Are Grants Worth My Time: Do you have the right team in place?
This is the third part of a four-part series about whether grants are worth your time.
Read the first post here and the second post here. Stay tuned for the final post in this series: Question 4: What other fundraising mechanisms are available to your organization? Think someone you know might be interested in these newsletters? They can subscribe here.
The grant administration process
It’s easy to think of the application portion of a grants program: we write the application, gather the budget figures, and submit it all to the funder. Then, we just wait for the funder’s decision, and that's it! Right?
But we are forgetting the rest of the process, which includes administering the award, evaluating your programs, and completing all required reporting. The best grant programs consider the entire process of grant administration and determine who on the team will handle each element, whether that’s a staff member (internal) or a contractor (external).
Define the responsibilities of your grant team
Who on your team will:
Identify new grants
Review deadlines and decide which grant to pursue and for which project or program
Set preparation and submission deadlines, communicating to appropriate staff
Write and edit narrative
Prepare budgets
Establish an account for online systems, input grant information, and maintain login/password information
Give final approval of the grant proposal before submission
Submit the grant proposal
Update your grant management database
Handle post-award paperwork (contract, letter receipt, check receipt)
Manage relationships with funders
Check in with project/program staff periodically to track progress against grant requirements and financial compliance
Classify expenses and report financials
Evaluate program impact and report on outcomes
Complete report requirements, which often encompass the first several points above
Audit the organization’s financials to ensure compliance
And this list is for a single grant! If your organization is pursuing multiple grants each year, you need to establish a process and a strong communication plan among your team members to ensure you’re compliant. Depending on the scope of the grant and the scale of your organization, this could mean as many as 10-15 people.
Do you have the right team in place?
Who is already on your grant team? Who do you need to add? Schedule a call with me if you’re feeling understaffed in your grant process.
Cover photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash