storytelling for grant writing
DESCRIPTION
Grant makers aren’t interested in boring techniques and stale information. If your grant applications could use a makeover, then you should join us for this webinar. What You'll Learn: • Specific strategies to add creativity and passion to your proposals • What not to do to keep your application from resulting in rejection • Specific examples of good nonprofit storytelling that can be easily adapted • How to transport your reader’s mind so they can see your need About the Presenter: Betsy Baker is President of YourGrantAuthority.com. She has a Master’s in Public Administration from Auburn University and is an author, trainer/coach, public speaker and grant writing consultant raising $10 million in grant funding. She is dedicated to demystifying the grant writing process and encouraging fund raisers to write winning grant applications. She also coaches fellow grant writers in becoming grant writing consultants.TRANSCRIPT
PRESENTED BYBETSY BAKER, MPA
WWW.YOURGRANTAUTHORITY.COM
Storytelling for Grant Writing
A little about me…
Began career in nonprofit development10 years as a grant writing consultant$10 million in grants receivedSpeaker for the Foundation Center, the Grant
Professionals Association & the Association of Fund Raising Professionals
Regular contributor to OpportunityKnocks! and CharityChannel
Founder www.YourGrantAuthority.com , hosts webinars, workshops and other grant writing educational opportunities. Also helpful to aspiring grant writing consultants.
Listen Closely
Writing Styles
Sticking only to technique and form = boring
Adding creativity and passion = a much better read for the grant reviewer!
All great stories have
Characters A hero A “bad guy”
Setting Time Place
Plot Conflict
Conclusion
How do you begin telling stories?
You have to know them first!
How to write your nonprofit’s best stories ever:
Be an investigative reporter to get to know your characters:
Executive Directorprogram stafffinancial guruprogram partners
Research to intimately know your nonprofit’s stories inside and out:
prior evaluation reportsonline
Turning a conversation into written word
How to make your application have more personality
Turn off that “editor’s voice” inside your head
Write the way you speak rather than the way you think you should write
Think about words that describe your organization – what gives it a unique place in your community
It’s Your Turn!
A museum can be described as: Historical Archival Educational Kid-friendly Acclaimed
How to introduce your organization’s characters in the Proposal Narrative
Provide a “hook” by introducing your antagonist character first
Allow the protagonist – your hero nonprofit – to be introduced next providing fundamental information
Introduce other main characters such as your clients
Establish a sense of time in your proposal
Your work is to support the future of your organization
Plan ahead
Grant review can last anywhere from 4-6 months
Location, location, location!Write to transport your reader to a physical
location.
How to create “tension” with your needs statement
Introduce characters & location
Build the tension with your needs statement
Create a climactic moment
Apply storytelling to your needs statement by answering:
Who are the people who have the need or the problem?
Where do the people with the need or problem live?
When is the problem or need evident?Why does the problem or need occur?What is the problem with the problem?
Example: your need describes the problem of unemployment
Who are the people with the need & where do they live? Unemployed people living in Pike County, AL
How is the need evident? Poverty rates, homelessness and crime are higher here than in the rest of the state (use stats)
Why does the problem exist? It’s complex – lack of safe schools, employment opportunities & transportation
Why is the problem a problem? Poverty, homelessness & crime equals higher & more long-term costs (again, use stats)
Statistics are important – grant writers love a good statistic.
But you have to have heart in your proposal to temper the
stats!
“A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.”
You gotta have a hero!
Thank YOU!
Stay in touch with me atFacebook.com/YourGrantAuthority