Question tag: grants
3 QuestionsWhat should be in a grant proposal to strengthen our chances of success?
We apply for grants fairly regularly and our success rate honestly isn't great — maybe one in five. I know our work is good but I feel like our proposals aren't doing it justice or we're missing something funders are looking for. Is there a structure or checklist for what a strong proposal should include? […]
How do we maintain accountability to our donors without drowning in reporting?
We currently have four active grants and the reporting requirements are honestly overwhelming. Between narrative reports, financial reports, mid-term reviews and site visits I feel like I spend half my time reporting and not enough time doing actual work. I know donor accountability matters and I'm not trying to avoid it — but there has […]
What is a Fund Accounting System and does our CSO need one?
We manage all our finances in a single Excel spreadsheet right now. We have about four different funders and each one gave us money for specific activities — it's getting really messy trying to track which money has been spent on what. Someone mentioned we need a 'fund accounting system' but I'm not sure what […]