Have you ever wondered what the mindset of a successful nonprofit grantee looks like? What makes one nonprofit successful and hundreds of others unsuccessful in a grant application? Such a grantee approaches grant writing and fundraising with a mindset that is radically different from others- the “also-ran”, those whose proposals are unsuccessful.
The competition for funding is scarce. Donor criteria are more rigorous, demanding more bang for the buck. Meanwhile, donor priorities are always changing.
There are three characteristics of the mindsets of successful grantees that start from how they perceive themselves and their mission, which is conveyed to the donor in their grant writing and donor engagement.
- First, you have something valuable to offer the donor. While others approach the donor, cap in hand, a successful grantee knows that this is a mutually beneficial partnership where the donor provides the funding support while they execute the plan that generates the impact. Thus, without you and the great work you do, the donor cannot attain its ROI- a Return on Impact.
- Second, you are the expert on the people that you serve. Such a grantee has a strong understanding of the pain points of the community. They have accurately diagnosed the needs of those that they serve and have co-designed the solutions with their beneficiaries.
- Third, you can deliver on the promise in your proposal. The successful grantee has done this before and gained strong experience and lessons learned along the way. They have built strong local and multi-sectoral relationships that they can leverage to sustain their work, with or without funding from this donor.
There, you have it. Approach your grant writing from a place of power, and begin to see better results. #FundraiseWithAllwell #AllwellBDNuggets #TravailleEnsemble #OnEstEnsemble
