Insights - Page 3 of 3 - Rebecca White

Don’t Chase Your Tail

A friend’s dog, we’ll call him Rover, loves to chase his tail. Around and around he goes, with little outcome until he finally collapses, exhausted. Not having a grant strategy for funding your work can set you up for the same result as Rover’s tail chasing. The alternative? A well-thought-out plan.

A robust grant strategy provides focus, puts your energy into funding needs, and limits the urge to chase money that pulls your organization off mission. Here’s an easy 4-step process to get your 2019 grant strategy moving forward:

Step 1. Identify potential funders- funders who want to support work like yours. Use my handy Grant Strategy Project Outline.

Step 2. Identify matching funders. Start with local funders like giving circles or service organizations. Also research government, corporate and foundation funding. Your local library will have resources like Foundation Directory Online or Grant Station.

Step 3. Look for funders who match your:

Area of work (Job training, hunger prevention…)
Target Population (Who do you serve?)
Geography (Are you local, regional, national?)
Type of support you need (operating, capacity building, program, capital?)

If you’ve worked up the Project Outline, you’ll have a strong framework for your search.

Step 4. Build your proposal calendar as a guide to follow for the year. Outline the funder, the amount you’ll pursue, and application deadlines. If you need $50,000 in funding, you’ll want to identify at least $75,000 in potential funding. If you’re awarded the needed $50,000 before you work through all the funders you’ve identified, terrific. The remaining potential funders can be the start of next year’s grant strategy.

Once you have a solid strategy, you can begin the proposal process. For step-by-step grant writing help, I like the Community Toolbox developed by folks at the University of Kansas. They’ve put together tons of useful resources for you.

By understanding your funding needs and using this easy 4-step process, you can get your grant strategy rolling for 2019.

Proofreading in 5 Easy Steps

Proofreading is critical to a polished finished product. Here are five steps you can take to create an error-free document.

1. Run your text through Grammarly, Pro Writing Aid, or a similar online checker

These programs are terrific for finding duplicate words, mixed up words (they’re or their), and misspellings. Both programs have paid versions, but the free versions can do the trick just fine. Check for:

Spelling and grammar errors
Readability
Plagiarism (requires the paid versions)

Don’t forget to run your subject lines, headers, and titles through the checker. People often forget to proofread the less obvious parts of the document.

2. Print it

Before printing, double-space the document to give yourself room for edits. And, change the font to Courier as the consistent spacing can make it easier to spot mistakes. Marking errors as you go using a blue or red pen can help you later when you’re making updates to the document. Also, if you have numbered pages, do they match your Table of Contents?

3. Read it out loud

Put a ruler or a piece of paper below each line so that you can focus on one line at a time. Reading aloud helps keep your eyes from jumping ahead and missing errors. If it sounds awkward, rewrite that piece of text.

4. Check for jargon and acronyms

You are familiar with the acronyms and jargon in your industry, but your intended audience may not. And some acronyms mean different things across different industries. For example, AP can mean Advanced Placement, access point, Asia-Pacific, and accounts payable.

5. Read it backward

No, not in JK Rowling’s way with the Mirror of Erised, with the letters in backward order. Start with the last sentence of your document and work your way back to the beginning. It is difficult to edit your work as you know what’s coming. Reading in reverse helps solve that issue. Stop at punctuation and double check that it is correct.

Bonus Tip: Ask a trusted friend to read through your document. Someone with fresh eyes who is unfamiliar with the text can often spot missed errors.

5 Things My Mom Taught Me

I’m the age my mom was when we lost her to cancer, and I know that experience is impacting how I approach my 50s. I didn’t get to have my mom as part of my life for very long. And while I can’t send call her or send flowers, I take this time to remember a few of the things she taught me:

Attain independence
Learning to rely on yourself is freeing. I love my family and friends and much prefer their company to my own. But knowing that I can change a tire, travel to new places, or rewire a plug gives me a sense of confidence and independence that allows me to be confident in my abilities in a new situation.

It is possible to learn more from your mistakes than from your successes, but you have to work at it. We all make mistakes, it’s what you do after that can make a difference.

There’s always more than one way to solve a problem. I grew up mostly overseas, in places we loved living but which did not have most of the “things” available in the US. I remember my mom learning to make ketchup as it wasn’t available in the store. Other people trucked back bottles of it returning from travels. That worked too.

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. And it’s cousin, just because you think it, doesn’t mean you have to say it.

There’s always room for one more – invite people in. They may decline, but more likely they’ll accept and there’s always room for one more.

Plan for the future but enjoy the present – Balance saving for the future with living in the present. In the time of YOLO, be intentional about where you are spending your time and your money.

These 3 Website Errors Can Hurt Your Bottom Line

Typos
We’ve all mixed up your and you’re at some point. But don’t let that kind of mistake linger on your website. Typos and poor grammar can give the impression that you’re sloppy or unprofessional. Don’t let that happen to you. You may not have a writer on staff, but do have a least two other people check all the content on your website for spelling and grammar errors.

The Curse of Knowledge
It’s hard to unknow knowledge. As a result, we end up assuming that our website’s content is clear and straightforward.

When you have a deep understanding, you don’t remember what it’s like to not know that information or to remember how long it took you to gain that knowledge. So, you end up assuming everyone has the same baseline of knowledge around your work that you do.

On your website, that can lead to confusion for your visitors- an unwelcome result when you’re trying to develop a relationship with a potential customer. Help your customers out by:

Getting fresh eyes on your website- someone who isn’t from your industry
Offering case studies and examples
Using an FAQ page

Hide and Seek Contact Information
Do you want the people who make it to your website to contact you? Would you love the chance to convert that visitor into a customer? Don’t hide your contact information. 44 percent of users will leave a company’s website if there’s no contact information or phone number.

An easy solution is to have your Contact Us tab at the top of your homepage. Make it easy for your website visitors to take the next step and connect with you.

Improving your website is an ongoing process and critical to the long-term success of your business. Don’t let these three errors drive your potential customers to a competitor. Keep your website typo-free and easy to use and understand.

Something Different

I needed a new workout option. I injured my foot and needed something physical that didn’t involve impact. Two possibilities kept coming up; swimming and spinning. Honestly, spinning didn’t sound terribly appealing to me- lots of not getting anywhere and something about getting used to the painful seat. But, swimming was out as its too cold where I live still, and I’d end up having to deal with wet hair. So, spinning it was.

Four weeks later, and I love it. Probably has much to do with the fantastic instructor, April, whose business and the tagline is, “Want Different Do Different.” Yep, that too.

I’m glad I went ahead and gave spinning a shot. Here’s to trying something new.

Prioritize Your Blog

As a business owner, you’re focused on attracting potential clients and making the sale. In today’s digital world, your clients are online, and they expect you to be as well. One impactful way to connect with your customer is through a company blog. Blogs can draw customers directly to your website, shorten the sales cycle, and boost Search Engine Optimization.

Consider these two stats from Hubspot:

B2B companies that regularly blog generate 67 percent more sales leads than non-blogging companies.
Companies that published 16+ blog posts per month got almost 3.5X more traffic than companies that published 0-4 monthly posts.

These statistics reinforce that your blog needs to provide relevant, engaging, and updated information each week. You want your customers, and potential customers, checking your website often.

3 Easy Topics for Your Blog

Announce a new product: Tell the story of how the product came about, what problem it will solve, and how people can get it. Remember to focus on the benefits of the product or service, not the features.

As Harvard Business School Professor Theodore Levitt taught us, “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill, they want to buy a quarter-inch hole!”

Share a conversation you’ve had with a customer: I was recently looking for an easier way to clear ice from my windshield in the morning. The ice scraper I had was too short to reach across my windshield. I was leaning towards just making do until the salesperson showed me the de-icer spray. Now there was a product that could solve my problem, and I walked away a satisfied customer.

Introduce new personnel: Celebrate the people your customers will interact with in person or online. Your customers will want to know what a new hire means for them. Faster service? A new service? Highlight the new employee’s background and experience and let their personality shine through. You can also use a fun photo rather than a standard headshot.

Having a blog makes good business sense in today’s digital world. Having a blog on your website can differentiate you from your competitors, increase your online visibility, and attract more potential customers to your website.

Don’t forget to cross-post your writing to social media and let others help expand the reach of your great content.