Grants Without Strategy Hurt Your Organization
When it comes to foundation funding, organizations often rush to “write a project” because there is a grant opportunity. If there is no clear organizational plan, this quickly becomes a problem: projects get written for activities the organization does not really need right now, and instead of supporting growth, they drag the organization down.
Consider a real-world scenario. An organization decided to apply for a grant, submitted a project, and received funding. The project required a series of events for specific target groups. However, the funder’s reporting requirements turned out to be extremely complex, and a staff member had to dedicate a significant amount of time to reporting alone. The project budget included funds for venue rental, but the organization first had to find a suitable space (which was not easy), then pay a realtor because they could not find it on their own, and then unexpectedly cover repairs and furniture, which had never been part of their initial plans.
On top of that, by the time the project was scheduled to run, most of the intended beneficiaries had left the city, and the facilitators requested higher fees than budgeted due to the change in timing. In the end, the project was completed and did provide some one-time value, but for the organization as a whole it effectively resulted in a loss.
All of this could have been avoided with strategic planning done well in advance — ideally at least a year ahead. The organization needed clarity on what activities were truly required to achieve its goals. In other words, it needed programs. Within the framework of well-defined programs, a project can be designed in a way that does not hit the organization like a hurricane, but instead leaves something behind: new people, new partnerships, new materials, and new capabilities.
♻️ As long as projects are planned based on external opportunities rather than the needs of your programs, they will continue to drain resources from the organization instead of adding to them.
