Top 10 Tips for Young Grantmakers

Last week, Kate wrote about the process of crafting a proposal to a foundation. Today, I’m here to share some tips about working on the FLiP side (couldn’t resist) of the field. My top ten:

1. Get comfortable. There’s an internal struggle all young grantmakers face, and it’s fuelled by one big question: who am I to decide what to do with all this money? The answer: relax. Chances are, if you are a young grantmaker, the buck doesn’t stop with you; you may make informed recommendations to your grantmaking team, but final decisions will come from above. Still, the prospect of having a hand in what to do with funds can be overwhelming. To quell these fears, turn to tip #2.

2. Be strategic. Recommending that a grant be approved or denied is vastly easier when you have a solid framework to guide you. There is no reason to feel badly about denying an unsolicited proposal for funding in a focus area your foundation or corporate giving program does not support. Remember that you can only be an effective grantmaker if you are dedicated to your program’s strategy and overall goals; spreading yourself too thin is a greater sin than turning down a request that is clearly out of your scope.

3. Know your field. You can’t be strategic without knowing the basis for your strategy inside and out. Learn everything you can about the field or fields you support. Attend lectures. Sign up for newsletters. Register for news alerts by keyword. Develop a contact list of industry experts you can turn to with salient questions. Remember that an effective grantmaker is a constant student.

4. Know your grantees. Pay attention to what’s going on at your grantee organizations, and go on site visits when you can. Beyond the requisite reports you’ll read for your grants, there is loads to learn about overall operations and organizational health just by signing up for newsletters, annual reports, etc.

5. Learn to be the bearer of news – good and bad. Perhaps the greatest moments you will have as a young grantmaker are informing grant recipients of their good news. Savor those moments, and relish the opportunity to be a part of them. At the same time, realize that not all the news you deliver will be good. Practice your approach in delivering news that grantees or potential grantees won’t want to hear. Keep your voice calm but connected; be professional but not unfeeling. Grantees expect a degree of volatility in their work; you come out on top if you learn to deliver bad news tactfully and respectfully.

6. Keep an open door. Recognize that the relationships between you and your grantees are mutually beneficial. Maximize the effectiveness of each grant by enjoying a friendly professional relationship with each grantee; be clear that they are welcome to come to you with any questions. Not only will you be happier coming to work knowing that you have a slew of smart, congenial contacts – you’ll also be far more likely to properly track grant progress and nip any potential problems in the bud.

7. Use your portfolio. Speaking of potential problems: sometimes the best solutions can come from other grantees. Recognize the best practices and trouble spots of your grantees, and make matches where appropriate. By putting grantees in touch with each other, you are allowing on-the-ground practitioners to share what they do best.

8. Stay organized. You can’t do #6 or #7 without this one. Organize, organize, organize. The more grants you manage, the more difficult this is and the less time you have to do it. Develop an information tracking system that works best for you so that when a grantee does call you with a question, you can easily access their file and provide assistance.

9. Think like your grantees.  Just like an advertising exec thinks from the perspective of the consumer, you need to keep your grantees p.o.v.’s front and center. What are their time commitments? Budget schedules? What are their ideas of success? The more you step inside their boxes, the easier it will be to create mutually agreeable partnerships.

10. Measure results. Follow tip #9 and it will also be far easier to measure results, because you will learn the right questions to ask. Consider each grantee both as an independent entity with individual goals, and as a representative organization of a broader field. Think like your grantees as you devise the points on which you will evaluate their successes, and hold them to the objectives they put forth. Emphasize the importance of long-term sustainability, and work with them to create viable plans if they are not yet in place. Here we cycle back to tip #1: you truly do have a stake to play in the future achievements of each grant recipient. Take that seriously – but also have serious fun.

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[Arthur Venn]

Two most important questions in fundraising:
WHO and WHY

Who will you ask?
and
Why should they give?