Who, Me?

When you see requests for survey participation, do you think “who, me”? Followed by 1) I don’t have the time, 2) my input makes no difference, 3) why should I bother? Every retailer, organization, and media platform seem to be asking for your survey participation, and some even offer prizes for participation.

Now, along comes GrantStation, asking for your participation in the annual State of Grantseeking™ Survey. It isn’t a short survey, we don’t offer prizes for participation, and the benefit to you may not be clear. So why should you take part in the 2020 State of Grantseeking Survey? Because you can use the results (which are free to you) as actionable organizational tools.

Here’s how:

Positioning: Because GrantStation begins the survey with demographic questions, we can provide you with fair comparatives by organization budget and mission focus (beyond an all-respondent aggregate).

Volume and Recency: Many surveys have limited numbers of respondents, which in turn limits the ability to drill down through the data. The State of Grantseeking Survey regularly receives 2,000+ respondents. This means that even if your mission is less common, there are probably enough respondents to provide statistically relevant data. Plus, because we turn the free reports around within four to eight weeks of the survey, the data is fresh and actionable, reflecting recent (and still valid) financial and experiential information.

Bedrock Data: The Survey asks for details about the number of grant applications submitted, the amount of time each facet of grantseeking takes you, the number of staff you have doing this work, and the number and value of awards you received. The results enable you to realistically plan for grantseeking in terms of time and staff, and to see the quantity of awards you can expect from your efforts.

Dollar Data and Fair Comparisons: Remember back when I mentioned results by annual budget and mission focus? These two demographic items have a huge effect on your grantseeking ability and the size of your grant awards. Just as you wouldn’t want to compare apples to oranges, an animal rescue should not be compared to a food bank, nor should an organization with an annual budget of $100,000 be compared to an organization with a budget of $1,000,000. The State of Grantseeking results provide you with information that you can present to your board and stakeholders for accurate measurements of success.

Funder Data: The Survey asks questions by funder type (Private Foundation, Community Foundation, Corporation, and Federal, State, and Local Government), and then provides answers to questions like these: What is the median award by funder type? Do funders of a particular type give more frequently to organizations with a particular mission focus or budget size? What missions are receiving federal dollars? 

Real-Life Data: How are your overhead costs doing? What about your collaborative grantseeking activities? Are the grantseeking challenges you encounter endemic to grantseeking, or unique to your organization? The State of Grantseeking Survey asks questions about real-life concerns, and the report gives you those answers across the sector.

We at GrantStation respectfully ask you to take part in the 2020 State of Grantseeking Survey. It will take 20 minutes or so, and is detailed – it is a commitment, not a Yelp five-star review. But the rewards of participation – recent, actionable data – are well worth your investment of time. Thank you!