Grant Proposal Tracking 2.0 :
Getting Organized to Take Your Grant Seeking to the Next Level
Michelle Eisenberg, Consultant
September 2009

Completing a calendar for upcoming grant proposals can be straightforward — match prospects to projects, set target amounts, deadlines, and any first steps such as letters of intent or online forms. Whether you chart this in a spreadsheet or use your donor management system to maintain it, a proposal calendar can be a useful tool for keeping your grant seeking on track throughout the year.

The real power of this process, however, is managing all the other stakeholders on whom the proposal depends. Program staff, finance personnel, hired grant writers, collaborating organizations and outside experts may all play a role in defining projects, budgets and outcome measures. Contact with foundation or public agency program officers or board member-to-board member early in the process can help confirm that your proposal is on target.

The next layer of grant proposal tracking is everything that needs to be done before you sit down to write the narrative — which should be the least time-consuming piece of the project. In this highly competitive funding environment, the success of your proposal more likely depends on the quality of the program — the right team, a concept that matches your organization´s strengths, credible outcomes and a strong plan for sustainability.

To facilitate this preparation and ensure that you avoid any last-minute snags, consider including on your calendar:

• A date for a staff planning meeting to brainstorm around the grant guidelines and to assign portions of the proposal to appropriate colleagues.
• Target dates for contact with program officers, foundation board members or agency representatives to further explore your concept.
• Deadlines for securing the commitment of external participants and required documentation (letter of support, curriculum vitae, memorandum of understanding, etc.).
• Due dates for receiving any cost estimates for services to be funded by the grant.
• Submission deadlines to have a program officer review your proposal draft.
• Timeframe for completing any organizational registrations or other requirements (particularly for federal or state grant submissions).
• An appointment for your CEO or CFO to “sign” necessary documents in print or electronically.

In short, preparing a grant proposal is first and foremost a project management endeavor. Noting the amount of extra work detailed here can also help you assess whether a particular grant will be worth the total investment of time and resources to complete it! Thoughtful planning will be evident in a well-written proposal and will help increase your likelihood of success.

Schultz & Williams is a national consulting firm based in Philadelphia; providing management, fundraising and marketing consulting for nonprofit organizations, along with full-service direct marketing, database and creative/production services.