Make A Great Impression with Your Grant
Because competition for limited grant funds is so fierce (especially in a recession economy) sloppiness can truly be a deal breaker.
A poorly written proposal starts you off on the wrong foot. It’s the equivalent of going on a date with spinach stuck in your teeth. Misspellings and other errors look sloppy and reduce the credibility of your organization. Remember, grantmakers are looking for a reason to eliminate proposals (even subliminally).
Here are a few tips to help you write a grant that makes a great first impression:
- Print your document, then read it out loud several times to check for misspelled or mistyped words.
- Make corrections, then use your computer’s spell-check function.
- Put the document aside for 24 hours, then proofread it again.
- Double- and triple-check the spelling of all names—of each and every organization, grantmaker, and individual mentioned.
- Take the same care with job titles. Demonstrate that your organization is detail-oriented and takes the time to get it right.
- Know (or look up) the rules of capitalization.
- Show what you write to your Mom and see if she gets it. Or show it to any other non-involved person. Is your proposal clear, or is some phrase baffling?
What tips do you have for making a great impression with your grant?
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Proofing a document so familiar you’re seeing it on the backs of your own eyelids when you close them is incredibly challenging. Your brain actually fills in the blanks, skips spelling mistakes and smoothes out the wrinkles for you. Amazing, but not helpful!
Sometimes, to combat the ultra-familiarity and catch spelling errors and word doubles (the the), I’ll read each paragraph backwards. Working through the document in an unusual way helps slow me down.
I also second the recommendation to ask a non-familiar reader to review the document. Having to explain the tricky bit that my new reader didn’t understand often helps me figure out a better, clearer way to phrase the idea in question.
Kim, your suggestions are excellent. I especially like the backwards reading one. I’ll read the document as well as the paragraphs backwards. And the non-expert reader is the ideal test subject. If it’s not clear to them, it won’t be clear to the sponsor!
Michael Crichton wrote, “Books aren’t written–they’re rewritten. Including your own. It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasn’t quite done it.”
I had a publisher tell me once that the perfect manuscript had never been written. There is always an error or something that can be improved upon in every manuscript.
The same goes for your grant proposal. You can always make it better. Checking and double-checking isn’t enough. You will miss something.
My rule of thumb is that three pairs of eyes have to see something before it gets published. That has saved my bacon more than once.
Invest in a copy of the Elements of Style. This shouldn’t just be another form to fill out – it’s your magnum opus.
At least until you do your next one.
I don’t think the perfect grant proposal has been written, either. You just can’t proofread enough. In my consulting business, we use a three-person proofing system, as you mentioned, to catch as many errors as we can. It sure helps!
I agree that poorly written proposals can be a deal breaker. As an English teacher, I see how my students struggle constantly with perfecting the message in their written work. Add grammatical/spelling errors and sloppiness to the mix and it becomes a piece of work that can easily be discarded. It’s vital to make sure important written documents are read and re-read before they are turned in. Reading the draft out loud is a sure way to catch errors that can be easily missed. Many times it’s the simple omissions/mistakes that can change the entire meaning of the document.
I agree, Bev, that reading out loud is sure way to catch errors that can be easily missed. My students think it’s a ridiculous thing to do, though!