Dear Good Groups Guru,
I saw an interesting grant opportunity recently from the US Economic Development Administration and I thought my business development project was perfect for it. But when I read the Request for Proposals, I saw that it required me to form a partnership with a non-profit organization, university, and/or government agency. It’s too late now, but how am I supposed to do that next time?
Standing at the Altar
Dear Eligible Single
You have to make collaboration part of your development process and be ready for funding opportunities when they arise.Yeah, these days it seems like every funder is requiring “partnership” and “collaboration” in their funding guidelines. There’s actually a good reason for that, though sometimes the funder handles the idea better than other times. But trying to line up a deal under the deadline pressure can drive a person crazy. So you have to make collaboration part of your development process and be ready for funding opportunities when they arise. There’s a simple trick to this: To get a partner, act like a partner.
Don’t scramble around trying to recruit partnership support for your project. Instead, practice partnership. Talk to others to identify and build on mutual interests. This simple difference in approach will really strengthen your efforts, and your funding prospects.
Let’s say you get a meeting with some leaders of an important community organization. You might be tempted to pitch your project to try to win their support. Too often, such an approach seems heavy-handed, and it can even backfire.
Instead, ask the leaders questions, about their community, their plans, and their own strengths and interests. When you ask a question like, “What are you currently working on?” you To get a partner, act like a partner.show respect and appreciation, you gain understanding, and you open the door for two-way conversation. Together, you’ll end up brainstorming ideas for collaborating to get things done. Follow up on these ideas where you can and use them to help shape and develop your project.
If you make a regular practice of arranging and making one-on-one and small group conversations like this, you’ll discover that there are many people and organizations who share a natural interest in your work. These people will want to contribute to the success of your efforts, because that will help them too. And yes, you will find that you want to contribute to the success of others, because that will help you, and strengthen the common good.
If you make a regular practice of arranging and making one-on-one and small group conversations like this, you’ll discover that there are many people and organizations who share a natural interest in your work.This is what I mean by making collaboration part of your development process. One result: strengthening your funding prospects. The next time a partnership is appropriate for a funding opportunity, you will know exactly who to talk to and what to talk about. What’s more, you and your partners will already have the trust and experience necessary to put together the winning proposal.
But there’s an even greater benefit to practicing partnership this way. The more you understand about the interests of customers, constituents, stakeholders and the community, and the greater your connection to the strengths and assets of others, the more responsive and effective you can make your project. And that’s in everyone’s interest.
How to Get a Partner for a Grant Proposal?
The Good Groups Guru suggests:
- Don’t wait for a funding requirement
- Make collaboration part of your development process
- Don’t just tell; ask questions about the plans, strengths, and interests of potential partners
- Discover overlapping interests, follow up, and shape your development accordingly
You’ll be ready for any funding opportunity (and strengthen your work at the same time)
Glossary:
Grant Partnership. A grant partnership is a partnership that is formed for the purpose of seeking a particular grant or funding. The grant proposal usually spells out the contributions of the partners, their role in the projected enterprise, and the distribution of funding.
If the proposal is not funded, the grant partnership is not activated. But if the proposal is funded, then the grant partners have a commitment to each other to fulfill the terms in the proposal. So don’t name a partner in a grant proposal without their explicit permission. And once a grant is funded, don’t omit a grant partner from a project or significantly change their role without their permission.
Lutherism:
To get a partner, act like a partner
Tags: business development, collaboration, federal grant, funding, funding guidelines, good groups guru, grant proposal, luther snow, Partnership, request for proposals, US Economic Development Administration
My name is Chinwe Onyeagoro and I am the editor of New Equity Daily. Five years ago I started a small business called O-H Community Partners in Chicago and one of the lessons I’ve learned is it’s not enough to simply concentrate on producing a good product or providing quality service or offer the best price. There’s an extra component that is crucial to the survival and growth of our businesses: funding and financing whether we are starting up or trying to maintain our operations or planning to grow. Without adequate funding, small businesses like ours run the risk of stagnating, or even closing. Financing is out there. It’s available. It’s just harder to find.