Proposal Evaluation & Conducting an Effective Site Visit Social Venture Partners ENERGY!

Due Diligence Process* Review grant proposal, budget, and supplemental documents . Conduct additional preliminary research Conduct site visit with organization’s leadership *review proposal for fit with SVP (SVP Fit) *familiarize yourself with basics of proposed program/organization *review supplemental materials *assess strength of project focus/design and of organization

Due Diligence Process (cont’d) Conduct additional follow-up research as needed (ie. reference calls) . Analyze and apply your due diligence findings Synthesize information and present to others * Information from the Due Diligence Tool – for use in pre-grant assessment. La Piana Associates *review proposal for fit with SVP (SVP Fit) *familiarize yourself with basics of proposed program/organization *review supplemental materials *assess strength of project focus/design and of organization

Committee Member Proposal Evaluation Responsibilities Attend at least two site visits. Review proposals, submit questions, provide feedback. Fully participate in all review team activities. Six committee members will serve as site leads. Focus your time reviewing proposals for the site visits you will attend.\ Site Visits: 2-3 hours Week meeting (work hours-morning/afternoon) 5-7 people site visit leads determine who to invite (with my input)

Evaluate and Assess Evaluate proposal against SVP criteria. Assess the following: program efficacy – organization health, competency of staff, and leadership – potential fit with SVP – *Program efficacy-identified need, promising programs/outcomes, based on research

Proposal Evaluation Is More an Art than a Science! Make the best initial decision based on the proposal and decide where to follow up There is no guarantee that your grants will be uniformly effective or achieve intended results – gauging potential! Be patient with poorly written proposals and don’t be duped by well written proposals Give time and attention to proposal review *Created criteria to develop an objective process, but we still must rely on our gut/intuition *Attn to proposal – it takes a lot of time and energy to prepare, be respectful and take the time and give the attention to review

Why do a Site Visit The proposal never tells the whole story Get a personal feel for the organization, their work, and their facilities Assess the leadership Develop a personal connection with the organization Learn more, get your questions answered, understand the challenges *Site visits allow you the “gut check” and learn what you can’t in the proposal (ie. leadership) *Get to see the program in action (if doing extra visit to see program) *Assessing leadership – critical! *Personal connection – as individual you can learn about various organizations. Hopefully, a spark will be created and you can become involved as individuals (regardless of whether we fund) *We’re going in as guests – each organization has taken a lot of time and energy to prepare

Before the Site Visit Review Team Site Lead Reread the proposal Identify your outstanding questions or topics for discussion before the visit Submit questions to Site Lead 7 working days prior to visit Site Lead Collect review team questions and topics for discussion. Establish a loose agenda and give organization guidance about what you hope to accomplish. *Keep conversation moving

The Site Visit 30 minutes before: Review agenda/goals; determine primary concerns/questions; and establish format of how questions are asked Site Visit (Review Team): Go to site and meet with key individuals (2-3 hours). If set up tour to see program in action – use first ½ hour of meeting. Discuss proposal and team’s questions. Understand the difference between status quo and vision for the future. *Site Visits should be scheduled by Feb. 6th *

The Site Visit (cont’d) Site Visit (Site Lead) Balance time spent meeting key staff, touring the facility, and discussing the proposal. Visit should be two-way. Allow them to learn about SVP. Describe decision process and timeline. Identify outstanding questions and reference contacts. “What should I know that I have not asked you?” Thank you! 30 minutes after: Is there agreement on strengths, weaknesses? Determine outstanding questions that are critical to making a decision. Review Proposal Evaluation Report. Divide up reference calls. *If can’t get your questions answered…don’t keep digging!

After the Site Visit Review Team Site Lead Call references. E-mail detailed answers to Proposal Evaluation Report (PER) questions to site lead. Site Lead Send thank you notes. Follow up on outstanding critical questions. Complete Proposal Evaluation Report. Submit presentation bullets. Present proposal and team recommendation. Call agency to inform of results. Site Visits (site lead & review team) 2-3 hours Week meeting (work hours-morning/afternoon) 5-7 people site visit leads determine who to invite (with my input) Site Visit Lead Selection (2 visits/week) Schedule date/time Develop agenda and questions w/ input Send to organization Attend site visit Follow-up? Proposal Evaluation Report Presentation Outline Present @ final meeting Congrats/sorry

Red Flags Can’t (or won’t) articulate both successes and challenges. Obvious conflict or disagreement between the E.D. & the board reps. Inability to articulate major challenges beyond needing funds. Staff turnover seems unusually high. The organization tells you they are the only ones providing this service. The executive director cannot explain the basic financial aspects of the organization. Can articulate successes…difficult for them to share weaknesses (not accustomed to this) If unable to articulate capacity building needs – red flag! How big is the staff? How many terminated? Only organizations with this service – almost never true, I’d rather hear “this is our niche and this is who/how we’re collaborating.”

Red Flags (cont’d) Ratio of unknown to known funding is too high. Too much vision, not enough tactical plans. Unclear need - bring the need to the local level. Inconsistency with mission. The organization is overly dependent on one source of funding. Project plans are overreaching — resources available are clearly insufficient to reach goals. *Would prefer that national stats be brought to the local level *Mission inconsistency – why should this org. be the org. to take on this project? Mission drift if not in their line of expertise.

Due Diligence/Reference Calls Why: Find out more and verify accuracy Who: Other funders- would they recommend the org, do they have concerns about the applicant or proposal? Other experts in the field- Is the program sound? Collaborating Orgs- Is the partnership meaningful? Does the Org have a good reputation? What: Ask about caliber of work, reputation, risks Similar to job reference call