Episode 54: Funder’s Pet Peeves
There are always more applicants than money; that’s why it’s important to score high on eligibility screenings. Learn what things piss off Funders the most (hint: doing these could easily land your application in the “Rejected!” pile)
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NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT: NAACP
Podcast Transcript
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to On Air with Amber Wynn, where nonprofit leaders learn to fuse passion and commitment with proven business strategies to create long-term funding, impact, and sustainability. And now here's your host and resident Philanthrepreneur, Amber Wynn.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Good morning fam, it's your girl in the house. And today I have a topic for you that is near and dear to my heart. As you know, with my 30 years of nonprofit experience, I've walked in several different shoes, one of them being a funder. And so today's episode, I'm going to cover Funder’s Pet Peeves and how doing them could cost you a grant. I have, I've shared with you some insider secrets when it comes from the funder's perspective, but today I'm going to dive in deep because there's so many reasons why your organization could be rejected for a grant. People think, oh, they don't like us, or, oh, my grant writer sucked. But there's so many reasons, and today I am going to dive into possibly some of those reasons, Funder’s Pet Peeves. Funders have the power to say yay or nay before you get to the screening, after you get to the screening, after you've been funded.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
And so it's important that you powerfully position yourself. Yeah, I was having a conversation with the client, a relatively combative client, if I can say so myself, and she was like, da, da da da da, and da, da da da. And then I called them and I was like, you called them. Why would you call them? And then what did you say? She's like, well, I told them obviously they're not interested in the, I was like, you said that. So it just prompted me to go in deep and just really share with you guys the real deal about the Funders, their pet peeves, and how it can possibly impact your grant. So you know how we do it. We're going to start off with a short sponsor break, and then we're going to come back and dive right in.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
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Speaker 2 (03:23):
Welcome back. You're On Air with Amber, and today we are talking about Funder's Pet Peeves and how doing them can potentially cost you your grant. This is a reality, right? You're dealing with people, funders are people, and I've always said there's always more applicants than there is money. And because of that, funders have to find justifiable reasons for not granting your proposal. Some of those are pet peeves, believe it or not. I am going to speak honestly for some of my funders because having been on that side where I've done the eligibility screening, where I've fielded the calls where I've talked to potential grantees, people can just really be unreasonable. And guess what? If you are unreasonable before I give you money, I'm just saying. What I'm not going to set myself up for as a program officer is a difficult grantee. If I see you before I give you the money being difficult, causing me angst, I'm not going to fund you because that's the type of person you're going to be on the other side of that grant.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
And people really don't think about that. I did a workshop once and I'm doing my presentation and I'm like, okay, you need to this. You need to. And the lady in the audience, her face was just contorted and twisted and duh, da, da da da. And she raised her hand and she's like, I'm doing the work. I'm da, da, da, da, da, I'm blah, blah, blah, blah. Why I got to do this? Why? And just went on and I just stood there and let her do her thing. And I said, are you done? And she was like, yes. And I said, you're asking me for money, like you're asking me for money and you're complaining about how, I'm telling you, I want you to put your application together, your complaint. Here's the thing. Funders have to report to the IRS. So some of the guidelines may seem a little bit stringent or you may not understand, but they're trying to cya.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
They're not going to grant to an organization that's raggedy. So let's jump into some of the pet peeves that funders have that may prevent you from getting a grant. Let's start off with number one, that the applicant doesn't do research on the foundation. I have to say, this is just rude and disrespectful. You're asking me for money and you don't research my organization. I know, you know how I know, because on my website, it lists what I fund, and then you send me a proposal and it doesn't align with what I fund. You didn't do your research or there's a question you didn't answer properly because I'm asking you, what's your demographic? Who do you serve? And guess what, it's not the one that I fund. So do your research, do your research on the foundation because a lot of the questions are going to be answered on the website.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Second thing, the applicant doesn't read or follow the guidelines. The guidelines are there for a reason. Two reasons. Number one, so that when we have people reviewing your proposals, it's not just yours, it's like a hundred other applications when they are reviewing it, they can do it in a way that's fair, standardized, and with the flow. So if I have five reviewers and I have 150 applicants, if you follow the guidelines, there's a process so that we can expedite that. But if you answer this question over here or you don't answer that question, you put it on a different form, it's just going to create confusion for my reviewers. So guess what? If you don't follow the guidelines, you don't get your application reviewed - into the round file. Pet peeve number three, applicant calls every other day asking for a status update.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Listen, that is irritating. If they are going to tell you when you're going to get funded or when they're going to do the awards, then you wait for that time. Don't keep calling and asking, have you made a decision? Have you made a decision? Because in a minute, that decision is even if you were going to get funded, you're not going to get funded now. Why? Because as I said before, if you're doing all of this before I even have given you an award, I can only imagine what you're going to be like after the fact. So the answer is no. This one is huge for me. In particular, submitting something with errors, grammar, grammatical errors, spelling errors, budgeting errors, what that says to me is that you didn't put in the time to put together a product that is professional, for one. If you know that you're not a good speller, it doesn't mean that you don't have a good program, but I have to read it.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
My people have to read it, and it needs to represent you. I've had people say, well, what does it care? What do you care if I don't spell right? Am I delivering programs? It matters because as I've said before, all things considered you are competing against other nonprofits. So if other nonprofits present well meaning they're professional, it's error free, they follow the guidelines, they are going to get the award and you won't. And here's the thing, their program may not be as good as yours. The reality of the situation is you need to get past the eligibility screening. Then after that, you need to get past the qualification screening. Then after that, you see what I'm saying? So if there is a limited amount of money, funders have to find a way to eliminate, and you’re just giving them reasons. If you have a bad grammar errors in your calculations for your budget, that's a representation of you. So you want to make sure that you represent you well, you know that you don't spell well, do Grammarly or have somebody read it. If you're not good with numbers, I'm raising my hand over here, I check my thing six times, or if I'm still not certain, I'll have somebody who's really great with numbers, do a numbers check. It's upon, it's incumbent upon you to make sure that your stuff is tight.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
This one is interesting. People don't think about this, but combining the thank you with the new ask, let's just say it's the end of the year and you're sending out a Christmas card to your funder, thanking them for their support. Separate the two, right? Separate the two. Let the ask stand for itself and let the thank you stand by itself. So say, thank you for this year. We appreciate all of your support and leave it there. Do not send a thank you. And then the last line is, can you give us more money? It makes your thank you disingenuous, right? So it is a pet peeve because what it feels like is you're only saying thank you because you want some more money. Say thank you and just let it rest. Let it be. Another pet peeve, don't provide more than what the funder asks for.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
If we say, give us a two page LOI or a five page proposal, that's all we ask for. Don't send newsletters, don't send pictures; don't do it because number one, we don't want it. Don't do it. I've had, when I was grant writing, I had people say, oh, give them this and give them this. And I'm like, they didn't ask for that. Oh, oh, yeah, it's okay. But I want them to know who we are and I want them. If they want it, they will ask for it. If they don't ask for it, do not send it. And let me tell you, if you send it, not only will the materials get put in the round file, so will your application. Why? Because you're not following instructions, you're not following directions. And if you're not doing that before you get awarded, I can make the assumption that you won't do it after it. And guess what? I don't want to be bothered. I don't want to be bothered with a difficult grantee. I just don't.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Let's just say you got your award. Oh, no, let's go before that. Let's just say you are getting ready to submit a proposal. Do not start on the wrong foot by being late or asking for an extension, right? So you haven't even been awarded and you're writing to say, Hey, whatever happened, can I get an extension? That's not a good representation of you. And on the flip side, if you've been awarded and you've got a report that's due, remember, you want to make sure that you're getting reoccurring funding. So if you're asking for extensions for reports or not turning in reports, they're not going to give you another chance to apply and get grants in the future. So, you may have the money, you want to make sure you keep getting the money, but if you're late on reports and you're asking for extensions, you won't get refunded. And that is a pet peeve of grantors because here's the thing I told you, funders have to report to the IRS. So, if your report is late, then you going to make my report late. And so it's a pet peeve. Okay, here's another one. Relationship building.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
I've used this example before when your kid says, mama, can I have $50? Mama? Can I have $2, mama? It's like you're an ATM. A Funder doesn't want to feel like an ATM. So it's important that you try and build a relationship in looking for ways to connect with your funder and not just continuously ask for money. The only time I hear from you is when you want a grant. That's not how that works. It's about relationship building and trying to allow me the opportunity to get to know you. It’s just, I don't know. You have to look at your Funder as if they are human beings and not just this ATM.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Another pet peeve is inaccurate information. So as a Funder, we have the responsibility of doing due diligence. So I've already told you this before, but it's important that you know that a Funder is going to go look at your website. For me, that's the first thing I'm going to go do. You are either going to be on GuideStar, but I go to look at what type of representation you've given yourself on your website. A pet peeve of mine is broken links on websites, no telephone numbers or addresses so that I can do a site visit or schedule some time with you. And you don't think about that because again, you're like, I'm out in the community doing the work. I ain't got time to be doing no website. But that's your resume. That's your profile. That's how as a Funder, I'm able to see who you are.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
So if I'm visiting your site and you have a Under Construction up for two weeks, two months, or there's no page that talks about who your leaders are or who your staff is, like that is a pet peeve of mine. You expect me to give you money, but I can't even tell who you are, what you're about, what you do, your impact. No, no. And that's just a waste of time. So again, I am talking about Funder’s Pet Peeves and how doing them can cost you your grant. It's not always that your grant was poorly written. It's not always that an organization or a funder doesn't like it could be other extenuating circumstances that causes you not to be funded before they even look at the grant or while they're looking at the grant. If you have not claimed your profile on Charity Navigator or GuideStar, I'm going to advise you to do that because Funders go to look to see if you've registered and that can help you, especially if your website is a bit crunchy, they can get information they can't otherwise get. But it's important that you take the time to just think about what are those things that could potentially piss off your Funder.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
And I have a whole list. A whole list. So I am going to put a link in my bio so that you can look at all the things that Funders say are their pet peeves so that you can avoid doing them. Avoid doing some of these things, and maybe it'll increase your fund development strategy. All right, so that's the topic for today, Funder’s Pet Peeve. Be sure to go into my bio, click the link, download all of the things that our Funders have said may prevent you from getting your grants so that you can be a little bit more competitive and be a little bit more knowledgeable about what those potential things are. Right now, we're going to pause again for another sponsor break, and when we come back, we've got Ask Amber. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
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Speaker 2 (18:25):
Welcome back to On Air with Amber. Today we're talking about Funder’s Pet Peeves and how doing them can cost you a grant. It's time now for your questions. If you have questions for me, I'd love to hear them. You can drop me a line on my socials and let me know what questions you want me to answer. You can email me, you can leave an audio, like whatever you want to do. I want to be here for you, and I want to give you the answers that you're most looking for. So today, let's hear what your question is for Amber.
Speaker 5 (19:07):
Hi, this is Craig from Indio. Wanted to know how to get the president out of office. How to remove the board president who is taking the organization in the wrong direction. Thank you, Amber.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Hey, Craig, I didn't mean to laugh, but here's the thing. I'm assuming that Craig is the Founder since he's trying to get rid of his President, the president is the most powerful person in the nonprofit. So, with that said, I'll start off by saying, Craig, that the process is dictated in your bylaws. When you first start your nonprofit, you have to put together, it's your Bible. It's the bylaws that talks about how to vote in and out your board. So that's where you will start. If you had a boiler plate, which happens all the time, a boiler plate bylaws, then you're going to have to do a little work. You're going to have to do some behind the scenes conversation with board members to get them on your side, and then they're going to need to take a vote to remove the president. Majority. It's usually two thirds or majority.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
But once you get enough people to say, Hey, this person is taking the organization in a different direction, somebody's going to have to be bold enough to say, I'd like to make the motion to remove the president. And then based off of your bylaws, maybe they'll have an opportunity to refute the allegation, whatever. But if it's not in your bylaws, it's going to take a little work. And if it's not in your bylaws and after you get the president out, then the first thing you need to do is to update your bylaws so that there is a process in place that will allow you. I had one client where instead of the majority vote, vote, it was two-thirds vote. So you had the president who went and did his job to make sure he had enough votes to stay in place. So just really, really looking at the bylaws, making sure that there's an opportunity for you to remove people without them getting hold of.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Just also, remember though, it can't be because you don't like the person you're going to have to, or whoever's going to bring forth the vote. You can't do it as the founder because you're not on the board. Whoever bring forth that brings forth that vote, it has to be substantial. And when you say that they're not taking the organization in the right direction, you've got to line up your justification. Our mission is this, yet the president is doing this, this, this, this, and this. And if they continue, it's going to move us away from our mission. So you really have got to be ready for that fight and moving forward, make sure you tighten up your bylaws. Thank you so much for that question. Like I said, if you have a question, reach out to me on any of my socials and I'm happy to answer it. Now is the time of our episode where I get to do the thing that I like to do most, which is to highlight our nonprofits. Today, I'm going to focus on an organization that's been around for quite a long time. The NAACP remains a uniting force in the movement, coalescing together, leading voices in organizations to collaborate on initiatives that brings us closer to the future we all envision. Let's take a look at the NAACP.
Speaker 6 (22:44):
You know what power sounds like?
Speaker 7 (22:47):
Unprecedented gathering our young people
Speaker 8 (22:50):
Communities across this country recognized
Speaker 6 (22:53):
Double our efforts. We value people and we will get it done. Do you know what power looks like? It's rocking the vote, mobilizing for change, fighting for equality, and lending a helping hand. So much stuff. You know what power feels like? Claiming our rightful seat, sustaining 112 year legacy. I've worked for the NAACP since 1954, holding our adversaries accountable and starving hate at its root. You know how power moves. It's committing to our cause, leaving a lasting impact with our partners, advocating for our civil rights, raising the next generation of leaders and driving us through another year to a more just world.
Speaker 8 (24:00):
Now, we serve.
Speaker 6 (24:03):
This is power in every black form.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
I always say change happens in two ways. One, it's in policy, so legislation. And then two is with money. When there's an initiative, I'll say, well, if they put some money behind it, if there's no money behind it, then nothing's going to happen. So I'd like to applaud the NAACP for all of their work in both policy and in initiatives, and really just being on the ground for social change. And if you're interested in supporting the NAACP or becoming a membership, check them out at NAACP.org. Yes. All right. So, we're going to move on right now as we wind down, it's time for my Mindset Minute. And if you remember at the top of the episode, we're talking about the Funder's Pet Peeve and so I just want to dive a little bit deeper into that by helping you ground yourself. And remembering, yes, you're doing the work, but when you approach a Funder, I want you to remember that you are asking, you're asking them to support your mission by providing you with resources.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Those resources are financial, or if you're asking them to partner with you in volunteerism or to donate products or services. The Funder's purpose is not to support you, right? The Funder's purpose is not to give you money. And that's where a lot of nonprofits get confused. A Funder's purpose is to meet their fundraising goals, and they partner with other organizations who are qualified to deliver what they can't do. So it's not like they owe you anything. It's the opposite. They have a resource and they're looking for the most qualified organization to help them accomplish their goals. So think about that. When you're going into any type of situation with the Funder; you're asking them for money. So ask with some respect, ask with some humility, ask from the position of this can be a partnership. Don't demand. Don't be difficult. Don't be disrespectful. It's important that you understand that because there are always more applicants than there is money, and when you come in with a sense of respect, doing your due diligence and not expecting someone to give you something that you didn't earn, your outcomes are going to be a whole lot better.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Remember that you are asking, and in that ask, there's a potential for both of you guys to mutually benefit. But when you come into a situation where you are, I don't know, just not showing the organization or the company who is going to help you accomplish your mission, the respect that they deserve, it just doesn't make for a good outcome. My mama say, you catch more flies with sugar than you do vinegar. I'm going to leave it on that note and we'll catch you guys the next time. Remember, take care of yourself like you take care of your community.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave a review on iTunes. Head over to www.amberwynn.net/podcast for the links and resources mentioned in today's podcast. See you next time.
