ggopher posted on November 24, 2009 14:03
A lot of foundations require nonprofits to submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) as the first step in the grantmaking process. A Letter of Inquiry serves two purposes. From the foundation’s point of view, this allows them to review several nonprofits very quickly, scanning for those that best fit the foundation’s own goals. From the nonprofit’s side, a LOI saves a lot of time, allowing the writer to focus on the core idea, rather than developing a lengthy proposal.
Once the foundation has reviewed your letter, a complete proposal may be invited. In fact, the ultimate goal of a Letter of Inquiry is to get an invitation to submit the full proposal. While that goal should be obvious, it must be kept closely in mind during the writing process. Use these tips for keeping your letter on track:
1. Be aware that the foundation may have guidelines for the LOI. If they have guidelines, follow them exactly. Those guidelines are there for a reason, and not following them can get you eliminated from consideration very quickly.
2. Proofread, proofread, proofread. This cannot be emphasized enough. Check your grammar and spelling. Basic errors in this area are easily avoided.
3. Be sure that your LOI clearly communicates what your program “does”. It may be clear to you, but put yourself in the reader’s position. Can they quickly and clearly see the benefit of your program? Additionally, does it match the funder’s area of interest? For best results with this tip, have a friend read the LOI and see if it makes sense to him/her.
4. Use clear, concise writing paired with action-oriented verbs. For example, “Starving animals are rounded up and treated by the ABC Shelter.” can be reworded to “We rescue 100 starving dogs every month and provide food, shelter, and emergency veterinary care in our kennel facility.”
5. Be sure to include a description of your organization and highlight key personnel qualifications.
6. Keep your letter concise and break up your program narrative into clear paragraphs. Nobody wants to read a never-ending block of text.
7. On a second edit of your letter, eliminate the word “the” whenever possible. It’s a lazy word and you’ll be surprised at how often you can remove it! This one trick will tighten up your writing style immediately.