The unexpected benefits of outsourcing your grant applications

Writing grant applications can feel like being on a treadmill.

A never-ending list of applications to write, rejections to record and funders to manage. It can be draining, no matter how enthusiastic you are about the work of your charity.

Outsourcing your applications, even for a temporary period, can be the perfect way to refresh your pitch and take the load off your team. You might also find some additional bonuses:

Storytelling

When you outsource your applications, the starting point is to sit down with your freelancer or agency to tell the story of your charity. You become a storyteller with a captive audience. They need to understand, in a short timeframe, what you do, why it is needed, who benefits and the impact that you have.

Preparing for this conversation is a learning exercise, giving you the space to think through how your work comes across to someone hearing about it for the first time. It’s an opportunity to check in on your own enthusiasm and commitment - are you still passionate and able to communicate that?  

Prepare to be quizzed

A freelancer or agency brings a valuable fresh pair of eyes and an outside perspective on the grant applications you’ve been writing so far. They can spot things that may not be obvious to those working closely on the projects.

In order to do this, they will ask a lot of questions, including What? and So What? An outside view can be helpful in improving the way you describe your activities and your impact.

You will also be prompted to think through your practical activities - are your projects still needed and relevant? Do they still meet your aims and objectives or has there been any mission creep?

Mind your language

Somebody from outside your charity can be very helpful at creating fresh language to describe your projects, and at spotting the jargon and acronyms in your applications which might not make sense to a first-time reader.

Be brutal

For anyone who dedicates their life (or career) to a cause, it can feel difficult to write anything less than the whole story in an application. It seems like every aspect of the work is essential and nothing can be missed out. This is where outsourcing your applications can be a game changer. “Tell us about your charity in 100 words” or “Demonstrate your impact in 150 words” can feel overwhelming, but an outsider can be brutal in their editing, helping you reduce word counts to fit the requirements.

Data and details

Any good freelancer or agency will need data to get up to speed with your work so this might help to identify your gaps. Do you already have a “crib sheet” with recent case studies and quotes, bios for all your staff and possible referees? This resource will help your freelancer, but gathering the information will help you too.

It all counts

Nailing your numbers can turbo-charge applications and an objective eye can help scale up your numbers for maximum impact. They might suggest things like counting hours delivered instead of sessions, recording telephone calls as well as 1-1 meetings, or thinking about the number of volunteers you have trained, not just those who are currently volunteering.

Return on investment

It might feel like a leap of faith or a lot of work to get your freelancer/agency up to speed, but working with them to crystallise the story of your charity gives you a far-reaching end result - a powerful, distilled version of your story which you can use for future applications as well as video content and social media posts.

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If we can help you tell a Better Story - with your grant applications, video creation or social media - please get in touch!