For weeks you have put your energy into writing a grant proposal. When it is finally finished, the proposal seems to be everything you had hoped for— eloquently written and well-crafted. You put it in the mail and hope for the best. But the "perfect" grant fails to get funded.

What went wrong?

Demystifying Grant Seekingshows you what to do to get the grants your organization needs. Many books help you write grants. This inspirational and instructional guide takes you beyond crafting proposals to offer practical advice on building an effective grant-seeking process. It reveals a new path to success that begins by dispelling the myths and fears that get in the way of effective grant seeking. Demystifying Grant Seekingclearly defines the principles that underpin a successful grant-seeking process and outlines a five-step system that will enhance grant-seeking efforts for both fundraising novices and seasoned professionals.

Demystifying Grant Seekingpresents a proven framework that will give you the tools you need to:

• Discover the authentic needs of your community and what makes your organization's work meaningful and important
• Create foolproof materials that will become the base of all future grant proposals
• Determine how to make your formal requests for funds
• Manage the relationships that could help or hinder your proposals
• Organize your follow-up process and make it productive
• Analyze your experience to determine how your next project can be improved
• Appraise your next opportunities and upcoming deadlines
• Create an effective system for the next grant seeking-cycle

This nuts-and-bolts book covers all the details of effective grant seeking and includes a list of the materials needed to set up an office that is geared for grant-writing success. The book is filled with exercises that will help you learn a new way of operating so you can seek grants with efficiency and integrity.

"At last! A practical, hands-on— and most importantly, realistic— guide to the entire grantsmanship process. Unlike so many how-to guidebooks which promise what they cannot deliver, while propagating the myth that successful grants require nothing more than a 'winning proposal', Demystifying Grant Seeking correctly places the proposal in its proper context alongside the 'other 90 percent of the process' that funders truly consider. As a former foundation program officer, I heartily recommend Demystifying Grant Seeking!" —Marilyn L. Gross, president, Educational Funding Strategies, Ltd., and publisher, THE INTERNET INSIDER— for Grantseekers &Fundraisers

In Demystifying Grant Seeking, authors Larissa Golden Brown and Martin John Brown offer down-to-earth advice on implementing an effective grant- seeking process based on the art of fearless grant seeking. Written for nonprofit professionals and fundraisers— no matter what their level of expertise— this hands-on resource outlines a five-step program that will help to dispel myths, overcome fears, and lead to grant-seeking success. Using the suggestions outlined in Demystifying Grant Seeking fundraisers will:

• Learn about their organizations, communities, and funders
• Match requests to funders
• Invite funders to invest in their organizations
• Follow Up both internally and with funders
• Evaluate results, methods, and opportunities

Demystifying Grantseeking is an inspirational and instructional guide to grantseeking. The authors--successful grantseekers in their own right--show you how to overcome the common fears fundraisers often experience and offer sound, practical advice to successful grantseeking. The book provides you with a systematic and logical way of searching for grants, and helps to identify which foundations to approach so fundraisers don't waste time on dead-end proposals.

Larissa Golden Brown is a partner in Brown and Brown Consultants which helps nonprofit organizations streamline their grant-seeking process and fund their plans and dreams. Brown also specializes in grants coaching and instruction inspiring people to take on their own fundraising. Her clients have included the Oregon Children's Foundation, The Salvation Army, Community Outreach, Inc., Portland Opera, and Sisters Of The Road Cafe.

Martin John Brown is a partner in Brown and Brown Consultants. He is a scientist turned writer whose work has appeared in High Country News, Venue magazine, The Bear Deluxe, and other publications.

Foreword by Judith E. Nichols, Ph.D., CFRE.

PROLOGUE: GET INSPIRED AND READY TO GO.

1. Clear Away Myths and Fears.

2. Understand the Grantseeking Cycle.

3. Set Up a Simple Office.

STEP ONE: LEARN ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION, COMMUNITY, AND FUNDERS.

4. Learn About Your Organization and Programs.

5. Synthesize What You've Learned So Far.

6. Learn About Your Community.

7. Learn About Funders.

STEP TWO: MATCH YOUR REQUEST TO A FUNDER.

8. Move From Lead to Prospect to Match.

STEP THREE: INVITE A FUNDER TO INVEST IN YOUR ORGANIZATION.

9. Invite a Funder to Give .

10. Guide Relationships, Meetings, and Tours.

STEP FOUR: FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR ORGANIZATION AND YOUR FUNDER.

11. Communicate After Mailing a Proposal.

12. Follow Up After a Funding Decision.

STEP FIVE: EVALUATE YOUR RESULTS, METHODS, AND OPPORTUNITIES.

13. Evaluate the Past, Strategize the Future.

14. Personalize Your Grantseeking Cycle.

15. Set Your Grantseeking Ground Rules.

EPILOGUE: GET INSPIRED ALL OVER AGAIN.

16. Grow From Efficiency to Expertise.