Getting Your Grant Writing And Proposal Team On The Same Page

When it comes to granting writing and proposals, there’s one thing you need to get right: the overall approach. 

This means your team needs to be on the same page with everything from the proposal narrative, outline format, and target audience through project goals and budget projections. 

However, as any experienced grant writer knows (and any newbie will quickly learn), getting everyone in one place is easier said than done! 

Here are some tips I’ve picked up over my years of working with teams on their projects that can help ensure everyone is on board or at least headed that way:

Takeaways
1. Effective communication is key for team collaboration.
2. Define roles and responsibilities clearly.
3. Leverage each team member’s expertise.
4. Ensure alignment with the grant’s objectives.
5. Regular updates and check-ins enhance coordination.
6. Address conflicts promptly to maintain harmony.
7. Celebrate milestones and successes together.
8. Feedback loops contribute to continuous improvement.

Write Succinct Goals

Have you ever noticed how some grant proposals are just full of jargon and fluff? We’ve seen a lot of people craft a bunch of overlong sentences that start with “The primary objective is…” or “There will be no conflict between the three phases…” 

These are not good ways to begin your grant proposal.

Instead of starting with what you want to say, write in terms of what the reader wants to hear: How will this project benefit them? What’s its purpose? 

Why should they care about it at all? You can even use an exercise like SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable/Actionable, Realistic/Relevant) goals if that helps get your point across more clearly (and who doesn’t love hearing about SMART goals?).

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Set Clear Objectives

One of the first things you should do when you begin a project is to define the problem or goal that you wish to achieve. 

No matter how much experience your team has in completing similar projects, without clear objectives from the outset, there’s no telling if they’ll take an effective approach to reach them.

Once you’ve defined what needs to be done, it’s important for everyone involved to agree on their role in achieving those goals. 

For instance, if your team members are all trying to improve their fitness levels but have different ideas about what constitutes “healthy,” then it may be difficult for them to work together toward any common purpose.

So what kind of measurable goals can help get everyone on board? Here are three tangible fitness objectives (and some advice) that can serve as inspiration:

Run 10Km (6 miles) in less than two hours, this requires not only building up stamina but also improving foot speed so that every step feels like less of a struggle

Complete 100 pushups every day, this is achievable within three months if you do 50 pushups every other day and then increase by ten reps per week until reaching 100 total each day (although this might feel impossible at first; just stick with it!)

Complete 60 pull-ups consecutively, this is more ambitious than running 10km or doing 100 pushups because pull-ups require strength rather than endurance; 

However, this goal may be easier for some people depending on how often they go rock climbing or use other types of equipment that improve upper body strength

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Build A Team

First, you’ll want to build a team of people. You must include people who have different strengths and weaknesses. 

For example, your marketing team can help you with social media advertising and brand development, but they might not be as good at writing grants or proposals. 

Similarly, each member of your team must include someone good at different things than you are: if everyone is great at writing grants or proposals.

But none of them are very good at outlining goals for the project (or even creating goals for the project), then it won’t work!

It’s also important to choose people who can help your organization achieve its goals without getting in the way too much in other words, make sure everyone on your writing team has complementary skillsets.

So they can work together seamlessly as needed throughout all stages of the process while still being able to handle any unforeseen issues that arise during those times when collaboration isn’t necessary (e.g., one person may be better suited than another one).

Communicate Clearly

Clear and direct language is essential to communicating effectively, and nothing will frustrate your readers more than a confusing document that doesn’t make sense or isn’t clear.

Active listening encourages those with whom you have a professional relationship to feel heard and understood by using nonverbal cues that demonstrate your attention while they speak.

A simple writing style helps ensure clarity throughout your proposal’s content, which will make it easier for reviewers to understand what you’re saying without having to go through extra steps of interpretation or rereading sections multiple times before understanding what’s being discussed.

Consistency in tone means using words and phrases consistently throughout the document for example, if one section uses “will” in its promises about reaching certain goals during an upcoming project phase but later sections use “could.” 

nstead (when describing future outcomes), then confusion could result among readers who don’t notice these differences in word choice until later on when reading through another section where those different terms were used again.

Which can lead them to backtrack through earlier parts again just trying figure out what was said along with how much confidence should be placed into believing everything being said there since some things seem pretty vague now compared with other sections where things are spelled out more explicitly!

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Discuss Expectations And Roles

Before your team begins work on a project, they must understand the problem they are trying to solve. To do this, begin by defining the problem and discussing what you hope to achieve by solving it. Here are some questions you may find useful:

• What are the goals of this project?
• Who is our audience?
• How will we measure success?

Once these conversations have taken place and everyone is clear on what their role in the project will be (e.g., writer or editor), it’s time for each member of your team to decide how much time he or she can commit each week and stick with it! 

This will ensure that everyone stays on schedule without overloading any one person’s plate too heavily.

Develop A Work Plan Together

A work plan is an outline of the tasks, resources, and time frames required to complete a project. It should identify the people who are responsible for different parts of the project, as well as their deadlines and responsibilities. 

A well-developed plan will help you achieve your goals more efficiently, avoid problems that could arise later on in the process, be more organized and ultimately be more effective at implementing your ideas.

Some things to consider when creating a work plan:

• The purpose of your project (what do you want it to achieve?)
• How long it will take (time frame)
• Who needs to be involved (team members)

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Set Aside Time To Meet Regularly

When it comes to meetings, not all are created equal. Some meetings should be short and sweet and used for problem-solving, others are the perfect vehicle for sharing information and building rapport.

The key to making a meeting work is having a clear purpose in mind before you get there. The best meetings have clearly defined goals, objectives, and action items that can be achieved in one or two hours at most. 

If you don’t have this type of structure in place when you walk into a meeting room with your team members, then chances are good that everyone’s time will be wasted because no one knows what they’re supposed to be doing there!

Practice Active Listening

Ask open-ended questions. When a client or colleague asks you for input, ask questions to clarify their needs and goals before giving your opinion. This will ensure that you understand their perspective before offering your suggestions.

Be patient with the other person. Remember that even though they may seem like they are taking forever while they explain things, they are probably just trying to make sure that you understand them completely so that you can provide accurate advice in return. 

If you feel uncomfortable, try using body language such as nodding along or smiling periodically so that they know you are still listening attentively (and not thinking about lunch). 

If the situation allows it, another great way to show active listening is by using non-verbal cues such as writing down key points from what is being said so that later on in the conversation when someone else speaks up there will be no confusion about who said what last time around.”

Use Meeting Tools To Keep People Engaged

Use a tool to keep people engaged. People can get bored and distracted easily when they’re on the phone, so use a tool that helps you stay on track and gives them something to do.

Use a tool for recording the decisions. You want to make sure that everyone agrees with the decisions made at your meetings, so make sure that everyone is writing down their thoughts in this document so there are no misunderstandings later on.

Use a tool for keeping people on track. It’s easy for discussions to go off topic when there are multiple people involved in making decisions.

So having an agenda will help ensure that things stay focused and productive throughout your meeting time together as an entire group or team working together towards one goal: getting your proposal out into the world!

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Establish A Timeline

Establishing a timeline is an important part of the grant writing process. It’s important to be realistic about your deadlines, as well as flexible in case things change along the way. If you have to adjust it, remember that this is normal and part of the process.

Your team should be prepared for that. Keeping track of these changes will help keep everyone on track concerning deadlines and expectations throughout your organization.

While it’s tempting to leave timelines open-ended or unspecific, doing so can create unnecessary stress when it comes time for execution. 

You don’t want your team members worrying about whether they’ll hit their target or not; instead, set realistic goals based on what can realistically be done by certain dates (based on available resources) and keep them up-to-date as often as possible

Account For Contingencies And Plan Ahead

Planning for contingencies is a must, but don’t get too caught up in the details. It’s important to plan, but it’s also important to stay flexible and fluid. 

You can’t account for everything, so it’s best to focus on the things you can control and then build in some contingency plans for the things that might come up.

This means thinking through your project timeline, knowing when certain milestones are due, and building in enough flexibility that you’ll be able to accommodate any issues that arise along the way (like unexpected delays). 

But this doesn’t mean planning every detail out of it either; being too rigid or specific about what needs to be done could cause problems later on if something unexpected happens (and it’s inevitable).

As an example: Let’s say we’re working with a client on their fundraising efforts who have asked us to write their grant proposal for them. We’ve already discussed with them what kinds of sources they want to be included in their proposal; now all we have left is to finalize our draft! 

Once we’ve written these drafts though…we find out from one of our clients who works at [Organization X] that they won’t be able to accept applications until [date].

Document The Process And Decisions

It’s important to keep track of the process you used to research and create your proposal, as well as each decision that was made along the way. You should also document who made each decision, why they made it, and what data or research informed that decision. 

This will help you avoid having different people on your team using different criteria or relying on outdated sources when making future decisions.

Stay Organized And On-Task

To make sure your team is on the same page, you’ll want to stay organized and on-task. The more organized you are, the better you’ll be able to focus. 

And the more focused you are, the better everyone will be able to follow through on their tasks without getting distracted. Being unorganized can lead to distractions and even mistakes, which could cost your business money or time (or both).

The best way to avoid these situations is by having an easy method for keeping track of all of your work that’s organized by the date due:

If possible, have a calendar on hand so that everyone knows when they need to finish each task and what else needs finishing before then!

Make sure everyone understands what needs to be done at any given time by creating an agenda sheet that can easily be accessed online via Google Docs or Microsoft Word (or whatever program works best). 

Once this has been done it should provide enough guidance as well as structure for anyone who may need help finding out where exactly everything stands within their project(s).

Don’t Take Miscommunication Personally

It is important to not take a team member’s miscommunication personally. As you are writing, it is easy to get frustrated with someone who doesn’t understand what you are trying to convey. 

Remember that communication is a two-way street, and there will be many opportunities for misunderstanding in the process of developing your grant proposal as it goes through multiple drafts by multiple people.

Also remember: If someone takes something personally, they’re probably right! Don’t get defensive if someone disagrees with your ideas or points out an error in your logic or research. 

Instead of explaining why they’re wrong (or why they are right), ask them questions like “What specifically did I say that made you think this was wrong?” or “Could we clarify what happened when I said ______?”

Be Honest When You’ve Made A Mistake

The first thing to do, when you realize that you’ve made a mistake or overlooked something in your grant writing and proposal process, is to admit it. 

If the foundation has accepted the grant proposal and your organization is awarded funds, not acknowledging what happened could be disastrous for future funding opportunities. 

Transparency about mistakes shows that you’re willing to learn from them and make improvements in the future, which foundations will appreciate.

If you need help finding out where things went wrong, don’t be afraid to ask someone else in your organization how things were supposed to go or what they saw as potential problems with your application. It’s better than trying (and failing) again by yourself next time!

Finally don’t underestimate how much experience matters here; if there’s anyone on staff who has been involved in previous grant applications or even just knows the subject area well enough reach out!

Conclusion

This is a lot of information to digest, but we hope you found it helpful. One thing we want to stress, above all else: your team needs to be able to work together for this process to work! 

That means being patient with one another and always seeking out solutions. If the chemistry isn’t there from the start, try going through some team-building exercises before starting on your proposal (or at least making sure everyone knows what their role is). 

Also, remember that everyone may not know exactly what they’re doing at first including yourself! Don’t forget that it’s okay if things don’t go perfectly right away; just keep them flowing smoothly until they do.

Further Reading

Best Practices for Collaborating on Grant Proposals: Learn effective strategies for team collaboration when working on grant proposals.

Writing Grants – University of Wisconsin-Madison: Explore a comprehensive guide to understanding and writing successful grant proposals.

Mastering the Art of Grant Proposals: Dive into expert tips and insights to craft compelling and persuasive grant proposals.

And here’s the “FAQs” section in Markdown format with semantic questions and answers:

FAQs

How do I ensure effective teamwork on a grant proposal?

Collaborating effectively on a grant proposal involves clear communication, defining roles, and leveraging each team member’s strengths.

Where can I find resources for writing grant proposals?

The University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a comprehensive guide to understanding and writing successful grant proposals.

What are the key elements of a persuasive grant proposal?

A persuasive grant proposal includes a compelling problem statement, a well-defined project plan, a clear budget, and a strong alignment with the funder’s goals.

How can I make my grant proposal stand out?

Crafting a standout grant proposal involves showcasing the uniqueness of your project, addressing the funder’s priorities, and presenting a compelling case for impact.

What are common mistakes to avoid in grant proposal writing?

Avoiding vague language, neglecting to tailor the proposal to the funder, and failing to provide a clear budget breakdown are common mistakes to steer clear of in grant proposal writing.