Grant Writing Does Not Have to Be Hard!
Writing grants for your nonprofit organization can entail a lot of work. Not only are you compiling and updating reams of supporting information, but you are drafting a grant proposal that can be thousands of words long. If you start from scratch with every grant proposal, the work of grant writing can become incredibly hard.
Luckily, there is an easier way to write your grants throughout the year: start with a boilerplate grant proposal.
With a boilerplate grant proposal, any time you apply for general operating support or submit applications to companies or foundations for project support, you can use the exact same language.
Using a boilerplate is not cheating or cutting corners. You have already put in the labor of telling one funder what you’ll do with the funding. So you are being consistent and efficient by sharing this same information with other funders.
Plus, there are other ways you can repurpose your grant language too. Keep reading to find out how!
Make Grant Writing Seamless With a Boilerplate Proposal
One of the tricks I learned early on as a fundraiser was to create one boilerplate grant proposal that you can use to pluck language from for every proposal. Over 80% of grant proposals will ask for similar information that you can store in one place and simply update over time. This saves you time – and makes it easier to achieve your annual fundraising goals.
Categories that are commonly requested in grant proposals are:
List of board names, positions, terms, and contact info
Organization vision and mission
History of the organization
Key accomplishments of the organization (prioritizing the last 3-5 years)
Brief summary of the proposed work
Goals and objectives of the proposed work
Evaluation plans
Demographic information about your board and staff, and your organization’s commitment to diversity
Funders are busy. It is highly unlikely that they are sitting around comparing your proposal to some other funder’s proposal. If you are being honest and requesting funding for specific work or general operating support then just send the same language.
Boilerplate general operating support proposals
For general operating support – also called unrestricted support – you ABSOLUTELY CAN write one proposal describing all the work of the organization and re-submit that to every other funder who funds general operating.
Many nonprofits think that each general operating grant proposal must be tweaked, changed, or updated somehow. It does not. That is the beauty of general operating support. You can submit the same proposal to many funders. Most of them prefer simplicity and don’t want to create extra work for the grant seeker.
Always make sure what you submit is up-to-date, accurate, complete, and truthful! You may choose to amend a few things here and there but don’t do unnecessary work.
Boilerplate grant proposals for specific projects
For project grants, you will want to create a separate boilerplate grant proposal for the main project or projects that you will be seeking funding for. Note that lots of the general organization language can be taken from your general operating support boilerplate proposal.
Then, for each project-specific grant you submit, you can simply review and repurpose your project boilerplate proposal.
“Pro-tip to repurpose boilerplate grant proposal language: When a funder wants to fund project-specific work instead of general operating support, it is perfectly acceptable (though you must use your best judgment) to invent a project title that encompasses the work you are already doing. You don’t always have to invent new work, new programs, hire new staff, or have new activities. Simply look at your existing programs and call the work you will do in the next year or two a project-sounding name. People do this all the time. ”
For example, if you are always doing workshops and community education sessions and also triaging calls from the community about your issue, you can call your project “Community Impact Expansion 2024” and talk about all the work you are doing already and how you will expand it in 2024. You may want to talk about new, additional, or better work you will accomplish but that is your call based on the specifics of the grant.
Using a boilerplate for corporate or government grant proposals
You can certainly repurpose your grants for corporate or other institutional funders, as long as it fits within guidelines (such as length requirements). Look at your boilerplate language and use it as a base for other proposals. No one is looking for 100% original language that has never been seen before. No one!
Using boilerplate grant language in other forms of fundraising
Your boilerplate grant proposals are a treasure trove of great language that is designed to speak to donors.
Use language from your proposals as the pitch for your fundraising appeals by email, direct mail, or in your annual report. Put the language in your development plan as an appendix. Use the language in your online appeals during Facebook Fundraisers and birthday fundraisers.
Worried about repetition in your fundraising communications?
Plenty of nonprofit fundraisers and leaders worry that reusing language will sound repetitive. I’m here to tell you to stop worrying. You worked hard on your boilerplate proposal language. So your job is to make sure as many people as possible see it – as often as possible!
“Repurposing boilerplate grant proposal language has the added benefit of showing that your organization is really focused on its core programs. ”
The truth is that most people aren’t reading and remembering every word of your organization’s writing. And even if they are, they will see your language as consistent, disciplined, and focused.
Repurposing Boilerplate Grant Proposals for Marketing
Because you have put a lot of effort into your boilerplate grant proposal, you can repurpose the language for social media, YouTube videos, sharable “tiles” and graphics in your emails or in annual reports, flyers, or other marketing materials.
Grant language could be used for your website, thank you messages to donors, and so much more.
“Wherever your organization is telling the story of its work, boilerplate grant language can be repurposed. ”
For example, if you need quick on-the-fly information for volunteers or the board to use at community gatherings or when meeting with potential board members, send them boilerplate language from a grant and tell them, “Here is the work we need to fund in the next year. As you talk with friends and family, mention this work.”
Reusing boilerplate language for the board and community stakeholders
Grant language can be repurposed for monthly or quarterly board updates or updates to other stakeholders in the community. Grant proposals sometimes paint a picture of the aspirational work ahead which can be exciting for the board of directors (inspiring your board to fundraise!), board of advisors, major donors, monthly sustainers, volunteers, coalition partners, the media, lawmakers, and others.
Conclusion: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle Your Grant Proposals
There is no rule anywhere that you can’t repurpose your grant proposal language. Most nonprofit organizations that write multiple grants a year are doing it and so should you. Most funders don’t need or want 100% original proposals. What they want is an honest description of what you will do when funded. Since you have told multiple funders what you will do, you may as well repurpose the language for every proposal you send.
Depending on the donor, company, foundation, or other funding source, you will need to adapt your language. But very often 80% or more can be repurposed from another proposal.
In addition to repurposing your proposals for other funders, you should use and recycle your best language for social media, your website, online and offline appeals, community presentations, and recruiting new people to the organization.
Think of your boilerplate grant proposal language as intellectual property that is your best and most persuasive case for funding. You should use it as frequently as possible. Don’t worry about people noticing the similarity. It demonstrates consistency and clarity that your organization is focused on core priorities.
If you’re ready to start writing your boilerplate grant proposal, grab my Elements of a Grant Proposal or my Elements of a Case Statement to get started. If you need help with grant-seeking or fundraising strategy, reach out today!
