outcomes, not problems, to win grants. Rickler cites a stumbling block that substance abuse professionals can relate to: denial. "So many non-profit leaders have the mindset of "My program is so important; why don't they fund it?" he says.
Part of Rickler's grant mentoring service is training agencies to conduct their own, ongoing grantseeking campaigns. "An RFP or federal grant can be overwhelming -- many programs need a mentor to hold their hand and start the process," he says. Typically, Rickler will complete the first few grant applications for a client himself, then turn the work over to an in-house staff person at the non-profit and remain on call to offer advice and support. "You can get several hundred thousand dollars a year with a dedicated grant-writing campaign," according to Rickler, "but you need to make a commitment to searching and writing every month." Most fundraising efforts that fail, he adds, do so because of "lack of knowledge, motivation or commitment."
When asked how non-profit leaders can afford to take on the responsibility of fundraising, Rickler acknowledges that most non-profit staff already are overworked and underpaid. On the other hand, he notes, "If you don't do it, your agency may not continue."
The other alternative is to hire a consultant. At $500 to $1,000 per day, fund-raising consultants may be expensive, says Rickler, but a good one can be worth his weight in gold. "What is it worth to bring in a $1.5 million grant?" he asks. "You're looking at some really powerful work to bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars -- expect to pay for it." (Fundraisers, by the way, are paid up front and based on the hours they work, not a fee contingent upon the success of the grant application or the amount awarded.)
Rickler's advice to grant-seekers includes:
Grantwriters should:
