What are some effective strategies to build trust and collaboration among your grant team members?
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— The LinkedIn Team
Grant writing is a complex and collaborative process that requires effective communication, coordination, and trust among the team members. Whether you are working with internal or external partners, you need to establish clear roles, expectations, and feedback mechanisms to ensure a successful outcome. In this article, we will share some strategies to build trust and collaboration among your grant team members, based on best practices and experience.
One of the first steps to build trust and collaboration is to define your team structure and goals. Who are the key stakeholders, decision-makers, and contributors in your grant project? What are their roles and responsibilities? How will they communicate and coordinate with each other? What are the specific objectives, timelines, and deliverables of the grant proposal? Having a clear and shared understanding of these aspects will help you align your team's vision, avoid confusion and conflict, and foster accountability and commitment.
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Bess de Farber
Collaborative Grantseeking and Collaboration Development for Libraries, Nonprofits, Education, and Government
The first step I emphasize in collaborative grantseeking is to learn about the assets accessible through those who are interested in contributing to or participating in a grant project design. You may “know” a staff member of a potential partner…but do you know them and their organization in such a way that is sufficient to engage in planning to leverage their available assets for the project’s benefit? Usually, the answer is no….
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Jay Jordan
Proud son of Stockton, CA | Husband | Father | Co-Founder of The Center for Social Good | Former CEO of Alliance for Safety and Justice | Co-Founder & Former National Director of TimeDone | Board Member of Recidiviz |
Building trust in a grant team involves clear communication and defined roles. Use LinkedIn to celebrate milestones and share insights, boosting visibility. Encourage skill endorsements and peer recognition to foster collaboration. Regular virtual meet-ups keep everyone aligned, while a culture of transparency and shared decision-making promotes trust.
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Another strategy to build trust and collaboration is to create a collaborative work environment that supports teamwork, creativity, and feedback. You can use various tools and platforms to facilitate online or offline collaboration, such as shared documents, calendars, chat groups, video calls, or project management software. You can also create opportunities for regular check-ins, brainstorming sessions, peer reviews, and recognition. By creating a collaborative work environment, you can enhance your team's productivity, quality, and morale.
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Russ Shumaker
Catalyst at the intersection of strategy, marketing, and organizational development.
Tools are important for collaboration. But even the best tools will fail if you don't have collaboration and buy-in. To create a collaborative environment, create an environment of vulnerability. Vulnerability leads to trust. When you trust each other, you can truly collaborate, because you're ok with real conflict (trust can get you through anything). This is where real collaboration begins. But it doesn't end there. Conflict should be used to set goals and create accountability. That's where you'll see real results.
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Pamela Ayers
Sr Director, Grants Management | Helping health and human services co-create social solutions.
Check ins are critical -- set these at that first meeting. Who will the project team be moving forward? How often will the team meet (this might vary based on the deadline)? What are the meetings intended to be used for (e.g., check on progress, answer questions, make decisions)? And how long will these meetings be? Will there be subgroups needed that will produce content in between project team meetings? These workgroups might benefit from collaborative software like Teams or Google. And remember to be aware of the encription that might be needed if you're dealing with confidential content!
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Communication is essential for building trust and collaboration among your grant team members. You need to communicate openly and respectfully with your team members, both verbally and in writing. You need to share relevant information, updates, challenges, and successes with your team. You need to listen actively, ask questions, and acknowledge different perspectives and opinions. You need to provide constructive feedback, praise, and support to your team members. By communicating openly and respectfully, you can foster a culture of trust, respect, and learning.
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Russ Shumaker
Catalyst at the intersection of strategy, marketing, and organizational development.
Does your team respect each other? If they don't, that's the place to start. If they're basically strangers, you need to start with teambuilding. This shouldn't be something that is off-putting. Maybe it's just sharing a favorite childhood toy, or a favorite concert experience. But breaking down that vulnerability wall will go MILES towards creating open and respectful communication.
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Pamela Ayers
Sr Director, Grants Management | Helping health and human services co-create social solutions.
It's important to clarify what the best form of communication will be for the team. Not everyone wants their inbox filled up with a conversation around one project. Some people prefer chat software or texting, or even phone calls. It's helpful if the group can agree from the outset on what the best mode of communication will be -- this way, no one is caught off guard if all the comms are happening in Teams chat and they never have it turned on!
Managing expectations and conflicts is another strategy to build trust and collaboration among your grant team members. You need to set realistic and achievable expectations for your team members, based on their skills, availability, and resources. You need to monitor and evaluate your team's progress and performance, and adjust your expectations and plans accordingly. You need to address and resolve any conflicts or issues that arise among your team members, in a timely and respectful manner. By managing expectations and conflicts, you can prevent or minimize misunderstandings, frustrations, and disagreements.
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Russ Shumaker
Catalyst at the intersection of strategy, marketing, and organizational development.
I've been part of teams that were incredibly excited at the prospect of gigantic grant opportunities. That excitement actually helped build team cohesion. But expectations were so high, it was a huge letdown when the grant wasn't awarded. Aim high. Dream big. And have a plan for both outcomes. If the grant isn't awarded, how will you build on the momentum you created (and process the disappointment)? Don't give up if you miss your first grant opportunity; gather your team, collect your learnings, and try again!
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Éléna Rakhimova
Co-Founder, CEO @ Rahim Invest LLC | ESG Investment, EMBA in ESG
It's worth noting that the returns on investment in innovation are inherently linked to benefits for future generations. For instance, at Rahim Invest, our exclusive emphasis on DeepTech startups with a robust ESG strategy mirrors the emerging trend in the investment market. This trend underscores the significance of innovation, not just for the advancement of businesses today, but also for its role in shaping a better world for future generations. In essence, the focus on measuring the impact of innovation and aligning it with ESG principles represents a crucial stride towards responsible and meaningful progress.
The final strategy to build trust and collaboration among your grant team members is to celebrate successes and learn from failures. You need to acknowledge and appreciate your team's efforts and achievements, both individually and collectively. You need to celebrate your team's milestones, wins, and feedback, and share them with your stakeholders and supporters. You need to reflect on and learn from your team's failures, challenges, and feedback, and identify areas for improvement and growth. By celebrating successes and learning from failures, you can motivate, inspire, and empower your team.
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Pamela Ayers
Sr Director, Grants Management | Helping health and human services co-create social solutions.
Two things are helpful: 1. A team celebration after the grant is submitted. Everyone does this differently and it should be something comfortable for all - it might be a lunch, a happy hour, or just a quick coffee moment in the break room. But that coming-together is important to making the team feel bonded and connected. 2. After the haze of the grant deadline rush fades a little (but not more than a week - so things are still fresh), hold a team debrief. This is important even if everything went well! Have a templated conversation outline of key points to touch on and ensure a safe space. Ask questions like: How was the pace? What were some barriers? What were clever solutions? And document the discussion - it will inform future projects!
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Faris Hadrovic
1. Celebrate small wins - Regularly acknowledge minor milestones. This can be as simple as a team shout-out for completing a tough proposal section. 2. Reflective debriefs - Arrange a meeting post-grant submission to discuss what worked and what didn’t –> continuous improvement. 3. Embrace failures as lessons - When a grant isn’t successful, use the feedback constructively. Discuss openly what can be learned, focusing on improvement, not blame. 4. Recognize effort, not just outcomes - Applaud the team’s hard work and dedication, regardless of the result, to build a supportive atmosphere. 5. Share success - When successful, share achievements with the wider organization and stakeholders.
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Phil McSweeney
Executive Chair - PatientSource Ltd l Founder - AngelThink l Startup Adviser/Mentor/Coach l Author - 'AngelThink' l Tech Angel.
My simple answer is get help! If you're an organisation or team that has little or no grant application experience then it might look daunting, but more often it looks fairly straightforward but you'll be beaten by the standard of possibly dozens or hundreds or applications entered for the same competition. Find people with experience of having done it before. Find people who can communicate with absolute clarity and simplicity in writing. And give yourself time. Aim to get everything done at least two weeks before the submission deadline, then spend time polishing.
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Dickson Kithinji
Environmental Governance Expert / Climate Change Advisor / Certified Project Management Professional
Build team work and allow everyone to hire out their ideas. Let every input or recommendation from members count in the entire process. Work together to improve these ideas and fine tune to fit overall agenda.By doing so you will build capacity and enhance the spirit of partnership of everybody in the team .
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