Nat
Chioke Williams
is a program officer with the Edward W. Hazen Foundation, an
innovative New York City-based funder that supports education
reform rooted in parent organizing as well as youth development
and youth organizing groups. Nat previously worked as a program
officer at the New York Foundation. He holds a Ph.D. in Community
Psychology from New York University.
( Visit
the Edward W. Hazen Foundation at www.hazenfoundation.org.)
mosaic
asked Nat to share some advice for grant-seekers on preparing
for a site visit from a foundation, a critical step in the assessment
process for most funders.
SITE
VISITS give program officers
a chance to get immersed in the organization
(as much as they can) and put meat onto the bones of an organization
or program that is reflected in a proposal. They are essential
for developing rapport, getting a deeper “feel”
for the work, the context it takes place in and most importantly
the people who are involved in the work.
Although it can be an overstatement, a good site
visit may resurrect a bad proposal. But it’s really true
that a bad site visit can kill an organization’s chances
to compete for funding.
So what makes a good or bad site visit? While different foundations
look for different things, there are some basic tips that should
be universally useful.
General
Principles for Site Visits
#1 USE
SITE VISITS TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS A
site visit provides an opportunity to build deeper relationships
with a foundation. Any good relationship is reciprocal so try
to ask as well as answer questions. Additionally, even if it
seems that the likelihood of receiving funding is unlikely at
this point in time, you can still use the visit to foster a
“political” relationship of mutual learning and
on-going dialogue between your organization and the foundation
beyond the prospect of funding. Even if the funder doesn’t
currently consider your organization a good fit for their foundation’s
guidelines and interests, they may refer you to others who could
support your work. Viewing a funder from this perspective, rather
than as ATM machine (where your only objective is to extract
the most amount of money with the least amount of work) can
only benefit your organization in the long run.
One other point, a site visit should not be a popularity contest.
It’s great if the program officer likes you and you like
them, but that should not be the point. The point should be
how well does your work fit with the foundation’s guidelines
and interests. Although the affinity that a program officer
feels with a group is always a factor, in making determinations
about recommending or not recommending funding, I think that
the primary task for the program officer and staff of the organization
is to discuss the issue of whether the work fits or not and
why.
#2 NEVER
LET THEM SEE YOU SWEAT Site
visits can be nerve wracking for organizations. You have a brief
speck of time to convince some person that holds the opportunity
for funding your work in their hands that you are a good match
for them. This speaks to the power dynamic inherent in a funder/grantee
relationship.
But
don’t let the dynamic rule the interaction. On many different
levels, easing this anxiety is a matter of perspective. I often
tell people who I site visit that long and short, I wouldn’t
have a job if it wasn’t for the work that you do and that
foundations support organizations because we are not in a position
to do the work ourselves (expertise, disposition, etc.). I try
to flip or at least balance the power dynamic by highlighting
the essential role that each play in the process.
Additionally,
when a foundation arranges a site visit with your organization,
they are signaling a significant amount of interest in the group
such that they are willing to make an initial investment of
time and resources to find out more about the group. So in some
sense you already have a leg in the door and this knowledge
should ease the process somewhat. Moreover, our jobs are to
identify “good” groups and bring them to our boards
for consideration. So we want you to be “good”,
which will make our jobs easier.
#3 HONESTY
IS THE BEST POLICY A
site visit is an opportunity for you to introduce someone to
your world. You are a tour guide of sorts and have the responsibility
of educating someone about the specifics of the work you do.
Although you should always put your best foot forward, this
does not mean creating an artificial environment or avoiding
tough questions. When I go to a site visit I want to experience
the group as it is, not how it was because I came to see them.
“Dog and Pony” shows are transparent at best and
may not instill confidence and credibility in the program officer.
#4 TRUST
IN YOUR WORK, YOUR STAFF AND YOUR CONSTITUENTS One
no-no for me is going to a site visit with multiple people,
particularly community members/leaders, and the executive director
or lead staff person dominates the conversation. Often I come
to hear what the staff and the leaders have to say. What is
the purpose of inviting other people if you are not going to
let them speak and express their views?
Funding is ultimately about relationships between people, and
a program officer wants to know that the people who are taking
leadership in the project are articulate and competent and that
the people who are being served by the project/organization
are critical/conscious consumers who have chosen to be involved
in the organization because it is the best choice for them.
#5 IT’S
NOT AN EVALUATION OF YOUR ORGANIZATION For
funders, the grant application process is essentially about
identifying groups that meet the priorities and criteria established
by the foundation’s board. So any funder’s decision
to accept or reject your funding request is not a final statement
about whether your group’s work is important, effective,
or worthy of support. It’s generally true that with enough
effort, capable organizations can find some foundation that
supports the kind of work it does, so don’t let any one
foundation’s decision discourage your group.
During
the Site Visit
#6 DO
YOUR HOMEWORK Try
to get a sense from the program officer (sometimes hard because
an assistant may set up the visit) exactly what s/he would like
to see and experience during the visit (who do they want to
speak with, what would they like to observe, what would they
like to see). Also try to surface any questions or issues that
they may have so that you can be sure to address them in the
site visit.
#7 PREPARE
PEOPLE WHO WILL BE IN THE MEETING Do
some preparation with the people who will be a part of the site
visit to give them background on the purpose of the site visit,
background on the foundation and the group’s relationship
with the foundation, some questions that may be raised and why
they were invited to participate in the meeting.
#8 TRY
TO MAKE IT A RECIPROCAL CONVERSATION It
is easy to go into a site visit where you are just responding
to questions from the program officer/board member. However,
I think it is helpful to take some time in the beginning of
the visit to develop a joint agenda that will provide space
and time to discuss issues that both parties want to address.
#9 MAKE
SURE TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROCESS AND NEXT STEPS WHILE
THE PROGRAM OFFICER IS THERE Also,
if possible, try to get a sense of what the program officer
is thinking at the end of the site visit. I would use some tact
here and not put folks on the spot, but ask questions that try
to clarify if there are any lingering questions, what their
sense is of how your request fits relative to other requests
that are under consideration; and whether there are any other
things that you could provide that would be helpful.
After
the Site Visit
#10 FOLLOW-UP Based
on your understanding of the timetable for decisions in the
process, its certainly appropriate to follow-up at the suitable
time to see about the status of your request.
#11 CONSIDER
A ‘THANK YOU ’It’s
always nice if you remember to send a thank you card after the
site visit. It can leave a nice impression, and communicate
that you value the time the program officer has spent with your
organization. You can also take this as an opportunity to clarify
points, questions or issues that were raised in the site visit.
I would be proportionate about this, meaning that you might
mention some clarifying points and then make yourself available
for follow-up on the phone. This is better than saying thank
you in one sentence and then taking two pages to explain or
clarify issues. The thank you should stand as a thank you as
much as possible. If you really feel you need to clarify, I
would try to follow-up by phone or in a longer letter as well.
#12 KEEP
IN TOUCH I welcome some periodic
updates and information - articles, press clippings –
provided it does not inundate me with materials. This is a preference
that varies from individual to individual, and its fine to ask
what a particular funder might prefer.
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