Storytelling for Grant Writing

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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.

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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

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