A Grant Team of We, Not Me

Diane H Leonard

Team of We When you read “grant team” do you look around and wonder who we mean?

Do you feel like a grant team of one?

Or, conversely, do you have an idea of who your grant team should be, but have a difficult time actively engaging them?

After analyzing hundreds of grant ready organizations and their data through the GRASP Tool, one of the most common areas for improvement in grantseeking organizations of all focus areas, communities served, and organization size appears to be the lack of a grant team.

That being said, we know that grant teams do not all sound and act the same. Successful grant teams come in many shapes and sizes. In fact, grant teams are often not even formally titled as such, and what your organization’s or client’s grant team looks like will likely ebb and flow as different members of the organization come and go.

Those differences aside, there are some common traits and activities across successful grant teams. They include:

A group of specific individuals that draft and agree upon a proactive grant strategy for the operating year ahead;
A group of specific individuals (potentially the same group mentioned above) that vet new grant opportunities for the organization and decide whether or not they are a strategic fit or not during an operating year;
A team of individuals who willingly delegate relationship interaction with grantmakers based on background, collaborative interaction, or other elements that make one colleague the best connection point with a grantmaker;
The ability to break down into sub grant teams for specific applications to help get the real application work done;
A clear centralized location for all grant team members to be able to access and check-in on upcoming report and application deadlines and next steps; and
Defined goals and metrics for success beyond only award percentage or dollars raised.

Please join me and the GrantHub team to discuss more about grant team best practices and hear about some successful examples during our upcoming free webinar – Identifying and Maximizing Your Grant Team for Great Results.

About the Author

Diane is a Grant Professional Certified (GPC), Approved Trainer for the Grant Professionals Association. She is also a Licensed Scrum Master and Licensed Scrum Product Owner through Scrum Inc. Since 2006, Diane and her team have secured more than $64 million dollars in competitive grant funds for her clients. Diane began her work in philanthropy by serving as a grantmaker first, and continues to draw on that experience by serving as a reviewers for grantmakers each year. When not working on grant application for the federal government, state and local governments, or private foundations, Diane can be found in the 1000 Islands, out for a run, or drinking a strong cup of coffee.
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