Securing Highly Competitive Grant Funds Through Collaborative Efforts and Effective Marketing Don Reinhart, PhD Madelynn Herman, MA 2011 ABA/NLADA Equal Justice Conference Las Vegas, Nevada © May 2011

“I’m sure we can save the world, but first we have to get funded.” -Anonymous

 Funding trends and what funders want  How to make your grant application highly competitive to funding sources  How effective marketing strategies will make both your project and grant application more successful Learning Objectives

What this Presentation is all About

“The difference between a winning and losing proposal can be as simple as being organized, knowing what the funders want, and knowing how to sell (market) your organization.” Jennifer Brooks Closing the Gap, Looking for Money, April 1998

 Budget cuts, an uncertain future  Increased competition for grant funds  In some areas, the percent of grant proposals funded is as low as 10%  Decline in federal funding for all programs  FY 2011 LSC funding cut by 15.8m  Continued shortfalls in funding for courts  More demand for accountability  Auditing has increased and is here to stay  In the future, funders will require partnerships and collaborations Funding Trends

 State, Federal, and Local Grants  Foundation Grants/Corporate Giving  Fees for services that fund a specific project  Volunteers  Donations  Charitable Giving and Planned Giving programs  Legislative appropriations (ATJ Commissions/filing fees) Programs can be enhanced in many ways…

Remember… “People give to people, People give to people who ask”

 Business as usual  Mission drift, silos with blinders  That you are not meeting a critical need  Inflated budgets, over promising  Intangible results, little impact  Wordy proposals, touchy-feely anecdotal results  Flashy or overly ‘professional’ graphics Funders do NOT want to see…

 You to do more with less – a bigger bang for their buck  To see pooling of resources – partnerships/collaborations  Creativity, innovation – model programs for replication  To know that their money will be well spent/managed  To see sustainability planning and accountability Funders want…

 …to know that they are funding an organization that has a vision that matches theirs (Foundations)  …you to toot your horn about your program’s success (Marketing & Promotion)  …to make a difference in the world, just like you! (Branding, Vision & Mission) Funders want…

How can your agency take advantage of marketing awareness?

WHAT IS OUR BUSINESS? WHO IS OUR CUSTOMER? Two Critical Questions Raised by Peter Drucker Deceased Professor, Claremont College, CA We must be able to answer these questions In order to maximize our Agency’ s potential

How do we secure highly competitive grant funding via marketing techniques?

 Define and frame the issues that require the attention and services of our agency with appropriate funding opportunities  Review your mission and vision statements as to those relevant grant funding opportunities  Identify your agency team, and engage stakeholders in this planning process  Create a sense of urgency and awareness in the entire organization  Conduct a SWOTT analysis Comprehensive Planning is Key

When and Where to Use the SWOTT ANALYSIS

 Barriers can be both internal and external to your organization.  Do you have the internal leadership support to move the project forward?  Do the grant goals and objectives fit within your agency’s mission?  Have you consulted with your stakeholders? Identify Barriers that Affect Success

How do we identify our Brand?  Does your leadership team clearly understand the Vision and Mission via the principles of ‘branding’ your product?  Is the entire organization aware of the brand concept and this concept fits within the modus operandi of your operation? What is our Brand & how does it Affect Success?

 Keep current on trends, best practices, emerging issues  Has the economic downturn affected the clients you serve? Have their needs changed?  Have the demographics of your client population changed?  Use current research, trends, to show funder that your idea is on target.  Be creative and innovative.  Innovation means different things to different people. Follow trends and be innovative

Have the demographics of your client population changed?  Who is my customer?  Have my customer demographics changed?  How would I now describe my customer?  How do I express this change in my grant proposal?

 Funders reward and often require collaborations  Include stakeholders in your planning efforts  Cultivate relationships in your community  Communicate and share information  Offer to help with projects, write a letter of support  Join professional associations  Forward grant solicitations, articles of interest Leverage Relationships and Collaborate

 Must fit the mission of your organization and that of partner organizations  Align with your organization’s strategic plan  Think long range solutions, not grant to grant  Include a sustainability plan in your application  Evaluate if it’s worth your time and effort Be strategic in the grants you apply for

 Grants are contracts  You must be able to do what you say you can do  Make sure goals and objectives are realistic and obtainable  Manage the grant well  Under promise and over deliver  Keep your grant monitor informed of any problems Make sure you have the capacity to manage and complete the project

 Are you targeting the right market?  Do you understand the role of marketing in project success?  Are your staffs aware of your project?  Have you chosen the right people to do outreach?  Have you publicized your project? More marketing questions to consider…

 Funders expect results  Use evidenced-based practices  Collect data and measure performance  Will help demonstrate impact  MOAs or MOUs will aid in accountability  Include an evaluation component  Shows you are serious about performance and outcomes Results and accountability are huge

Your legal service organization has recently experienced an increase in clients who have come in seeking legal assistance due to problems associated with a pending home foreclosure or eviction notice. Your office is already understaffed and is having a difficult time handling the increase. It is clear that due to the poor economy, you will continue to see more clients with similar issues. Scenario 1

 Are there opportunities for collaboration/partnerships? If so, with whom?  Do you seek outside funding? If so, what type of funding or grants would you seek?  What type of marketing approach would you use to gain both internal and external support for your project?  Are there other innovative approaches that you could use to address this issue that don’t involve grant funding? Scenario 1

In the last several years your community has grown in both population and diversity with a noted increase in an immigrant Spanish-speaking population. Your legal service organization has seen a huge increase in Spanish-speaking clients requesting assistance with petitions for protective orders. In addition to requesting assistance with protective orders, they don’t understand the legal/court system. Scenario 2

 Are there opportunities for collaboration/partnerships? If so, with whom?  Do you seek outside funding? If so, what type of funding or grants would you seek?  What type of marketing approach would you use to gain both internal and external support for your project?  Are there other innovative approaches that you could use to address this issue that don’t involve grant funding? Scenario 2

Scenario 3 You work within a state court system or legal services organization that has functioned efficiently for many years without grant funding. You have developed several innovative or unique solutions to needs that have arisen over the years but have not publicized them. Therefore, few in the community know about your agency and its innovativeness. Now your challenge is to provide quality services with fewer dollars. The time is ripe to consider promotional and branding tools in order to increase funding opportunities and awareness in the community.

 How can you improve the perception of your organization in your community?  What can you do to ‘brand’ your organization?  How might this ‘branding process’ assist you in seeking grant funds?  How will you improve marketing awareness within your organization?  How will you convince your leadership of this approach? Scenario 3

Questions?

 Securing Highly Competitive Grant Funds: 12 Lessons Learned from the Field of Marketing.” -- article by M. Herman and D. Reinhart  “Funding Sources/Resources for Legal Service/Court Organizations & “Grant Finding & Grant Writing Resources” – links to online resources – developed by M. Herman  “Marketing Terms Related to Grant Funding Proposals” – compiled by D. Reinhart Resources

Don Reinhart Madelynn Herman Contact Information: