Telling a compelling story in a proposal can sometimes be the difference between finding the funding you need and opening a rejection letter.
Anecdotes bring the reader into your story, your organization and your need. Depending on your subject matter, this can be a valuable tool for illustrating your need for support.
National funders with strict funding guidelines might not leave room for this type of narrative, but small family foundations or those who follow a common grant outline usually do. Likewise, larger funders usually give to those who meet their funding goals--regardless of a touching narrative about someone who has been helped your organization. In her book, Storytelling for Grantseekers, Cheryl Clarke calls this "giving from the heart" and "giving from the head".
Stories can take an abstract idea or problem and make it personal. Just as you would share a story at a dinner party, with a neighbor or with a business associate, when people can relate they can better understand your situation.
Don't forget to find ways to pull a reader into your organization outside of the statistics and boilerplate answers. Stories of those who have benefited from your organization or group show impact. They make your work real to the reader.
So, what happens when it's time to write a grant and you don't have any stories off the top of your head? Only let this happen once and you'll learn. Work with your communications/public relations/marketing department (or person!), to collect and file stories just for this purpose. They are wonderful examples of the good work you are doing and the responsibility to catalog them can be shared by communications and fundraising areas.
~Cheers
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