Writing A Grant—From Start To Finish Workshop 4: Three (Not So) Little Words: Document, Collaborate, Evaluate Educational Resource Development LCC Foundation November 3, 2015
Three (Not So) Little Words Three (Not So) Little Words Last week we discussed: Working on your case statement Identifying potential funders and ways to approach them Steps to prepare a competitive grant proposal LCC’s grant process Time to work on your grant proposal idea, case statement, or funder search
Three (Not So) Little Words Three (Not So) Little Words This week we’ll discuss: Documenting your internal and external grant proposal work Planning for internal and external collaboration Evaluating your grant preparation process
Three (Not So) Little Worlds Three (Not So) Little Worlds Personal Reflection What were you able to work on last week (research, writing, collaborating, etc.)? What did you learn? If you were to continue working on this, what next steps would you take?
Once you’ve documented your project’s: Need Fit with mission & strategic plan Organizational Capacity Available Matching Funds Internal Support Approval to Proceed It’s time to implement and track preparing the grant proposal Three (Not So) Little Words Three (Not So) Little Words
Keep a Paper Trail: s, memos cc: as appropriate Notes about phone or in person conversations (name, date, topic) Send a follow-up Meeting notes Distribute for comment Finalize
Three (Not So) Little Words Three (Not So) Little Words
Run Effective Meetings: Consider both process and content Develop a clear agenda Keep to the scheduled agenda times Have a facilitator When possible, use a facilitator from outside the project planning group Have a note taker and, ideally, a time keeper Distribute meeting notes for review and comment within a day of the meeting
Three (Not So) Little Words Three (Not So) Little Words Start A Meeting-- With an activity to focus people’s attention on the meeting: Go around with introductions Ask a “light and lively” question Lead a planned activity
Three (Not So) Little Words Three (Not So) Little Words Pay attention to when the group discussion is moving forward… …and when it is getting off track
Three (Not So) Little Words Three (Not So) Little Words Establish A Collaborator’s Role Internal Discussion—who to ask Internal or external Approach potential collaborator Discuss and agree on collaborator’s specific project role and responsibilities Establish collaborator’s project budget (are they participating in-kind? Will they receive payment? If so, how much?) Include collaborator in all planning meetings
Three (Not So) Little Words Three (Not So) Little Words Potentials and Pitfalls of Partnering: Partnerships can be a powerful way to reach a broad constituency and maximize limited resources. Intended goals are not always achieved Insufficient resources Tangential to mission Logistical difficulties Contention between partners Stanford University Review of_partnerships
Three (Not So) Little Words Three (Not So) Little Words Make sure collaborators understand what they are signing up for
Three (Not So) Little Words Three (Not So) Little Words Online Resources: GrantSpace - A wealth of information on preparing grant applications, including information on collaboration. ext=collaboration&x=9&y=15 Community Tool Box, Kansas State University
Three (Not So) Little Words Three (Not So) Little Words The Post Application Debrief Meeting: Process. The plan to set up and run the work group. Did we properly assess group needs beforehand? Did we correctly identify the project’s key players? Did we have or get the resources we needed? Did we establish a clear and realistic timeline? Implementation. The actual work of running the group. Did we do what we intended? Did we have an effective team leader and outside consultants? Did we adequately address unexpected needs? Did we meet the timeline? Did we record what we did accurately? Outcomes. The work group’s results. Did we prepare a complete and high quality grant application? Did we generate ideas we can use whether or not we get the grant? Did we work well together? If so, what went well? If not, how can we improve next time?
Three (Not So) Little Words Three (Not So) Little Words Closing the Circle: Take debrief meeting notes and distribute to all Is any one-on-one follow-up needed? If so, who will do this? Notes for yourself for future work— What did you learn ? Steps to improve your grant process and/or group leadership skills
Three (Not So) Little Words Three (Not So) Little Words Time to Write!
Three (Not So) Little Words Three (Not So) Little Words Contact ERD and the LCC Foundation: ERD Jeanne Donado, Grant Development Coordinator ext Vivian Keeney, Grant System Coordinator ext LCC Foundation Dan McKean, Executive Director, ext Peggy Hellwig, Scholarship and Operations Coordinator, ext. 1989