A Few Ideas for Expanding Grant Funding

Albert Einstein said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." Think about this quote for a minute and ask yourself, does this apply to the way you approach foundations for grants?

It's a common practice among development professionals to collect lists of local, regional and national foundations and send out large numbers of requests for funding. Sometimes, there's no thoughtful approach, no building of bonds and common goals in this method. This tactic has a certain high level of "insanity" inherent in it. When you think about it, you'll probably agree that it's not the best formula for success. I'll be honest and admit that I've done this! From time to time, I've even succeeded at it, but I wasn't really building the bridge to sustained support or lasting relationships. I was also perplexed by those foundations that didn't accept new proposals because their funding obligations were pre-selected.