94: Pro Tip to Improve Your Grant Writing Immediately

<h3>Join me on the Fast Track to Grant Writer: www.teresahuff.com/vip</h3> <hr /> <h3>What Kind of Message Are You Sending in Your Grant Writing?</h3> <p>If you step back and look at your grant writing objectively, you might be surprised at what you find. </p> <p>And it might not be quite as pretty as you thought.</p> <p>Before you give up in despair, though, I've got you covered. Today's grant writing pro tip will help you improve overnight once you crack the code.</p> <h3>Does Your Grant Writing Sound Like This?</h3> <div> <div>When we're writing, we often tend to be polite and soften the blow:</div> <ul> <li><em>"Would you be able to help me on Saturday?" </em></li> <li><em>"If you had a minute, I'd love it if you could help with this."</em></li> </ul> <div>That's sweet and nice when we're asking a friend for a favor. </div> <div>Not so in grant writing.</div> <div>It makes us sound unsure and wishy washy:</div> <ul> <li><em>"If we had these funds, we could help so many kids."</em></li> <li><em>"If we were to get this grant, we would be able to build a playground."</em></li> </ul> <div><strong>Ick.</strong></div> <div>Now let's be clear - I'm not knocking the <strong>mission</strong> at all. </div> <div>But sadly, the mission is getting lost in the ambiguity.</div> <div> </div> <div>Let's try that again with a positive approach:</div> <ul> <li><em>"With these funds, we will impact over 100 students."</em></li> <li><em>"We will use these funds to build a playground."</em></li> </ul> <div><strong>Boom.</strong></div> <div>See the difference? It's immediately a different impact.</div> <div> </div> <h3>Grant Writing Words to Avoid</h3> <div>When you're writing a grant, watch out for <em>past</em> tense words that are talking about things in the <em>future - "If we had these funds, we could..."</em></div> <div>Also avoid passive words and phrases like these:</div> <ul> <li>Would</li> <li>Could</li> <li>If we were</li> <li>Might be able to</li> </ul> <div>Instead, aim for positive, confident phrasing. Cast the visio