The notebooks are stacked in store aisles. The backpacks are out. Somewhere, a child is already insisting that last year’s perfectly good lunchbox is no longer acceptable.
It must be back-to-school season.
Even for those of us who have not sharpened a pencil in years, this time of year can create a familiar urge to get organized, return to a routine, and perhaps purchase office supplies we do not technically need.
It is also a good time for development teams to revisit a few fundamentals.
Experienced professionals are not immune to skipping steps. In fact, familiarity can sometimes make it easier to rush. We recognize the application questions. We have language from a previous proposal. We know the program well. The deadline looks manageable.
Then, three days before submission, someone realizes that the budget tells a different story from the narrative, the evaluation plan measures something the program does not actually do, and nobody has requested the required letter from a partner.
Class is back in session.
Here are five lessons worth relearning before the fall proposal calendar fills up.
Lesson 1: Read the entire assignment
Most of us learned this lesson through at least one unpleasant school experience.
We completed an entire worksheet and then discovered the instruction at the top that said, “Answer only the odd-numbered questions.”
Funding guidelines deserve the same careful attention.
Do not stop after reading the program description and the award amount. Review the full announcement, including:
- Eligibility requirements
- Funding priorities
- Application questions
- Review criteria
- Allowable and unallowable costs
- Required attachments
- Submission instructions
- Deadline and time zone
- Registration requirements
- Page, word, and formatting limits
Then read it again with your program, finance, leadership, and evaluation colleagues in mind.
A funding opportunity is not a creative-writing prompt. It is a set of instructions, requirements, and signals about what the funder is trying to accomplish.
The first task is not drafting.
The first task is understanding the assignment.
Lesson 2: Do your homework before you start writing
A strong proposal cannot repair a poorly planned program.
Before drafting, the proposal team should be able to explain:
- What problem or need the program will address
- Who is affected and how they understand the issue
- What the organization proposes to do
- Why those activities are likely to help
- Who will carry out the work
- What the work will cost
- What will change as a result
- How the organization will know whether progress occurred
These questions sound basic. They are also where many proposal-development problems begin.
When the answers are unclear, the narrative tends to become longer, more abstract, and more repetitive. People begin trying to solve program-design questions with adjectives.
“Robust,” “innovative,” and “transformative” are not substitutes for a clear plan.
Do the homework first. The writing will become much easier.
Lesson 3: Show your work
Remember being told that the correct answer was not enough? You also had to show how you got there.
Funders need to see the logic behind your proposal.
Do not simply state that your organization will conduct six workshops and improve economic stability. Explain the relationship between the activity and the intended result.
Why six workshops? What will happen during them? Who will participate? What knowledge, skill, access, or behavior is expected to change? How does that change contribute to greater economic stability?
A proposal becomes more persuasive when the reader can follow a clear line:
The community experiences this problem.
These factors contribute to it.
The organization will carry out these activities.
The activities are expected to produce these immediate results.
Those results support these longer-term outcomes.
When one of those links is missing, the reader has to make an assumption.
Do not make the reviewer finish your homework for you.
Lesson 4: Group projects require actual coordination
Every proposal becomes a group project eventually.
Program staff know the work. Finance staff know what it costs. Leadership knows what the organization can commit to. Evaluation staff understand what can be measured. Partners know whether the proposed collaboration is realistic.
The proposal developer may help organize and communicate all of that information, but should not be expected to invent it alone.
Before work begins, establish:
- Who will provide each piece of information
- Who has authority to approve commitments
- Who will develop and review the budget
- Who will contact partners
- Who will review the complete application
- Who is authorized to submit it
- When each person’s contribution is due
And no, “as soon as possible” is not a due date.
Good collaboration does not require endless meetings. It requires clear responsibilities, realistic deadlines, and a shared understanding of what is being proposed.
Lesson 5: Turn in the assignment you were asked to complete
Reusing previous material is sensible.
Submitting a lightly modified version of an old proposal without reconsidering the new funder, opportunity, questions, and context is not.
A previous proposal can provide useful organizational history, program descriptions, data, and tested language. But every new opportunity requires a fresh strategic decision.
Why is this organization a good match for this funder?
Which parts of the program respond directly to the funder’s priorities?
What has changed since the previous proposal was developed?
Which old claims or statistics need to be updated?
What does this specific reviewer need to understand?
Copying language is fast.
Developing a responsive proposal requires thought.
A quick back-to-school quiz
Before your next proposal moves into full drafting, can your team answer “yes” to each of these questions?
- Have we read and discussed the complete funding announcement?
- Are we eligible?
- Is the opportunity a strong match for our work and priorities?
- Is the program clearly defined?
- Is the budget realistic and aligned with the narrative?
- Do we have the data and documentation we need?
- Have staff members and partners agreed to their proposed roles?
- Do we have enough time to develop and review a strong submission?
- Does everyone know what they are responsible for providing?
- Can we explain why this proposal matters without relying on buzzwords?
A “no” does not necessarily mean you should abandon the opportunity.
It does mean you have homework to do.
The fundamentals of grantsmanship are not flashy. They will not produce an entire proposal with one click. But they are what allow organizations to pursue funding strategically, develop realistic programs, and communicate their work with clarity.
That is one lesson worth carrying into every season.
Ready for a deeper refresher? Explore The Grantsmanship Center’s training programs and strengthen the planning, collaboration, and proposal-development skills your organization can use throughout the year. Visit our website at: tgci.com
Get funding. Create change.
