New Language, Same Story
Jan 23, 2025
By Aliess Kingsley, COO at Granted
The beginning of the year is hard regardless of what sector you’re in. You probably ate a lot of food to close out last year, and now you’re just walking around in a daze wondering where that holiday vacation time went. Now that we’re thinking about it, what exactly did we do in the last 365 (or 364) days? Oof.
For those of us in the nonprofit world, the end of 2024 had us busy with end-of-year giving, annual appeals, holiday events, toy drives, food drives, family support nights, advertising pushes, and so much more.
In short, we’re tired.
But, guess what else is tired? That grant language you used all last year. Data is out of date; client stories have been read and re-read; and funders want to know what you accomplished since they last heard from you. The list of things to update may seem daunting, but you can easily update the language in all of your upcoming grant applications this year by doing one small thing: an annual case for support refresh.
A case for support standardizes your messaging and ensures that you communicate a clear, unified, and compelling vision to potential supporters. Once crafted, your team can use it to create tailored variations, individualized pitches, and additional resources that will support the overall vision of your fundraising campaign. Giving the language a refresh annually ensures donors don’t see the same data, client stories, or roadmap year over year.
A lot of nonprofits have annual board retreats, planning sessions, and conversations about the future of programs starting in October, which is, coincidentally, when we at Granted recommend that our clients start setting time aside each week to start forming thoughts for their case for support refresh. (Don’t worry if you haven’t even started yet. You can plan better this year!) Specifically, start thinking about new initiatives, accomplishments, and priorities for the year to come and then find credible literature to support your statements.
Here are some tips and tricks to help you on your journey to update your grants language:
- Research. Take time (how much time may depend on your programs) to see if there are any new evidence-based approaches that have come out that showcase the validity and value of the work you are doing. Be sure to save quotes and create a document dedicated to your references so you can go back to them for additional info at a later date if needed.
- Stories. Schedule time at regular intervals (how often depends on a variety of factors, but perhaps each quarter would work) to reach out to program participants for stories on how your program positively impacted them. These do not have to be long, but getting quotes or stories you can pull from throughout the year ensures you’ll have access to personalized narratives that will connect with readers. Also, by planning ahead, you’re afforded the time to look through all the client stories being sent your way. (You can always change names of program participants to protect their anonymity.)
- Outside Perspective. It doesn’t hurt to have another colleague review and critique your work. I know that writers, or anyone who is put in the grant writing chair, can get territorial (guilty!). Remember: you’re all on the same team and reaching out could not only be a value add, but ensure your grant language doesn’t have any missing pieces.
- Step Away. Sometimes the best way to write is to stop altogether. I have, more than once, spent the day wrapped up in a narrative and think “this is brilliant!” When I come back the next day, I frequently find things I should rearrange and sentences I want to delete altogether.
And there you go. By taking time to update your case for support or grant template in an organized and thoughtful way before you get into grant application submission mode, you’re going to save yourself a headache while also making your grant applications stronger! What more could you want?