FAITH LEGACIES "planting good works to produce good fruit"

Why Learn How to Write a Grant Proposal?

2011-09-17T05:52:00.000-07:00

In my grant proposal consultations, people really have two primary questions that they want answered by the time they leave. These questions are: 1) How do I get the money for my program? 2) How do I keep getting the money for my program? Getting the money really starts with setting up a good program. However your program will not generate the money that you need to stay afloat until you develop good grant proposals.

You may think that you don’t have the time. But there is a real benefit to learning how to develop your own winning grant proposal. You learn the discipline needed to launch social services to impact your community. And you also make the connections with the donors for yourself. Ultimately learning for yourself will save you a lot of time- and money.

You are the visionary and your vision is what should be represented in your proposal. Donors should not get a document that represents your administrator’s, secretary’s or even a grant writer’s interpretation of your vision. You need to learn for yourself so that your idea is given without compromise.

For the past twelve years, I have been submitting grant proposals and getting award letters. My experience includes receiving Foundation grants and corporate donations along with City, State and Federal funds. I have learned that there are certain attitudes and strategies that greatly increase the ability and likelihood for getting grant awards. As a federal grant reviewer, I realized a need for more grant preparers to understand and demonstrate an understanding of these strategies.

The two greatest challenges to writing grant proposals are getting organized and getting started. If you begin with the basics, you will not feel so overwhelmed. First you need to understand the reason for writing a grant proposal. Grants are funds awarded in response to a detailed plan to accomplish something. This detailed plan is called a grant proposal.

(excerpt taken from "My Grant Writing Secrets" by Dr. Margaret Jamal)

Applying for grants from Faith Friendly Donors

2009-01-09T11:08:00.000-08:00

Faith based grants are given by organizations and individuals who have a history of giving to faith based organizations. They generally prefer that the grant recipient also provide social services. However many give for ministry and religious outreach projects.

Grants for ministries are given to churches or faith based organizations that can demonstrate a level of accountability. More...

How to Get Free Copies of Winning Government Grant Proposals

2008-12-17T10:47:00.000-08:00

Besides actually applying for a government grant, a good way to learn about what type of proposal will get funded is to see an example of one. The government offers copies of winning grant proposals without charge. This information is provided under the Freedom of Information Act. This article will offer steps for obtaining these documents. More...

ESTABLISHING A TARGET POPULATION

2008-12-10T04:29:00.000-08:00

(Excerpt from the book "Faith Legacies, Planting Good Works to Produce Good Fruit", by Dr. Margaret Jamal)

After focusing upon a specific problem to eliminate, a target population needs to be established. Any effort to eliminate a problem needs to identify tangible beneficiaries of its success. Selecting a target population is important, because it helps to build the tools for measuring success. It also helps to focus the program development.

Establishing a target population needs to be done with great thought and consideration. In some situations, the target population is established with the vision. An example of this is the Young Women’s Christian Association, commonly referred to as the WYCA. – The WYCA was formed in London by Emma Robarts and Mrs. Arthur Kinnaird in 1855.

The YWCA movement was introduced to the United States with New York City and Boston opening women's residences in 1858. The target population for the YWCA is indicated in their formal mission statement which is as follows: The YWCA USA is a women's membership movement nourished by its roots in the Christian faith and sustained by the richness of many beliefs and values. Strengthened by diversity, the YWCA draws together members who strive to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership, and power in order to attain a common vision: peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all people. The YWCA will thrust its collective power toward the elimination of racism, wherever it exists, and by any means necessary.

The YWCA mission statement demonstrates an example that supports our previous lesson for focusing on eliminating a specific problem. According to their mission statement, the problem that the YWCA is committed to eliminate is racism. At the same time they also indicate a target population that they clearly plan to support, which are young women. With the target population so well defined, it is easy for the YWCA to plan intervention activities and evaluation plans. It is also easier to research potential donors who want to help their target population.

A LESSON ABOUT PROBLEMS

2008-12-04T10:28:00.000-08:00

(Excerpt from the book "Faith Legacies, Planting Good Works to Produce Good Fruit", by Dr. Margaret Jamal)

Today I can say, “thank you Lord for sparing us.” One of the first lessons that I began to learn is that every problem is not for me to solve. I am not sure how or why it began, but I would hear about problems that I took on as my duty to seek solutions. What made it difficult for me to resist the problem solving mode was that I was generally successful with finding effective solutions. In preparing grant proposals for others, this skill was actually becoming a stumbling block. I helped people get funded that really should not have been.

A dear friend of mine, Midge Lansat (who is also a mental health and wellness practitioner) helped me to understand that this was over functioning. I was going beyond what I needed to do while taking the responsibility away from those who should have it. I also realized that it made me appear to be a control hound. I was only trying to help. But my helping often over burdened myself and my reluctantly obliging family.

This lesson that “every problem is not for me to solve” was coupled with “just because I could do something did not mean that I should do something.” I am sure to get more than a few “Amens” in agreement with that statement.

I used to wonder why Jesus did not simply stand at the top of the highest mountain, stretch out his hands and say, “every body in the world - be healed.” I knew that he could do this and all suffering from sickness would end at that instant. But as I learned more about the purpose of human development on earth, I realized that if Jesus took away all of the pain and suffering on earth, many of us would be robbed of the opportunity and responsibility that is developing us for our next level of existence.

Many outreach oriented people like me are doers. We want to do something about a problem that really bothers us. We are natural “wanna be” problem solvers. This mindset is further complicated by having the ability to actually do a number of tasks well.
You may ask, “what is wrong with wanting to help where you can make a difference?” What is wrong is that the constant pull of new problems can greatly interfere with fulfilling the true calling that God has ordained. When people operate in what they have been anointed to do, there is a certainty of success. With each success comes an awareness that the journey and efforts are on the correct path. There is also a sense of nearing a state of completion- not lacking anything.

On the journey to completeness, there is no space for emptiness or time for regrets. There are many doers that fill empty. I believe that this emptiness is the result of not connecting with what they were intended to accomplish. My understanding about the importance of operating in your calling began to sprout with my first serious effort to produce a government grant proposal.

When writing a government grant proposal, you will be forced to settle upon a single problem or else you will find it quite difficult to complete the documentation. You will be required to thoroughly account for every effort that you presented as necessary. This accountability is what helped me to become much more disciplined in my own stewardship of time as well as resources.

Fortunately, I ultimately realized that every problem is not mine to solve. I realized that I must account for the time and effort that I contribute towards trying to solve problems. In being accountable, it became harder for me to justify spending time with issues that could possibly return income, but little results. However the problems that I was prepared to address offered compensation as well as a track record for success.

Morality and the Free Maket

2008-12-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

I received a notice from the John Templeton Foundation about a live webcast from London, scheduled for Wednesday, December 3, 2:00pm (EST) / 7:00pm (GMT). What I found to be particularly interesting is evidence of the growing trend of the world looking outside of the clergy for solutions regarding morality. While I am not saying that the clergy has a corner on morality, it is certainly a wake up call when clergy is not even invited to contribute to such a discussion.

The BIG question being discussed is “Does the free market corrode moral character?” Of course the free market should be of concern for clergy because the sustainability of faith based charitable efforts is directly effected by the free market. And even though many do not consider this to be a reality, churches open, expand and close according to influences of the economy.

I realized that many clergy members may not even understand the relevance of such an issue. First we probably need a clear understanding of what is meant by the term “free market.” In my exploration of this often used term, I settled upon an explanation offered by a source that appears to be quoted as well as respected. This source, (Murray N. Rothbard) writes the following, “At each stage of production from natural, resource to consumer good, money is voluntarily exchanged for capital goods, labor services, and land resources. At each step of the way, terms of exchanges, or prices, are determined by the voluntary interactions of suppliers and demanders. This market is “free” because
choices, at each step, are made freely and voluntarily. Use this link to read the entire article. http://mises.org/journals/fm/jan06.pdf

Hopefully there is no need to explain what is meant by morality. However, for the sake of establishing a basic platform for consideration, I will use the definition offered by the online free encyclopedia, Wikipedia. This definition is as follows: Morality (from the Latin moralitas "manner, character, proper behavior") has three principal meanings. In its first, descriptive usage, morality means a code of conduct held to be authoritative in matters of right and wrong. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morality

The LIVE webcast from London features Jagdish Bhagwati, John Gray, and Bernard-Henri Lévy, three contributors to our Big Questions conversation, "Does the free market corrode moral character?" The discussion will be chaired by Stephanie Flanders, economics editor of the BBC.

A little about the John Templeton Foundation (taken from their website)
Most of the Foundation's grant-making supports scientific research at top universities, in such fields as theoretical physics, cosmology, evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and social science relating to love, forgiveness, creativity, purpose, and the nature and origin of religious belief. The Foundation also encourages and supports informed, open-minded dialogue between scientists and theologians as they work on the "Big Questions" in their distinctive fields of inquiry.
To learn more about the BIG QUESTION conversation use this link. http://www.templeton.org/market/

Tips for Applying to Faith Friendly Funders

2008-11-26T12:43:00.000-08:00

First pray for each of the donors that you plan to contact. Pray to have favor with them and that they will continue to prosper in every way and have continuous victory over every evil attack. Pray for their families as well as their health and also that they have healthy relationships. Pray that their eyes are open and that their hearts are receptive to your project. Also pray that you are totally honest in your approaching them. You want to establish a partnership based upon what is actually going on with you.

Next look through the donor information that you have in order to see which appears to be most favorable for your particular project. Chart the donor information before actually contacting the donors.

After charting your solicitation plans, contact the donors to let them know something about your project and to get a feel for their interests. There is a form on the Onlinegrantforms.com site next to the featured donor that can be used to record results of donor interaction.

Remember that you want to inform them about how your project fits with their funding goals. You are not contacting potential donors to persuade them to fund you but to make sure that you are compatible with their interests and that they are compatible with yours.

Because of the faith-based initiative, there are also more faith-friendly government funders who also require your prayers. There are more grants for churches and ministries being offered by donors who actually want to invest in advancing the good news through human service projects.

Pray blessings for everyone associated with the grants that you are seeking - including government officials. In fact, it is a good practice to continuously pray for this nation.

Don’t Step Down, Just Live Up to God's Calling

2008-10-15T07:16:00.000-07:00

In my prayers today, I was reminded of how many times I had not done the thing that I felt that I was supposed to do. Many times, I had not been sure about whether or not God was leading me to act. But then I am reminded that the Holy Spirit teaches all things. The Word also teaches that whoever lacks wisdom should ask God who gives freely to all without finding fault.

Once I felt that I no longer wanted to be a minister or even a so called Christian. I saw so much that seemed wrong to me and about me. I found myself doubting that I was worthy of the calling and office that I felt God had summoned me to fill.

I decided that I would do what so many other leaders in ministry have done before. I decided to step down, rationalizing that sense I struggled to do the right thing and make the right decisions that I must not have God’s anointing to serve in that capacity.

The fear of failing God and others made it difficult to even hear from God about what He would have me to do. Fear of failure also made me doubt the instruction that I thought I had received. It is an irrational fear that paralyzes moving forward in faith. My faith in God as the One Who only wants and even plans the best for me was being suppressed by the looming mistakes that I had made. In a sense I was judging myself and ruling that since I disobeyed God, that I did not deserve for God to intervene on my behalf.

But I was focusing on the wrong aspect of my development and calling. I was never called according to what I deserve, but according to what God was preparing me to do.

The Holy Spirit, who teaches all things, taught me that rather than step down I should work to live up to the calling that God placed in my life. I was taught that since God is the One Who calls and anoints us to a service or office, only God can remove that appointment. Therefore I should come in agreement with God’s calling in my life and do my best to live up to His appointment.

I realized that my struggles are all lessons which accompany the journey that comes with the calling. I was comforted in being reminded that the walk that God calls us to take is never done alone. We can be confident that God makes sure that we are accompanied with His Spirit.

Faith Legacies Purpose and Plan

2008-10-07T04:35:00.000-07:00

While the faith communities’ commitment to saving souls is greatly needed, even Jesus demonstrated that the church should care for practical needs as well. When more churches are established in neighborhoods without there being a reduction in social and economic problems, it suggests that these church organizations are not contributing to the overall welfare.

Faith Legacies was established as a support and communications system for those in the faith community who recognize that churches should be engaged in social services as well as worship services. The purpose is to bring resources to those ministries as well as to promote them to the community at large. There have been many requests for church information by those who expressed a desire to join a church that demonstrates giving to the community in tangible ways.

Faith Legacies helps to reassure the population at large that there are faith based organizations that are committed to following Jesus' example in serving others by addressing social needs- as well as spiritual development. Faith Legacies also goes further in helping organizations to establish a practice of good works that will continue to bring hope and healing in the areas that they service. Finally, Faith Legacies invites support on behalf of these socially engaged ministries to help in their sustaining.

Discipleship is not Membership

2008-10-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

It occurs to me that the church has missed a crucial tool that was given in order to make a positive impact in the world. We have become so preoccupied with growing our membership that we have ignored the essence of discipleship. The world has embraced the concept under another name. They call it mentoring. Mentoring involves frequent contact and purposeful relationship. There is a tangible reason for the relationship that can be assessed. Mentors are accountable for how they influence those lives of those that they teach and support.

This is what Jesus did with His disciples. He hand picked them and then spent quality time teaching them to carry on after he would leave. Many of today's church members would simply join another church or stop going altogether. They are not even aware of how to serve as disciples rather than just exist as members.

Any thoughts about this?