Strategies for Grants Success in the New Year

By: Angel Wright-Lanier

Well, it’s that time of year for New Year’s resolutions. This should also be the time when organizations review grants management policies and procedures. In many instances, procedures are written, stored on the intranet, and then forgotten. There are also those processes that have changed entirely yet have not been updated in writing. As grant professionals, we should always take stock of our processes to determine whether we’re managing funds in the most effective manner possible.

For many organizations, budget preparations are underway. Grant staff are taking stock of the projects they would like to fund in next year’s budgets and determining what needs to be cut. This is also a good time to do strategic grants planning. Once a year, departments should look at the projects that need funding and figure out how grants will play a role in the funding plan. Random funding opportunities can run you off course or overload your staff. With the economic downturn, competition for dollars to fund worthy projects is tight, so it’s more important than ever for grant professionals to review how they are currently doing business and be willing to change to be more effective. Below, you’ll find several tips to assist both new and seasoned grant professionals:

1. Get connected. Consider connecting with other grant professionals through a professional association like Grant Professionals Association (GPA) or by creating a grant professionals group through your organization. This is a great way to share best practices and resources. Also, since grant professionals are generally few and far between in many organizations, it helps to be around others who understand what you do and the challenges associated with it.
2. Know the stipulations. Seasoned grant professionals know this: “It’s not free money!” Before writing any grant application, review the RFP or NOFA files very carefully to see what kinds of strings come with the dollars. For instance, some grants require more frequent reports than others. How many staff hours will it take to effectively monitor/report on a particular grant? Some organizations have review panels that analyze the return on investment before allowing a grant application to move forward.
3. Follow the guidelines. When applying for grants, follow the guidelines outlined in the NOFA. Although you’re passionate about your program, not everyone shares that passion. Having served on several grant review teams, I can tell you that some grants are not reviewed due to violating simple administrative rules outlined in the NOFA. With a high number of submissions, grants reviewers will look for easy ways to eliminate applicants.
4. Budget for matching funds. Remember to make room for matching funds in your proposed budget so you don’t find yourself unable to apply due to lack of matching funds when the NOFA is released mid-year.
5. Organize for the post-award activities. After you’ve won the dollars, be sure to keep in touch with the grant manager if you’re not the one managing. This is particularly important when your grant operations are centralized and there is a grant administrator role in the organization. Schedule regular meetings to ensure how things are progressing with the grant. Staying on top of this will save a lot of grief at audit time.
6. Make a best friend in the program officer. The program officer is your best source for information and feedback. Effective grant professionals are not afraid to ask questions. Effective communication with the program officer could be your key to being funded again.
7. Use an electronic management system. Most grant professionals have other full-time jobs, so electronic reminders are worth their weight in gold. In addition, it’s important to keep project members accountable for submitting timely programmatic or financial reports from the beginning to grant closure. People in the organization may come and go, but funders will continue to expect timely reports.
8. Read, watch and listen! Stay abreast of the ever-changing legislative issues by reading newspapers and e-newsletters, watching the news, listening to the radio, or anything that is going to help you.
9. Prepare an annual report for the organization’s administration and the public. This will help provide transparency, generate good press, and demonstrate the return on investment of your grant staff’s time and talents.

Grant professionals must consider the full grant life cycle. Sometimes it seems that most of the emphasis is placed on winning the grant, but what gets some grant managers in trouble is poor grants management after the award letter is received. Putting systems in place that will allow for accountability from start to finish will ensure that your organization maintains a stellar reputation for not only winning grants but also managing them properly.

eCivis strives to provide customers with helpful information throughout the year via this newsletter and our blog. Special thanks go to Debbie Majors from Boynton Beach, Florida, and Kathy Capps from the Raleigh, North Carolina.