Step 6 was about the evaluation of a proposal, specifically the evaluation of whether a program or proposal was successful. Rather than being an organization’s plan of how to use a grant provider’s gift, the evaluation serves as a justification or even a clarification of how and why an organization is helping a cause or community. One of the major things that I took away from this section was about why the evaluation process is important. Not only does it serve as justification/clarification for grant providers, but it can also help organizations and non-profits discern their strengths and weaknesses. There are different types of evaluation, such as external, internal, quantitative, and qualitative. External evaluation is when an outside source evaluates an organization, though this typically requires funding. Internal evaluation is when a board member or someone within the organization is in charge of evaluation. Quantitative evaluation relies on data analysis to determine if an organization’s goals were met. Qualitative evaluation relies less on numbers and more on the overall impact of the organization’s goals/programs on people involved. This can be done through observation, personal interviews, and anecdotes. This section really emphasized the importance of planning more than anything. An organization must plan out the evaluation process before they get to it, taking into account who will be evaluating and how they will be evaluating. As always, these components will help the planning process and build a stronger proposal.
Category: GAP Journals (Page 2 of 3)
Prompt: Write a project summary
Response: The Grow Native Initiative is focused on educating the public on invasive and non-native plant species. As part of this initiative, the York Ready for Climate Action organization will be hosting a series of community-focused events. Our educational outreach program will consist of monthly pamphlets that will be sent to participating households. These pamphlets will include information about invasive/non-native plants that are common in the York area as well as some low cost, eco-friendly options pertaining to garden care and upkeep. Tips will also be included in these pamphlets, such as which plants individuals can plant to help the environment and a list of plants to keep away from. Information will also be posted on the official York Ready for Climate Action website in order to make information regarding invasive and non-native plants as accessible as possible for the community. The community events that will be hosted by our organization will vary from gardening workshops to local business markets. The goal of each event is to bring the community together in a meaningful way, whether that is by supporting local businesses or meeting like-minded people with a passion for environmental conservation. We hope to make these events free to the public, with the only expenses going towards local vendors and businesses. The YRFCA will also be active within these events through educational booths, compost sites, recycling areas, and EcoHome sign up information.
Prompt: Read Step 4 in Writing Grants. What were some takeaways?
Response: This chapter/step discusses writing goals and objectives. One of the main takeaways from Step 4 is the differentiation between goals, objectives, and strategies. It is easy to lump the three together, but the chapter clearly defines each. Goals are about what a program wants to achieve. They can be visionary rather than measurable in terms of progress. Objectives, on the other hand, are measurable in terms of progress and allows grantseekers to keep track of the goals their organization is/isn’t meeting. Strategies encompass the methods/actions needed to accomplish objectives. The book describes strategies as the “how to”. Prior to this, I suppose I had some idea of what goals, objectives, and strategies are but I had never thought about how they intertwined together in a professional space. Near the end of the chapter, the authors give a list of do’s and don’t’s for writing good goals and objectives. I found that these tips relied heavily on being realistic and communicating to others in a clear and concise way.
Prompt: What challenges do you foresee moving deeper into this proposal project?
Response: There isn’t a lot that I’m worried about for this proposal project, especially when it comes to team work. I’ve felt really comfortable with my team and know that we all pull our own weight. I think the biggest challenge will just be about navigating how realistic our proposal ideas are. We have these great ideas that seem like they would benefit the community and funders, yet they may not be feasible due to financial and man-power restraints. I also think that another big challenge will be making our proposals interesting to funders, as our ideas focus mainly on community support and involvement. There is nothing our team can really guarantee regarding community and volunteer involvement, but hopefully the message of sustainability and improving the quality of life of the residents of York will be our biggest pull for funders. It’ll be challenging to make our proposals more realistic and interesting to funders, but I’m not worried about what our team will produce. We’re pretty well-rounded and work-oriented, so I know that I can rely on them to make good choices regarding our proposal project. When we present on Wednesday, I’m sure we’ll get great feedback and be pointed in a realistic direction to take our proposal.
Prompt: Have you ever been on a team whose members either avoided conflict to the group’s detriment or engaged in destructive conflict? Explain. OR Have you ever been on a team in which you noted a problem with a teammate’s work but didn’t point it out? What stopped you from providing feedback? For BOTH: write about some strategies you might employ to work through this issue. Explain how you might go about negotiating conflict with group members in this class.
Response: I’ve been on a team where I’ve noticed a problem with a teammate’s work, but I didn’t point it out. In this specific situation, this person had typically been well-organized and consistently produced good work, so it wasn’t like this was in the person’s nature to be lazy or apathetic to the assignment. Around the end of the assignment, before my team turned it in, I noticed that this person’s final portion was missing critical information that the teacher had asked for, but I didn’t say anything because there wasn’t any time left to correct the error. This taught me that it is important to double-check what your teammates have written before the due date. I also learned that anyone can make mistakes and forget things, even if they’ve shown themselves to be productive. I think that it will be good to set checks on each team member by checking on each other constantly. Conflict should be solved in a mature way. If there are issues, they need to be addressed with the whole group, unless it is a personal issue. Then, if an agreement can’t be made, a compromise should be made, and if that doesn’t work, then the team may have to step back and rethink strategies. I think it’s important that everyone thinks over important decisions before deciding anything permanent, which will hopefully solve conflicts before they happen. Above all, I really think that most conflicts can be resolved through conversation, and that everyone needs to be open about their thoughts and opinions. Teams are built on compromises as well!
Prompt: Read Step 3: Writing a Compelling Problem Statement (p.29-37). What was interesting, helpful, or curious about this chapter?
Response: This chapter focused on how to write a problem statement. Basically, the problem statement is exactly what it sounds like. In order to be considered by a funder, a nonprofit needs to address the types of problems, or main problem, in a clear and concise way. This is especially important if the application is online, as organizations can create word limits. The problem statement should only be about a page or two pages long. One of the things that I found helpful was the list of tips found on page 32. The problem statement should include hard facts such as clear statistics or compelling stories from people. The problem statement must also fulfill the need for a sense of urgency in order to communicate to the funders that this problem needs to be solved now. In order to write a problem statement, your nonprofit needs to truly understand what their focus is and create realistic ways to solve problems that arise within that topic.
Prompt: Detail your process for selecting your non-profit. Was it a negotiation? What made you sure this was the right non-profit for you and your group?
Response: Abbie, Montana, and I decided on using ‘York Ready For Climate Action’ as our non-profit organization. It honestly wasn’t a negotiation. We all searched for our own organizations at first, but after some discussion, we felt that York Ready For Climate Action best represented what we wanted to do for our project. One of the aspects of a nonprofit that we wanted was that it was based locally, which YRFCA is. Upon looking at their website, it is clear that the organization truly cares about making an impact. Many of their tabs are about what people can do to live energy efficiently and has even started an ecoHOME initiative. This organization is also affiliated with a nation-wide program called Sierra Club Initiative. By affiliating themselves with a national program, our group saw opportunities to get other nonprofits to collaborate with us. Montana and Abbie also agreed that since it is a local nonprofit that focuses on smaller communities, there is a possibility that we may find specialized grants for York or Maine-only nonprofits.
Prompt: What is interesting/helpful/curious about pages 21-31?
Response: This chapter stood out to me due to the delicate balance of emotion appeal and financial need. While each section emphasized the need for preparation, the section, “Funder Meetings” really highlighted the importance of being prepared. I thought that it was useful to know that while funders may be willing to meet with you, they may not have a lot of time and they typically don’t want to give any false hope about receiving a grant. Not only must you answer questions truthfully, but you need to answer questions concisely while also maintaining a degree of professionalism. The book gives a list of points to cover while speaking to a funder, such as your organization’s credibility, proposed outcomes from a project, and what the funder could gain from their involvement. When it comes to grantseeking, I feel as though many individuals tend to focus on appeasing funders, rather than being honest and clear about their goals. I also feel that many forget common courtesies, such as following up via email about the meeting. The book also talked about how important following up is, as one can clarify questions the funder may have had and the seeker can express thanks for meeting with the funder. These courtesies are what really leave an impression on a funder, and while it may not be the most important topic within the chapter, I felt that basic politeness and courtesies are often overlooked.
Prompt: Finish watching the Grantspace video. What else did you find interesting/helpful/beneficial?
Response: There were many things from the video that I found interesting. The first point that I found interesting was the fact that nonprofits rely mostly on individual donations rather than foundation/organizational funding. Most foundations that are willing to donate to nonprofits are typically small, so the amount of money that a nonprofit receives from them is also low. Individuals may have the means to donate large sums of money or multiple individuals may be able to donate some money that can add up over time. It was almost heartwarming to hear that nonprofits truly rely on people who care about them and believe that they can make a difference rather than just foundations and organizations that are required to give 5% of their assets. This brings me to my second point, which is that the IRS requires foundations to give a minimum of 5% of their assets away each year. I’ve never really known much about what the IRS requires of people and foundations, so hearing this was new information. It was also interesting to hear that since the IRS requires this, foundations also need to make their donations public information. The last thing I found particularly helpful was the proposal section of the video. While the proposal is incredibly important, it may not be the defining reason a foundation did or did not give a nonprofit money. Foundations sometimes won’t care about what the money will be used for, but how the money will impact the community that it is going to. It is also a good idea to form relationships between multiple foundations before applying for a grant, or even trying to foster a relationship with a foundation as you are applying. Creating relationships will not only bolster a nonprofit’s reputation, but it will also bring about mutual respect for all parties. Even if the relationship doesn’t end with a nonprofit receiving money, a relationship could lead to collaborations.
Prompt: Consider the organization your group decided on being part of in class. Did you like it? In order to start drafting a grant proposal, I’ll need to match your interests with real organizations. So then, imagine you’re working/part of an organization that is seeking funds. What kinds of non-profit organization would you like to be part of? A Soup kitchen? An animal shelter? A hospital? An environmental organization? For the purpose of our group project, spend 15 minutes thinking and writing about what kinds non-profits you’d like be part of and why—provide 3 examples
Response: My group chose an organization that dealt with funding and prioritizing children’s development and education. While I didn’t mind deciding on this organization type, I don’t think it would be the greatest fit for me, considering that I don’t have much experience working with children. In other words, I wouldn’t be the greatest advocate for children when searching for grants and writing possible applications. After some thinking, I decided that I would probably fit best within one of these three types of organizations. The first non-profit I would like to be a part of would probably have to do with animal/environmental conservation. As someone who has always had passion for animals and the environment, I think I would be able to embody the types of emotions within an application that many non-profits need in order to receive a grant. An example non-profit for this is the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, as I would be able to write about common experiences and emotions that one has as a parent to an animal. Another type of non-profit that I would like to be a part of would be one to do with civil rights and advocacy, specifically for LGBTQ+ and POC communities. I was educated in a very strict catholic environment and as a young person who wasn’t sure of her orientation, I saw first hand how many people can weaponize belief systems to fit their own agendas. An example of a non-profit that focuses on this would be EqualityMaine. The last type of organization that comes to mind would be one that focuses on improving public education. This is incredibly important, especially in terms of public schools, because many do not receive adequate funding for proper STEM and language arts courses. Many public schools also offer services to many students who are underprivileged, which is an especially overlooked factor in education. My partner is an education major and I’ve seen how hard she and other education majors are trying in order to improve conditions and quality of schools, which is why I would be interested to help an organization like this. An example of this would be the Foundation for Portland Public Schools.
