Drafting a Bulletproof LOI
Got an upcoming LOI due? Great, me too. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or feel like you took the wrong exit to Grantsville, we’re here to make your LOI’s better.
LOIs (or Letters of Intent) are simultaneously my favorite and least favorite aspect of grant writing. Having the freedom to write to your mission without answering questions feels freeing, writing directly to one person or a committee feels personal, keeping it to one or two pages makes feels impossible. So what makes a good LOI?
Mission Alignment
This one seems like a no brainer, but it is not. An LOI is an opportunity to speak to how your organization can work collaboratively with the funder to accomplish shared goals. An LOI is neither a sales pitch nor a plea for funds; it’s an opportunity to work with community partners to make lasting differences, this comes from a solid understanding of the foundation’s mission, work, and previously funded projects.
Program or Project Success
Many funders expect proven results, evidenced-based practices, or a history of success for your programs. If you have an existing program that needs support, how have you been evaluating your activities? Do you have comprehensive data? Can you demonstrate your impact? It’s OK if you don’t - there are many grants that support data evaluation, but consider the original program design: how are you ensuring your services are providing your expected outcomes?
But what if you’re at the very beginning? If you are creating a new program, think very critically about the promises you are making. Are there existing models for the project you are proposing? What is the evidence behind your program design besides “it’s a neat idea”? What community partners are supporting your work, and how much funding support do you have? Be clear about your limitations. This includes space, staff, time, and participants. If you do not have the capacity to effectively implement or measure the impact of your program, be very conscious before you over-promise outcomes in your LOI.
You may also request support to implement things like program evaluation. Requesting funds to adequately research program approaches is fine too! Be clear about what you want and what is possible, this is not the place to recite your biggest ambitions.
Watch Your Words
In an LOI your word is bond. Did you really just promise to end homelessness? Do all dogs leave your kennel extremely well-behaved? If you can’t promise something with certainty, don’t write it down. Be realistic with your expectations and outcomes, be honest about the results you have produced in the past, and the growth you expect in the future. Self-aggrandizement is going to get you in trouble fast.
Do not exaggerate.
This is not a showcase for you to demonstrate your best and brightest, it is not a feature in your local newspaper, this is a letter to a potential funding partner stating what your programming has accomplished, what you do, and how you hope to improve. You are trying to stand out to funders, so be convincing in your conviction, but always speak to your reality.
Ditch the Adjectives
Not all of them of course, but you probably make use of more than you realize. It is hard, we’re all passionate about the causes we serve; they are the best causes, the strongest participants, the brightest teachers, and the most resilient communities you’ve ever seen. Chances are, you’re in a pile of applicants with the 2500 best teachers who ever existed. What a time to be alive.
As you edit strike as many adjectives as you can. Frill words can often muddle or hide your request. Speak as clealry an earnestly as possible
Use Your Thesaurus
I’m guilty of this too - find your biggest buzz words (mine are implement and develop) and then search your document. In my first draft, I used implement 13 times, yikes. The good news: you have access to unlimited free resources on the internet, your library probably has a few thesuari and dicitionaries you can borrow, and to make it easy we even made a cheat sheet for you.
Ultimately, a good LOI depends both on your writing and the program or organization you’re supporting. Having a strong logic model will help tremendously. Always proof read at least twice, and schedule time to step back and approach with fresh eyes.
Happy grant writing!