Mary Martin, Ph.D.

On Creative Ways to Find Funding

When you're looking for potential funders, one way is to search for organizations or agencies with a mission that is similar to yours and visit their websites. Usually, their biggest funders will be listed somewhere on the site, and might even have logos of the funders that you can click on and go directly to (it's unlikely, but possible). When you visit the sites of the funders, you want to go to the page that lists what their giving parameters are and make sure your project is a good fit. Sometimes, there's a personal relationship or some other non-traditional factor that allowed the funder to go outside its parameters to fund an initiative. In other words, just because a funder gave to an organization similar to yours, doesn't mean the mission of your organization is technically within the guidelines, and you'd be wasting your time applying.

If following the leads of individual foundations doesn't pan out, be sure to check out any corporate affiliations. Though you might not have the exact same corporation in your area, if another organization forged a successful relationship with, say, a construction company, perhaps you should explore how a local construction company might be a good fit for you.

Similarly, if a community foundation or United Way funds an organization similar to yours, perhaps you should explore your own community foundation and United Way.

Google (and other search engines) as well as Charity Navigator can help you locate organizations that have a mission similar to yours.

Some of My Favorite Writing Books

Whether writing is a hobby, a passion or a career for you, it would behoove you to read about writing. I was recently asked to list some of my favorite books about writing, grammar, punctuation and style. Without further ado . . .

• Lapsing Into a Comma and The Elephants of Style by Bill Walsh (who has a great blog at TheSlot.com.
• The First Five Pages and A Dash of Style by Noah Lukeman.
• Woe is I by Patricia T. Conner (who has some great grammar myths here).
• On Writing Well by William Zinsser.
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss.

The dominant theme in most of these book is that they're funny, and I like to laugh. There's a decent amount of overlap in the material, but considering repetition is the mother of mastery, the overlap can't hurt and is likely to help.

On Putting a Dollar Value on Your Hard Work

If you write grants, books, chapters, pamphlets or website material, you have to value your hard work and establish a fair price for it.

I'm a free market kind of person, and I'll charge a combination of what the market will pay and what my expertise is worth. Certain markets pay well as a matter of course, and others don't. Some clients have for-profit businesses and others have non-profit businesses and I factor that into my equation, as well.

In other words, what I charge is by no means uniform from one client to the next, unless of course the clients are similar in important ways.

I've seen intricate formulas for establishing fees based on your overhead, the number of years of experience you have, your earning history, and the fair market value of your services. And at the beginning that's helpful. However, after nearly two decades of writing for other people, I am far less attached to making a huge profit and far more attached to doing work that matters for people I believe in. And if they can't pay me $250 an hour, I don't mind.

Sometimes I work pro bono. For example, if a nonprofit isn't paying the people who run its program a living wage, how can I possible ask them to pay me one?

Though this is by no means a scientific statement, it works for me: Charge a fair price for the work given the context. You can't go wrong with that, and you'll certainly build up some goodwill with people who appreciate the way you do business. And goodwill equals referrals. If you're running your business with integrity, referrals will bring you the bulk of your work and you won't have to advertise as much as most people do. Take it from me: There's nothing better than having people call you because a good friend told them how wonderful you are at what you do and how you do it.

On the Demonstration of Need

When a funder asks you to demonstrate the need your project will be addressing, here's a tip: Be as specific as possible.

And by the way, the same is true for a book proposal.

You must provide clear and convincing information that makes the reader say: Wow, we've gotta do something about this need, and do it now! Or, we've got to publish this book and address this under-addressed topic!

For a grant, this involves statistics and their sources. If you're talking about the homeless population in your area and how it is on the rise, that's not clear and convincing. What would be clear and convincing would be presenting the statistics on homelessness for the past 5-10 years, noting the credible source of the stats.

If you claim there is a gap in books on baby-boomers, provide the names of the recent bestsellers and a brief description of each and show the reader there's a gap by laying out the landscape. Demonstrate that you've done your research and you know what you're talking about.

I've recently reviewed a dozen grants for the federal government and the most significant weakness I saw was an inability of grantwriters to make their case when it came to need. And if I don't find your statement of need compelling, it's going to be difficult for me to buy into your proposal.

As always, when it comes to a book proposal (or a grant), you need to develop an ironclad case for the project you're proposing. You want your reader to want to fund you or advocate for you because you've left them no choice--they simply must stand behind you and help you.

Though need alone won't get you funded and it won't get your book published, if you haven't made your case, you can be guaranteed to not get support.

On the Following of Instructions

Today's tip is: Follow the instructions, and applies both in the nonprofit world with grants, and in the nonprofit world with anything you have to submit to anyone.

I'm reviewing grants for the federal government this week and I am shocked, as I am each time I'm on a review panel, to find so many worthy, needy organizations that are incapable of following instructions.

When thousands of individuals or organizations are vying for the same bowl of funds, the funder must create a way to standardize its application process to make it easier to compare proposals and decide where to allocate funds.

The tragic problem that no one can do anything about in such situations is that often the neediest organizations don't get funded because their proposals are so inadequate because they don't have the money to hire a grantwriter. Though not being in a position to hire a professional can surely be an obstacle, it is one that can be overcome to a large extent with today's simple tip: follow the instructions.

Every RFP (Request for Proposal) tells the prospective grantee what it wants. It says something like:

1. Define the magnitude and severity of the need (10 points).

And guess what you do?

1. Define the magnitude and severity of the need.
Describe, using numbers and percentages and narrative, why the situation is so terrible for the population you plan to serve. You're making a case for support here, so make it good and make it thorough and include any relevant studies and statistics.

Each organization has a way of presenting itself and its cause to prospective donors and the general public. Be that as it may, the grant proposal is not the time to say what you want to say, how and when you want to say it. It's time to surrender to the process of filling out an application. That's all the proposal is--an application for funds. If it were a one-pager with yes/no questions, wouldn't you follow the format? Of course you would. And it's the same with grant proposals.

This includes double-spacing, paginating your application, and being mindful of page limits if there are any. And if they want certain answers in number or percentage form, that's how you present your answers (rather than in a narrative).

It seems dreadfully uncreative when you're creating a proposal, but that's not the time for creativity. Save that for your website and your marketing materials.

Once again, whether you're writing a book proposal or a grant proposal: follow the instructions.

Outcomes and Indicators and Goals, Oh My!

Not only does the nonprofit world have its own language; it also has what's sort of like dialects. By that I mean the same word is used differently by different funders, yet you don't necessarily know that unless you read an RFP (Request For Proposal) or grant guidelines very carefully. Of course, asking for clarification is always a great idea, as it's the best way to clear up any confusion.

Whenever you're asking for money, potential funders want to know what your outcomes are/will be. Outcomes are usually expressed as numbers or percentages. For instance, "85% of program participants with complete their GED or high school diploma in 10 months." Or, "1,000 homeless adults will be living independently, without any dependence on public assistance." Outcomes are what happens to a population after you've applied your intervention. They're the results.

Sometimes outcomes aren't number-based, such as: "The anger management skills of participants, as evaluated by a pre-test, will markedly increase (according to post-test)." That was a hideous sentence, but you get the idea.

Though every funder will ask about outcomes, other items may or may not be addressed, such as: goals and objectives; performance measures; and indicators. I've been writing grants for years and I still see applications that ask for both goals and objectives, yet don't differentiate between them. Frequently, it appears that objectives are a subset of goals. But sometimes that doesn't appear to be the case. Again, when in doubt, read the entire application very carefully, comb through all other application materials on the funder's website, if they have one (and don't assume they do), and only when you're certain your question isn't answered, call. And only call if at no point does the funder tell you not to call. (E-mail will be Plan B.)

If this weren't all potentially muddled enough, there's the case of indicators and performance measures.  Indicators are, well, indications that whatever you're doing is working. An indicator of the success of a GED program might be attendance records and grade reports. Performance measures might be scores on intermittent exams. Though performance measures are usually number-based and indicators are not, that's not always true.

If you're lucky, the funder will include examples of what all of the terms mean. In that case, forget everything you know and simply follow the example. The Cardinal Rule of grantwriting is: Give them precisely what they ask for.

Today's tip: You can Google these terms for clarification all day long, but that's not going to tell you how the funder whose application you're completing at this moment defines them. For that, you must infer from whatever examples you're given, or contact the funder and ask them what they mean.

Why on Earth Am I Blogging?

I told several clients that I started this blog and their reaction was: "You're gonna give away what I pay through the nose for?"

And my response is: Yes. In the publishing world, there is a lack of democratization of information. Those with the most money can pay experts to help them at every step of the way. To be fair, things aren't that different in any other industry.

After nearly 20 years I discovered that some basic information could help a struggling author "make it," and the only thing in their way was that information. Not their talent. Not their message. Just the information. Just the premises they were operating under.

I started to feel like charging for my knowledge about writing or about the publishing industry was dicey. Somehow, there was something less-than-pure about it. Hence the blog.

I invite you to ask questions, as this could be one of the few times you can get the advice of an expert without having to pay a penny.

Ask away, about the following topics:

• writing/editing
• ghostwriting
• publishing (traditional)
• self-publishing (including e-books)
• blogging
• marketing
• nonprofit writing (e.g., grants, proposals, marketing materials)

I have been given many gifts and have had many breaks in my career, and it's time to give back. When you reach certain goals you've set for yourself, I hope you do the same.

On Grants and the Business of Evaluation

When it comes to the "Evaluation" section of a grant, there are usually two parts, although for some reason many funders find it difficult to explain what they're asking for. And if their question is ambiguous, they won't be getting the answers they really want.

This looks like a failure of the potential grantee but it's partially a failure of the grantor to adequately describe what they want.

Let's simplify "evaluation." It has two components:

1. Evaluation of the program. Did you meet your goals and how do you know? If you wanted to serve 500 people per year, 200 of whom are continuing service from last year, and they all get certain pre- and post-tests and interventions, your evaluation is built in to that model. You served a certain number of people, in a certain way, and that number either satisfied your previously stated goals or it didn't.
2. Evaluation of the interventions. This is also the evaluation of the program, but on a more micro level. Did the interventions you provided for your participants create the changes desired? If you are a substance-abuse program, does the intervention you provide for your program participants result in them not using anymore? What is the success rate of the program participants?

The first type of evaluation is simple and should come out of the model you have chosen to use for your program and the way you've described it. The second type often has a lag time in that you're not sure if your intervention has succeeded until after the participants have left the program. This is why long-term tracking of participants is necessary for many programs--whether or not the intervention was effective won't be seen for some time (and can change over time, as well).

Evaluation descriptions also let funders know that you are transparent and accountable and you've designed your program with a mechanism that allows you to learn from what has occurred, and alter your course accordingly.

Your business, whatever it is, should have an evaluation component, as well. How do you define success? How will you know when you have succeeded? What does that look like? What indicators, performance measures and outcomes do you expect and over what period of time? These are elements of a grant, yes. But they're also elements used by conscientious businesspeople who want to conduct their business with consciousness.

Grantwriting, Book Proposals & Business Planning, Oh My!

I always have a couple of clients that are nonprofit organizations. The writing I do for them varies, and yes, sometimes there's a book involved.

But much of the time the writing is geared toward fundraising, either through brochures and pamphlets, or through grants. Now, I also work on the other side of the grant equation, as a reviewer for several departments of the US Government (education and juvenile justice), which I believe deepens my knowledge of successful grantwriting.

The process and goal of writing a grant isn't all that different from that of a business plan or a book proposal. The idea is to demonstrate that there's a gap in the market or in services, you're uniquely qualified to fill in that gap, and you have a plan for doing so that is likely to yield certain anticipated results or outcomes.

Even if you never ask a foundation for money by writing a grant, the knowledge of what goes into a grant will help you with your book and your business.

Grantwriting 101

Though funders like to have their own applications, once you get past the actual verbiage and the format requested, you'll find that the same basic questions are always asked.

• Describe the magnitude and severity of the problem, and include references/sources.
• Describe what is currently being done to address the problem, if anything.
  • If something is currently being done, what will you do differently?

• Why are you uniquely qualified to address the problem?
• What does your plan (i.e., "program") involve?
  
  • What kinds of activities or interventions?

• What results do you anticipate, and over what period of time?
  • What tools or statistics will you use to evaluate your progress?
  • How do you know what success looks like? What are some "indicators"?

• How much money (or other resources) will it take to accomplish the goals of the program?
  • How much are you requesting of the particular funder whom you're applying to?

Notice how each of the above items is similar to an aspect of business planning and asking investors for their participation.

The cardinal rule in grantwriting, which is also true of proposals to publishers, is to give them what they ask for. There's nothing worse than a generic grant proposal or book proposal. Always follow instructions and customize your proposal to the exact specifications, even the exact wording of headings--and certainly the exact number of pages--that you are asked to submit.

Today's freebie tip: A proposal is your first opportunity to demonstrate that you are easy to work with because . . . you can follow simple instructions and give them what they ask for.