Use strong language. When writing a report or grant application, don’t be afraid to use strong, powerful words. Strong words convey confidence, ability, and the promise of significant results. The tendency of most people who write reports and grant applications is to use eloquence instead of candor. But in this situation the eloquence is not so convincing. Here are some examples of strong words: provide, demonstrate, obtain, effect, and add. And these words are stronger if you don’t temper them with words that increase their eloquence but don’t add impact, for example: Instead of will try, just use Willinstead of plan to collect, say I will collect
Don’t be too wordy. Too many words can be perceived as supporting an unconvincing idea or program. You are often limited in the number of words you can include in a grant application or report. The reason for the limit is to ensure that the writer is succinct. Weak writing almost always results in word overload. Using too many words in a grant application makes you appear hesitant or unsure about the effort/organization for which you are seeking funding. Verbiage in a report will either make it unreadable (length and boredom factor) or sound like a “sales job” rather than a presentation of information, or worse, both. If you use strong words (see Resolution #1), you are much less likely to be too wordy.
Keep your commitments to the researcher, report writer, and grant writer. Whether you hire someone or use staff to conduct research, write a report, or apply for a grant, you must do what you promise to do. Some typical things you may be asked to do are: provide the names and contact information of people to interview, alert key stakeholders who will be contacted, encourage participation in a survey. The things you are supposed to do are vital to the project. If you don’t get them done or don’t get them done on time, you make it much more difficult (perhaps even impossible) for your consultant or staff to do their jobs and meet deadlines.
Do not confuse activities with results.(2018 move) Activities are things you do, results are things you achieve. Speaking to groups, teaching classes, providing materials, counseling families are all activities. Results are things you can measure, like: helping 20 people improve their credit scores, helping 5 families qualify for home loans, or reducing the number of obese children between the ages of 5 and 7.
Divorce your partners if you are not compatible. If your partners don’t deliver on their commitments, miss deadlines and deadlines, aren’t what they represent to your organization, or anything else that’s keeping them from producing your results, don’t stay “married.” Be sure to clearly include in your contract or Memorandum of Understanding the appropriate statements and expectations to facilitate dissolution of the partnership if commitments under the agreement are not met.
Don’t bite into something that will choke you. Be careful not to chase money that has requirements that will take you away from your main goals or purpose. Avoid financing that forces you to do things that will cost you more time and/or money than it is worth. Don’t try to make your round peg fit into the square hole in the financier.
Respond to emails in a timely manner. It is very important that you respond promptly to emails (and phone calls) from your sponsors and from consultants/staff conducting research, a report, a grant application, or an evaluation. If you don’t respond promptly, they will wonder if you got the email, are you ignoring them, or don’t know the answer or don’t have the information. Worse yet, they may think you don’t value the project and that can result in all sorts of consequences. Not only is it respectful and courteous to respond in a timely manner, it is also efficient. If you don’t respond, you’ll delay someone else’s work or put them in a position to guess/assume and move on.