Keep your program officer updated on important
developments in your field and your community. That
way your program officer will come to appreciate your
expertise and see you as a go-to person for information.
If the program officer comes to you with questions,
wants information, or asks you to share contacts,
respond quickly and be as helpful as you can.
change tactics, they should let you know so you can keep
the foundation informed. Schedule regular meetings
(monthly or quarterly) with the entire program team
(including the people responsible for fundraising and
financial management) to review progress against the
project plan and your funded proposals to make sure
that you are meeting your goals and not forgetting any
activities or outputs that you promised.
you don’t know the answer to a question, don’t lie
If
or make something up. Tell them you don’t have the
answer right now, but that you will look into it and
get back to them as soon as you can.
Keep your metrics somewhere visible so you can regularly
check your progress against them. First, you need to collect
baseline data: that is, basic statistics on your program at the
start of the grant period. Then, you need to regularly collect
the data you need to track the work over the course of the
grant period. For example, if you say in the proposal that you
will give financial education to 200 women this year, then you
need your program staff to keep information on how many
women are participating on an ongoing basis. That way, you
will be ready to report good information to the foundation
at the end of the grant period, and your staff will understand
early on how many people they need to enroll and graduate
from the program during the year and plan accordingly.
Check in with the program officer at least two or
three months before the next renewal proposal is
due to give them a program update and ask whether
you will be invited to submit a follow-up proposal
for the next year.
Always be responsive when the foundation gets in
touch with your organization. Don’t let their queries
go unanswered for several days or weeks, and
make sure your colleagues respond to any requests
they receive.
Check your grant award documents: make sure you keep the
foundation informed of any changes they require during the
grant period. Some foundations ask you to tell them right
away if there are major staff changes or to let them know of
any major developments that affect your project’s progress.
Don’t push too hard. Respect the staff’s
professionalism and don’t get too personal with
them. It’s okay to be friendly, but it’s not okay to try
to push beyond professional boundaries or share all
your personal problems with your program officer.
Once you’ve established a good relationship with the
foundation and your program officer, you may find that s/he
can be a good source of information for other professional
opportunities. For example, some grantmakers provide
supplemental funding for their grantees to attend training
courses or conferences or can let you know about other
funding sources. Program officers may even be recommend
your organization to other funders or introduce you to
professional contacts or prospective donors.
FINANCES
Good financial management is crucial. If a foundation does
not believe that you are using their money well, they may
refuse to fund you in the future, even if they like your work.
Make sure financial review is part of any program review:
regularly check spending against the grant budget. If your
spending needs to be different from what you originally
proposed, then contact the funder as soon as possible to
get their approval for changes. One of the biggest mistakes
you can make is re-budgeting your grant without getting
permission and waiting until the financial report is due to
make the foundation aware of the changes.
MANAGING YOUR GRANT
Track your progress throughout the year toward meeting
the goals stated in your proposal. Keep a spreadsheet or
chart where you record your activities and a folder where
you can put copies of relevant documents so you have
them ready when it’s time to write your progress report.
If your organization has the capacity to create monthly
budget reports, do so. They are a great way to create
fiscal discipline and hold everyone accountable for their
spending. These reports can also reveal problems in the
early stages when they can still be fixed.
Make sure you regularly review progress with the people
who are running the program: they should know what
and how they are expected to deliver from the outset
of the grant period. If activities change or they have to
Many foundations require their grantees to notify them
of any “substantial variances” in their budget and get
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