<incom> Teitel, Thank You for Submitting Your Proposal

[Soenke Zehle]

Interview with Martin Teitel: Author of "Thank You for Submitting Your 
Proposal"
<http://www.onphilanthropy.com/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6491&JServSessionIdr002=1plzzkoya1.app2b>

By: Martin Teitel, 05/19/06

Note: Emerson & Church, Publishers (http://www.emersonandchurch.com/) 
grants permission to reprint this interview in its entirety or in 
excerpts as long as the following information about the author and how 
to order the book are included.

Martin Teitel is the author of a new book called, "Thank You for 
Submitting Your Proposal": A Foundation Director Reveals What Happens 
Next. The book is available at http://www.emersonandchurch.com/

QUESTION: Why do foundations seem to be such "black boxes"?

Teitel: Many foundations seal themselves off for two reasons. For one 
thing, there's little incentive to become more transparent and 
accountable, even though some try. But second, foundations have to 
somehow insulate themselves from the onslaught of fundraisers, many of 
whom don't do enough basic research to learn that they're wasting the 
funder's - and their own - time.

QUESTION: What prompted you to write a book about the inner workings of 
foundations?

Teitel: After nearly 40 years working for both nonprofit organizations 
and the foundations that fund them, I could see that the people who get 
foundation grants aren't necessarily the ones doing the best work. It 
seemed like a good idea to try to help level the playing field.

QUESTION: Are you saying that technique can trump better ideas?

Teitel: Absolutely - especially when people doing good work don't 
effectively communicate what they're doing.

QUESTION: That must mean you've unwittingly funded some bad projects now 
and then.

Teitel: Not at all. We've sometimes funded some good proposals when we 
could have funded better ones. Technique doesn't bamboozle us into doing 
dumb things, but it may give an edge to someone with an already good 
project.

QUESTION: Is the insider knowledge you're sharing in your book secret? 
Why hasn't anyone written something like this before?

Teitel: There are some great books out there on raising money from 
foundations written by people outside the foundation community. I 
suspect that many of my colleagues, already overwhelmed with an 
avalanche of funding requests, aren't too interested in increasing the flow.

QUESTION: Grantseeking has become such an industry ... with workshops 
every other week, specialized consultants, a multitude of how-to books. 
It all seems like a cat and mouse game now. Does it have to be this way?

Teitel: Emphatic no! If people put more care and attention into their 
funding efforts, especially if they tried to create a mix of different 
kinds of funding - rather than rely heavily on foundations - then 
there'd be less need for all the professional hand-holding.

QUESTION: Is it likely foundations will receive even more proposals as a 
result of your book?

Teitel: Perhaps. But everyone should have a fair shot at the $25 billion 
in grants that's available each year. This is a big business. Why should 
highly paid experts and consultants have the advantage?

QUESTION: Considering the sheer number of proposals they receive, do 
foundations really review everything that comes in?

Teitel: All foundations open and read their mail. So there's always 
rudimentary screening. But careful screening often isn't needed, because 
once you open the envelope it becomes apparent the writer didn't pay 
enough attention to how that foundation works. Separating the wheat from 
the chaff isn't all that hard, although it does take some time.

QUESTION: What's the single biggest mistake people applying for 
foundation grants make?

Teitel: Something I see all the time is proposals that put a huge amount 
of detail into describing a particular problem, but they don't say 
nearly enough about what's going to be done, specifically and 
concretely, to address that problem. Years ago I read a "peace" proposal 
consisting of many pages of stark detail about the effects of nuclear 
explosions on human beings, including two pages of melting eyeballs and 
burning flesh. Tucked in the end were some general statements about the 
need for people to pay attention to this danger. There was no hope, no 
vision of a world that was improved, and very little about how we might 
get to a better place.

QUESTION: People say getting a grant is all about who you know. Is that 
true?

Teitel: The power of access is greatly overrated. If I get a call from a 
friend asking for funding, yes, I'm likely to talk with her. But after 
that, I'll pass along her call to someone on the staff to avoid any 
conflict of interest.

QUESTION: But if the staff knows the boss in involved, won't they either 
subtly or overtly defer to you?

Teitel: I doubt it. It just isn't that important to the granting process 
that I know someone with a proposal. My own mother once asked me for 
funding. I turned her down.

QUESTION: How important is the format of the proposal?

Teitel: Well, a proposal written on the back of a napkin might not 
reflect good planning. But I once funded a group whose initial pitch was 
on a postcard, and certainly I'm not impressed by fancy binding and 
shiny presentation folders. Overall, what matters is clear, concise and 
compelling writing.

QUESTION: What's the biggest misperception grantseekers have about 
foundations?

Teitel: That they don't care. Foundation staff I know are passionate 
about the organizations they fund - I get buttonholed all the time by my 
colleagues, who want me to pay attention to groups they care about. When 
foundation boards turn down staff-recommended proposals, it's often 
devastating to the staff who tried to get that grant made.

QUESTION: Do you personally know firsthand the sting of having a 
proposal rejected?

Teitel: Yes. It's happened to me many times. And even though it feels 
bad to turn down a group you know deserves a grant, the funder's angst 
doesn't compare to a grantseeker's terrible anxiety after being 
rejected, knowing that the people who are counting on you for their work 
and livelihood are going to be in jeopardy.

QUESTION: Is the phrase "approachable foundation" an oxymoron?

Teitel: There's no doubt that the unaccountable power of foundations 
causes some of them to lose sight of the basics of courtesy. But in the 
last decade or so I've noticed some concerted effort on the part of 
foundations to treat the people who approach them better. I think this 
is because foundations became zealous in the 1980's and ‘90's about 
hiring more staff with real experience in nonprofits. And also some 
foundation board members began realizing that staff are their public 
face. One board member of a family foundation once told me, "You're us 
more than we are!"

QUESTION: Will a person who reads "Thank You for Submitting Your 
Proposal" stand a much better chance of landing a grant?

Teitel: If someone reads this book and does a great job of telling their 
story, organizing their material, and sending it to the right funder, 
then yes, you bet, that person's proposal is much more likely to rise to 
the top of the funder's pile - assuming the project is worthwhile in the 
first place. I worked hard in writing this book to share every tip and 
trick that I've learned in four decades in the funding and nonprofit 
community. "Thank You" isn't magic, but it should give strong boost to 
people who are working to fund their organizations.

QUESTION: Tell me the oddest proposal you've ever received.

Teitel: "Space Cadets of America." They wanted white jumpsuits. With 
epaulets.

QUESTION: Can I have a grant?

Teitel: Sure. Let's see your proposal. In triplicate, please.

For more information, about contact Kathleen Brennan at 508-359-0019 or 
email kbrennan at contributionsmagazine.com

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About The Author:

Martin Teitel, author of "Thank You for Submitting Your Proposal," is 
Executive Director of the Cedar Tree Foundation in Boston, Mass. 
Previously he served as Senior Fellow and Executive Director of the CS 
Fund, a philanthropic foundation, and also Western Field Director for 
The Youth Project, a public charity. Teitel's nonprofit experience 
includes working as president of the Council for Responsible Genetics, a 
regional director of the Council on Economic Priorities, and several 
positions with the American Friends Service Committee, including 
Director of the Asia Programs, Director of Overseas Refugee Programs, 
Indochina Commissioner, and Laos Field Director.