On Tuesday, my Writing for Communities and Nonprofits class had the pleasure of hosting Angela White-Jones, the Grants Officer for Quest, Inc. She directs and manages the branch of Quest that receives and requests funding from any source.
She taught us that doing our research on any foundation we attempt to receive a grant from will be one of the most important things we do. Learning what causes the funder is currently backing, making connections–if you don’t already have a connection, you’ll have to learn to make them yourself, and getting the timing right are all very important things to do before submitting a grant proposal. Mrs. White-Jones told us that we need to be ambitious and not feel defeated because one of our proposals comes back a “No.” Most funders, she told us, will tell you why they rejected your proposal if you take the time to call and ask. Often, though, a grant proposal is rejected simply because the foundation has reached its grant limit already and there’s none left for you.
One thing that surprised me is that funders are starting to “get really into Return on Investment”. Prior to now-ish, donating to a nonprofit was just doing good for doing good’s sake. Now, though, these funders want to see what their donations are doing–how many people are they helping, how many houses built or campers are sponsored with their money? I had originally thought that the nonprofit sector was the last remaining “good for good’s sake” space, but it seems that I’m slowly becoming wrong.
What I took away from Angela White-Jones’ visit is that organization is a key element to her daily life, and should be to mine if I want to do what she does. I learned that personality can go a long way in helping make connection, and that making connections sometimes means being brave and just introducing yourself.
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