Most nonprofits treat grant applications like a lottery: find an open call, fill out the form, hit submit, hope. On an episode of RelishTHIS, I spoke with Gauri Manglik, co-founder of Instrumental, who made the case that grants are really sales in disguise – and the orgs that win treat them that way.
Her first move is one almost nobody makes: warm the funder before you apply. There’s a human being reading your proposal, and social proof makes them more engaged. I told Gauri that the RFPs Relish Studio has actually won over the years were the ones where I built a relationship before responding – got on a call, learned what the organization really wanted to achieve, so that by the time they read our proposal, we weren’t a stranger. Gauri takes it a step further: reach out to a funder’s previous grantees for a quick, generous conversation about what the process was like. Offer to help them. Let a warm introduction follow.
Her second move is my favorite: read the receipts, not the brochure. Funders routinely say one thing on their website and fund something else in practice. So look at their actual grant history in the 990 data. If their stated priorities say “all sizes welcome” but every grantee is a national giant, and you’re small, don’t burn 20 hours on the application – send a two-line email first: “We meet your criteria, but I notice you tend to fund larger national orgs. Does it make sense for us to apply?” Their answer saves you weeks, and even a “no” can come with a referral to a better-fit funder.
Underneath both moves is a mindset shift Gauri kept returning to: stop feeling like you’re begging. Funders have hundreds of billions of dollars and a specific outcome they want in the world. You’re not asking for charity – you’re helping them achieve that outcome. Approach it from that position of strength, and if you’re rejected, get curious instead of demoralized: you had a hypothesis that you were a no-brainer, so what did you miss, and how do you bake that into the next one? One other experience share here… Don’t get discouraged by rejection the first time you apply. Most grants are not won the first time you apply.
Ready to rethink your fundraising approach? Mission Uncomfortable is free at missionuncomfortablebook.com, and your Purpose-Driven Marketing Score is at relishstudio.com/purpose-driven-marketing-scorecard. And, as always, if you need some help, give us a shout.
