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| Re: developing grants program for a small non-profit using volunteers
Posted by Linda Procopio   on 1/26/2011, 2:44 pm, in reply to "developing grants program for a small non-profit using volunteers"
VIP Poster
Certainly the role of meeting with potential grant funders is perfect for articulate passionate knowledgeable volunteers, and many of our nonprofit clients use volunteers very successfully for that role.
Grantmaker research may take some training as that is such a vital role on which the whole campaign rests, but an analytical methodical volunteer familar with Boolean research could certainly undertake such a role meaningfully.
A small red flag went up when I tried to imagine a volunteer proposal writer and a volunteer proofreader interacting, as it is hard for many people to check their egos at the door in such creative subjective work. (Not everyone reacts well to constructive criticism.) Perhaps some of that could be addessed upfront and a volunteer recognized for their editing skills could stand in as the "Quality Assurance" person whose word was the 'final word' on all proposal content. (perhaps an English teacher or novelist if you are so lucky to have that type of Board participation.) Of course that Q/A person will have to have a wonderful combination of tact and assertiveness in addition to their editing skills, and an understanding of what foundations and corporations need to know to make an affirmative decision.
A wonderful role for volunteers is to provide appreciation to those who make grants; and also provide stewardship and cultivation of those philanthropists who take the time to read your proposals and then turn them down. A warm grateful response to a "no" goes along way towards getting a "yes" down the road.
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