Donors are People Too: Bringing Your Work to Life When You Write Grants
Sometimes, communicating with donors is scary. There’s a perceived power dynamic between the money-holder and the money-asker that drives the stories we tell. What would the donor want to hear? How do I tell our story in 750 characters? Does this story make us seem less than perfect?
Here’s the thing -- donors are people too. Sure, foundations aren’t, but program officers, heads of foundations, and trustees are. They’re interested in supporting YOUR work and not another organization with a wildly different focus area because they’re interested in your cause and what you’re doing to drive it forward.
Here are some tips to show the amazing work you’re doing and continue to get funding for it.
Show, don’t tell
Yes, this is advice our third grade writing teachers gave us all, but it’s still incredibly relevant. Many of our donors don’t get to experience the magic of our organizations first hand. You have to show them the work that’s going on. When you read through what you’ve written, can you picture the work happening? If not, you need to show it.
What does this look like? Instead of saying, “Your support is crucial to our organization,” try showing what the support will enable: “Your $X investment will allow us to buy a state-of-the-art jungle gym for our students. This new playground will have specialty swings to allow our students with disabilities to also participate and a water feature to keep our kids cool during sweltering Texas heatwaves.” Instead of saying, “Thank you for your support,” try, “Our students are happy and tired after recess, thanks to your investment in our jungle gym. Laughter echoes through the entire school during recess time, and this equipment has enabled our students to form strong friendships with one another, as they make up new games and challenges on the playground.” Bring in data points when possible to show how their investment has contributed to your impact.
Read More: The Top Five Grant Writing Techniques of Successful Fundraisers
Bring in the voices of your communities
Your communities are wonderful -- that’s why you partner with them. Have them tell their own stories and explain how you’ve impacted their lives. For example, if you’re a childcare provider, there’s no better advocate for your organization than the children who spend most of their waking hours with you and their parents, who trust you to teach and care for the most important little humans in their lives. Include direct quotes and pictures (of course, get permission from those featured first) that show how much your services -- which are enabled by your donors’ contributions -- mean to your communities.
Read More: 4 Questions to Answer for Grant Writing Success
Highlight the good, but don’t shy away from the bad
Sometimes, we don’t meet every single grant goal, and that’s ok. Always focus on the amazing things your organization has achieved. Start with the positive. Highlight the growth since the year before (or, if there hasn’t been growth, since when you were first founded). Then tackle the challenges. Your donors are meant to be partners in this work. They don’t want you to sugarcoat your challenges, and they can tell when you’re doing so. Instead, focus on what you learned as a result of these challenges, and what you’re going to do differently moving forward. If you have a solid plan for the year ahead, or even a learning agenda to eventually formulate a plan in the next couple of years, this can be an effective way to ask for a renewal. You’re not quitting because you didn’t meet your grant goals, and your donors don’t need to either. Of course, transparency throughout the grant term will help with this -- no one wants to be surprised in the final report! Bring your donors into your work throughout the grant. See if they have any suggestions or connections from working with other nonprofits and philanthropists.
Read More: How Telling Stories Will Help You Find New Nonprofit Donors
Hopefully these tips will help you as you write your proposals and reports. If you’d like to see these in action, at Giant Squid Group, we’re always happy to read over your materials and give you feedback in real time!
— Irmak Karayal, Grant Writer
Irmak started off her career as a teacher through Teach For America, where she taught 7th and 8th graders with disabilities in Hawai'i. Since then, she has focused her career on fundraising, storytelling, education, and social justice. She's interested in a variety of causes and regularly volunteers at her local animal shelter in Austin, Texas. In her spare time, Irmak is usually reading, hiking, lounging outdoors, or playing with her pup