Hi Reader,

I’ve been attending grantmaker panels over the past few months and these sessions have been truly insightful. Of course, each grantmaker’s priorities and practices are different, but there is a theme that stood out to me in nearly every session:

Grantmakers are researching you, just the way you are researching them.

At a meet & greet with nonprofits and grantmakers, one program officer described how her organization researches nonprofits who reach out requesting a grant. She shared that the first thing she does is take a look at the nonprofit’s website and Guidestar profile. A fellow grant consultant recently shared that her client won a grant of $50K after a call with a foundation because they had already vetted them online.

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This is why I think nonprofit communications — beyond appeals and sponsorship solicitations — are so important. Anyone wanting to support your organization wants to A) know that you align with their values and B) know that their contribution will make an impact.

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It makes sense that any funding agency would perform their due diligence to learn about you before awarding a competitive grant, right?
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When was the last time you did a Google search on your organization? If you haven’t recently, it might be a good idea to do so. What content makes the first two pages? Is that the content you want people to see? Is it current? Is it accurate?

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One of the most difficult parts about content creation in the age of the internet is keeping up and making sure that anyone looking at your organization’s information is getting accurate and current information. And, they are looking. Beneficiaries are. Donors and volunteers are. And so are grantmakers.

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Make a scheduled plan to update content at a frequency that makes sense for you. I recommend quarterly, but at least bi-annually. Conduct a content audit and make notes of items that are out of date, links that are broken, or information that’s no longer accurate. You can enlist the support of staff, a consultant, or rally a few volunteers to do an informal audit. By first identifying these areas through an audit, you’ll know where to focus your energy.

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In addition to your content audit, one of the action steps you can take to ensure consistent messaging going forward is developing a nonprofit style guide. A style guide is a set of standards for writing for your nonprofit including formatting, design, and word choice. When developed and communicated throughout your organization, a style guide will ensure each member of your team is presenting a consistent message through all your channels.

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Is your organization’s messaging current and consistent throughout each of your platforms?

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Until next time,

Tiffany