The Secret to Writing Goals and Objectives that Captivate Donors and Win Grants
If you are struggling to get grant funding, there’s a good chance the goals and objectives you include in your grant proposal are the reason.
Your goals broadly outline the overall successes you will achieve, while your objectives outline the specific steps you will take to reach each goal. Without a strong goals and objectives section of your grant proposal, you are not telling funders why you are capable of carrying out your work - and as a result, you are unlikely to be funded.
This section of your grant proposal is where the real magic happens. You get the opportunity to paint a picture of what will happen as a result of your work. Here, you demonstrate the future impact that will occur when your organization is funded. You’re envisioning a picture of change and confidently and optimistically sharing it with funders. That’s something worth investing in.
Your goals and objectives should evolve each year, and may change depending on what grant you are writing. Yet, each grant proposal should have goals and objectives that are smart, mission-focused, and clear.
Set SMART Goals and Objectives
Talking about SMART goals brings me back to discussions of writing five-paragraph essays in my high school English class, but there is a reason this way of setting goals has persisted: it works.
Your grant goals and objectives need to be:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant/Realistic
Timely
Each and every goal and objective you list needs to pass as SMART test. Overly vague goals will show that your program lacks legs, and will be less attractive to funders.
Stay Mission-Focused
All your goals and objectives - regardless of what program you are seeking support for - need to be clearly related to your mission and tie to your statement of need. Make sure that the goals you lay out focus on engaging all relevant groups you discuss and hit on the major area of need you’ve identified.
And, don’t forget that you’ll need to report on your progress towards these goals when you submit a grant report. Whether your identified goals are qualitative or quantitative, make sure you can measure them throughout the year!
How many goals do you need? Overall, it’s better to have two to three quality, mission-focused, and SMART goals and objectives than a vague list that doesn’t really say anything.
Paint a Clear Picture of Future Impact
Your goals and objectives should bring your work to life and demonstrate to funder just how you will work towards your mission and vision. Here are a few sample (fictitious) goals and objectives that use both qualitative and quantitative data to demonstrate an organization’s work and impact.
Example #1
Too Vague:
Goal: We will provide services to at-risk students that help them stay in school.
Objectives:
At-risk students participate in enrichment programs to help them stay in school.
We will identify new program partners to bring services to our schools.
SMART & Specific
Goal: We will partner with 75 partner organizations throughout the city to bring socio-emotional, physical health, and arts programs to 100 under-resourced schools that would otherwise be unable to provide their students with these enrichment activities.
Objectives:
500 students will benefit from a range of programs and services
100 program and services will be connected to under-resourced schools
80% of teachers will strongly agree that their students had support that they otherwise would not have received
25 new program partners will be identified
Example #2
Too Vague:
Goal: We will serve children and adults with a variety of special mental, physical and emotional disabilities through therapeutic horseback riding.
Objectives:
Connect physically disabled children to therapeutic riding programs
Collect feedback from doctors, therapists, teachers and parents
Develop the physical and emotional capacity of riders
SMART & Specific:
Goal: Build the physical and emotional capacity of children and adults with a variety of special mental, physical, and emotional disabilities through equine-assisted physical activity (Therapeutic Riding).
Objectives:
100 children and adults will participate in Therapeutic Riding to build their cognitive, physical, emotional, and socioemotional capacity.
80% of riders will demonstrate increased socioemotional competencies based on pre-and post-surveys administered to both riders and caretakers.
90% of riders will demonstrate an increased positive self-image based on pre-and post-surveys administered to both riders and caretakers.
90% of riders will demonstrate increased physical capacity and strength based on physical assessments by doctors and physical therapists.
Example #3
Too Vague:
Goals: We will help low-income single mothers better gain independence by helping them gain steady employment.
Objectives :
Host workshops to build skills and capacity
Mentoring classes offered to women in the program
Participants will launch small businesses or participate in entrepreneurial activities
SMART & Specific:
Goal: We will launch an entrepreneurship program to provide single mothers with the skills, resources, and wrap-around support they need to obtain nontraditional employment that provides them with the flexibility they need to care for their families.
Objectives:
12 skill-building workshops offered in diverse and accessible neighborhoods throughout the city.
100 women participate in workshops and peer mentoring classes.
85% of women will identify an entrepreneurial opportunity that will help them support their family.
70% of women will launch an entrepreneurial initiative by the end of the program period.
Writing Strong Grant Proposals
Your goals and objectives section is only part of your grant proposal, but it's’ a critical portion of your writing and work. This is not the section to rush - make sure you take the time to work with your programs team to identify goals and objectives that are real, relevant, and realistic. Then, happy writing!
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