I spend a lot of time talking with nonprofit leaders, and I’ve noticed something.
Almost everyone wants to grow grant funding.
Very few leaders feel like their nonprofit has enough time to do it well.
Whether you're trying to launch a grants program, expand an existing pipeline, or keep up with deadlines, it can feel like you're in reaction mode instead of planning. One grant deadline ends, another appears, and repeat.
If you relate to this, you're not alone.
In a recent survey of nonprofit leaders in our network, 86% told us they're facing growth challenges with their grant programs. Some are building a program from scratch. Others are trying to find more funders. Many already have a grants program but want to improve results and increase revenue.
Despite having different missions and budgets, they're asking many of the same questions:
"Where do we find more mission-aligned funders?"
"Are we missing funding opportunities?"
"Should we hire a grant writer?"
"Is there enough funding available to justify investing more in grants?"
Those are all worthwhile questions. But we've found they all become much easier to answer once you've answered one fundamental question first.
Start with Strategy
One of the concepts we talk about frequently with our nonprofit partners is this: the strongest grant strategies don't begin with a database search. They begin with a question: "Who is already funding organizations like ours?"
You start evaluating funders based on questions like:
- Do they already support organizations with a mission like ours?
- Do they fund programs in our geographic area?
- Is our population served aligned with their priorities?
- What size grants do they typically award?
- Have they consistently funded organizations like ours over time?
Those are the questions experienced grant strategists ask first because they help identify opportunities that are actually worth pursuing.
One of Our Favorite Moments
One of my favorite parts of my job happens during Grant Opportunity Analysis (GOA) presentations.
A GOA is a strategic assessment designed to help nonprofit leaders understand their organization's true grant funding potential before investing significant time, staff, or budget into growing a grants program. Rather than simply generating a long list of foundations, we take a deep dive into an organization's mission, programs, geography, and funding landscape. We analyze giving trends, identify the foundations already investing in organizations like theirs, prioritize the strongest opportunities, and develop a customized roadmap for building a sustainable grant pipeline.
By the time we're ready to present our findings, we've spent weeks researching their sector, analyzing funding trends, identifying mission-aligned funders, and putting together recommendations tailored specifically to their organization.
Then we walk the leadership team through the results.
There's almost always a moment when someone smiles and says,
"I had no idea there were this many opportunities."
Our team never gets tired of that moment.Instead of wondering whether grants could become a more meaningful revenue stream, leadership can see what's possible, based on real data.
Real Outcomes
Recently, we completed a Grant Opportunity Analysis for Serving Our Seniors.
The research identified 93 qualified opportunities, including 25 high-priority funders focused on aging in place, transportation, healthcare, and senior services.
More importantly, leadership was armed with a long-term grant funding roadmap.
Another organization, The Well Coffee House, wanted to know whether its unique blend of workforce development, social enterprise, and ministry would resonate with funders.
Their analysis uncovered 87 qualified opportunities and 38 priority funders, giving leadership the confidence to build a grants program from the ground up through our Grant Accelerator partnership, which includes research, readiness, and ongoing grant-writing, management, and strategic coaching.
Then there was Media Associates International.
Their leadership team simply wanted to know whether enough opportunity existed before investing further in grant fundraising.
The GOA identified 100 qualified opportunities and 26 highly aligned priority funders.
That clarity gave both leadership and the board confidence to move forward with a long-term strategy instead of relying on assumptions. Partnering with DickersonBakker in a Grant Accelerator partnership allowed MAI's leadership to be able to stay focused on what they do best—advancing their mission and serving ministry partners around the world. The GOA became the foundation for a long-term institutional fundraising strategy.
These organizations all have different missions but shared a similar outcome – they were able to stop guessing.
Before Your Next Fiscal Year...
If your organization is preparing budgets for the next fiscal year, now is one of the best times to step back and ask a few strategic questions.
- What is our realistic grant funding potential?
- Which funders should be our highest priority?
- Do we have enough opportunities to justify additional investment?
- What staffing or outside support might we need?
- How do grants fit into our overall fundraising strategy?
Those are leadership questions—not grant writer questions. And they're worth answering before the next budget is approved.
A Better Way to Build a Grants Program
At DickersonBakker, we created the Grant Opportunity Analysis to help nonprofit leaders answer one of the most important questions they'll face before investing in grant fundraising:
Is the opportunity really there?
Sometimes the answer is a resounding yes, revealing far more mission-aligned funding than leadership expected. Sometimes the GOA helps organizations narrow their focus and invest their time where they're most likely to succeed.
Either way, leaders walk away with something incredibly valuable: confidence. Confidence that their decisions are grounded in real data, guided by strategy, and aligned with where they want to take their organization next.
Before You Invest More in Grants, Let's Talk
Every nonprofit is different.
The best grant strategy for your organization depends on your mission, programs, capacity, and long-term goals, not a one-size-fits-all approach.
If you're considering growing your grants program, we'd be happy to spend 30 minutes learning about your organization, answering your questions, and discussing whether a Grant Opportunity Analysis is the right next step.
You'll walk away with:
- A clearer view of your grant opportunities
- Your next best step
Book your complimentary 30-minute Grant Opportunity Consultation.
