Program
planning and grant planning are intimately linked. Ideally,
grant
planning should be only one phase in the whole program
development, program
implementation, and evaluation cycle. Too often, it is treated
as something
separate and foreign. The best results in fund development will
come when
your grant and solicitation strategies are closely intertwined
with your goals
and program strategies. Build partners - not donors!
Having said that, if you can answer the following questions, you
will be
well on your way to both solid program development and
successful fund development.
What's
the problem we are addressing? Remember - the problem is not your need - it's the
community's need!
Who
else is addressing, and what are the gaps in how it is being
addressed? Gaps can be programmatic, population, time/seasonal, or
material.
Gaps are the reason that you have a need!
How
are we proposing to address the problem? Paint a clear and specific picture of your program!
Can your prospect see it in action in their mind?
How
will things be different/will the problem be solved or
improved,
when you are done? How will you know that you are succeeding?
What will you measure in order to understand how you are
doing and what
needs to change or be adjusted?
What
do you need in order to try to solve the problem? This must tie to the approach you have described above.
It's an
opportunity to once again paint a picture of what you will
be doing!
What
resources do you already have? From whom? Don't forget volunteers, donations and in kind services.
Show the community participation in your project.
Project the image that the funder is joining a winning team,
not boarding a sinking boat!
What
are the qualifications and experience that make your
program
the right one to take on this work? History, key accomplishments, qualifications of staff and
volunteers,
relationships in the community....as they relate to this
project.
Are
there problems or barriers that you can foresee? How will
you
overcome them? We all run into roadblocks when we try something new.
Think through
what you are going to do carefully. What's likely to trip
you up? How
can you anticipate these problems? Who will you turn to for
help?
Recognizing the possibility of problems is the sign of a
sophisticated
and professional program!
NURSING RESEARCH
