Today’s Plan:
- Introducing the Proficiency Projects
- Marc: Make Sure to Poll on which Books Folks are Reading
- Mini-Project #1: Grant Writing
Introducing the Proficiency Projects
This week we will transition from the job report projects to what I call the Proficiency Projects, a series of shorter projects mean to help you gain proficiency with one of three different writing domains: grant writing, visual design, or social media content planning. This first week, everyone will do an assignment related to each domain. We’ll work on grant writing today (Monday), transition into some design work on Wednesday, and then talk about social media content planning on Friday.
Next week, you’ll work on a longer project dedicated to one of those three domains. At this point, you should have purchased one of the three books listed on the syllabus:
- Grant Writing: Karsh and Fox, The Only Grant Writing Book You Will Ever Need
- Document Design: Golumbiski and Hagen, White Space is Not Your Enemy
- Campbell, How to Build and Mobilize a Social Media Community for Your Nonprofit in 90 Days
There’s a reading response assignment in Canvas for whichever book you have chosen. Note: those of you who are art students or who have taken ENG 328 should *not* select the Document Design option. You are already proficient in that area and should address something else. POLL
Mini-Project #1: Grant Writing
Two general elements of grant writing:
- Researching Funding Opportunities
- Writing Grant Applications (which means designing grant assessment plans)
Next week, this group will focus on producing a professional grant funding opportunity report. This will be a practice run for when we do this for real for the Go West Film Festival in November.
Today, I want to focus a bit of attention on writing a grant application. Let’s turn first to the Colorado Common Grant Application, which can be found on the Community Resource Center site.
Let’s look specifically at the CRC’s CCGA User’s Guide, specifically the section on “Good Grantwriting Practices.”
Let me offer my intro to grant writing principles:
- Invention/Organization: Always be sure to read an RFP / application form extremely carefully and provide exactly [only] what the app / prompt is asking for
- Invention/Diction: Always scan an organizations website and promotional materials for language and terms. Make sure your word choices are accessible and meaningful to folks from a broad range of disciplines/occupations. Avoid jargon.
- Research: It is easier to find funds for “new” projects than for “general operating costs”
- Style: Your prose must be concise, yet detailed and engaging. Every word or sentence has to count (because)
- Organization/Style: Your reader is under no obligation to read your entire proposal. They will likely skim. We have to do everything we can to make the most important part of our application the most prominent and accessible.
Homework
There’s two assignments for Wednesday’s class:
- First, revise the sample grant (see Canvas assignment)
- Second, take a picture of an ugly flyer around campus and submit it to Canvas
