It’s here: the first month of your fiscal year! You just closed the books on last year, you’re waiting on the final numbers to see if you reached your fundraising goals, and you’re congratulating yourself and your team (as you should!) on all the grant proposals you managed to get out the door.
Then you realize: “Wait, what? I have to do this all over again? And there’s another deadline in two weeks?” Your head starts spinning with thoughts like: “We received a grant from this funder last year – do we owe them a report?”
You check your Grants Calendar, but whoa, it’s all the info from last year, now suddenly out of date. What to do next?
Renewing or resetting your Grants Calendar is not an insurmountable challenge. With the right data fields and a realistic assessment of your team’s capacity, you could be up and running for the new fiscal year in no time. Here’s our simple guide:
- Copy and paste your past year’s Grants Calendar data into a new spreadsheet or tab. Starting with ALL the info from last year (and then whittling it down) is the best way to ensure you don’t lose any important information.
- Ensure you have – at minimum – the following categories in your Grants Calendar:
- Funder/opportunity name
- Due date
- Expected request amount
- Program/focus area for the request
- Update the prospects in your new Grants Calendar, and be sure you can answer the following questions:
- Are we eligible to reapply to this funder/for this grant opportunity this year?
- If we received a grant from this funder last year, what do we need to submit as a report, and by when (more on this below)?
- If our grant application was declined, did the funder give us any info as to why?
- Make sure to update the deadline by quickly researching online. If no date is posted, use the same date as last year for now (but add a note that the date is not final).
- Add new prospects: Be sure to complete an updated round of research on grant opportunities that may be available for your organization either through a grants database or use of more basic research tools. If you need help streamlining this process, consider reviewing our article on Research Hacks to Find Grants. You should be refreshing and updating your Grants Calendar throughout the year, so this doesn’t need to be a deep dive. [Super Pro Tip: Do one last check or sweep through your Grants Calendar from two years ago to make sure you aren’t missing any of those “one year on, one year off” prospects!]
- For grants received in the prior year, be sure to track report information and due dates: Be certain that you have closely reviewed all award letters or emails that accompanied grants you received in the past year. Ensure that you have a system in place (we love a Reports Calendar tab to accompany your Grants Calendar!) for tracking mid-year or final reports that may be due. Your Reports Calendar or spreadsheet should include the following categories:
- Grant award amount – how much were you actually awarded by the funder (which doesn’t always match what you requested).
- Grant period – the start date and end date related to the grant. If this is not specified in the award letter, use the timeline that you relayed in your original grant application.
- Program/project funded – note what program or project you applied to support, or if this was a general operating/unrestricted request
- Outcomes – what you promised to deliver with the grant award. Be sure to check your original grant application narrative for this information if not explicitly noted in the award letter.
Above all, remember that your Grants Calendar should be built upon solid prospect research, excellent relationship management practices, and sound fundraising strategy. Often, nonprofit leaders and fundraising staff are given a fundraising goal and then asked to “back into” the revenue target through the Grants Calendar. While aiming for an ambitious fundraising target is important (and can often lead to healthy risk-taking), resist the urge to inflate ask amounts or fill the Grants Calendar with prospects that don’t truly align with your mission or programming.
Lastly, be honest about your team’s capacity and timelines. Everyone says they want to submit five proposals each month, weeks before the deadlines. But is this realistic for you and your team? Consider your systems and your team’s tendencies. If you work too far ahead of the deadline, drafts can languish half-completed, or you can get lost doing multiple rewrites. We find it’s best to target drafts for no earlier than one month prior to your intended submission date.
A strong Grants Calendar doesn’t have to be complicated. Just don’t forget these key pillars:
- Thorough, updated, and honest prospecting
- Good recordkeeping and accurate data
- Realistic assessment of your team’s capabilities
- Sound fundraising strategy to guide revenue goals