Speaker 1: GrantChatter videos contain thousands of links to grant opportunities across the globe. In this video, I'm sharing my top five writing tips, with pro tips sprinkled throughout. This isn't a grammar lesson, no style guides, or past participles. You are writing for the grant funder's eyes, and I'm coaching you on what they need to see. Let's get started. Writing tip number one, be brief. My explanation is also a pro tip. I could say, each grant funder operates with staff, and sometimes volunteers, who are tasked with receiving and reading every grant proposal. They receive hundreds of grant proposals, and while they work very hard to read every one thoroughly, the ones that use a lot of extra words make it hard for the reader to pay attention. Or I could get right to the point. The people reading your grant proposal will also read hundreds more proposals, so you need to get right to the point to keep their attention. Writing tip number two, be accurate. Grant proposals require accuracy in words, and accuracy in numbers. Accuracy in words means making sure your words make sense. My pro tip here is that I like to read the proposal out loud to myself to see how it sounds. Try it. You'll be surprised at how quickly you want to make changes. Accuracy in numbers means simply checking your math. I have an entire video on grant budgets, linked above and in the description below. Because, and here's another pro tip, grant funders usually read your budget page first. Writing tip number three, be aware. Your grant proposal needs more than words. It needs evidence. My pro tip here is that you need external sources that provide data to prove to the funder that you know what community needs you are meeting. That can come from client surveys, or census data, or a strategic plan, or a business plan, or all of the above. I have a video on data required for grants, linked above and below. Writing tip number four, be involved. Pro tip, grant funders read so many proposals that they get a real feel for what their applicants can do and cannot do. For nonprofits and grassroots groups, this means collaborating with other organizations to meet community needs that you could not provide apart. For small business, this means that your market analysis shows where your company will fill a need that other companies don't meet. For individuals, this means that your grant dollars simultaneously serve the grant funder. For example, an artist receives a city arts grant that also helps that city build a strong arts community. Writing tip number five, be confident. Don't make your words read like wishful thinking. My pro tip here looks small, but means a lot. Instead of writing, we would like to, write, we will. Say that out loud to yourself, we would like to, we will. Doesn't the second one sound more powerful? Of course, you have to combine that strong statement with my other writing tips to prove that you can do what you write. Good writing is just one part of a grant proposal. Keep going with my how to write a grant playlist to see what else you need, like a budget, documents, and data, so you can build a strong grant proposal. I'm Tiffany. Thank you for watching. See you in the next video.