Here's how you can ensure long-term success in your grant administration career using strategic thinking.

No doubt knowing the grant process is critical to success. However, knowing about and accessing the resources you will need to meet the grants requirements are game changers. Without institutional support and in kind contributions, achieving the grant’s goals and objectives becomes an uphill challenge. Having the right personnel and the time required to complete and reach benchmarks is essential. It’s easy to say you’ll deliver but actually doing so is harder than you might think.

When I have talked to people the understanding I've learned is about grant writing and/or administration is that it is no big deal OR it is drudge work. Whether writing for $10k or $10M the same steps always apply. You need to read the grant thoroughly. Once, to determine if this is the right grant for your program; the second time to determine how you will approach it in your narrative; and finally the third time to make certain that you have captured all the elements in your draft.

Grantmaking is about relationship building. Your writing has to be persuasive to draw the reviewer, screener, and/or program manager to your side to be considered for funding. And, if you are awarded, you must build a good working relationship to advance the project. Sometimes based upon this relationship you can discuss a nuance and turn the program manager to your way of thinking to move the project forward in another unexpected direction. This could not have occurred if you had not initiated, developed, nurtured and sustained the relationship.

Can’t emphasize enough the importance of all stakeholders buying in and including them at appropriate phases of the grant administration process. Listening to their feedback and asking evaluative questions provide valuable insight into future grant projects.

Whether you are a solo one-person shop or part of a team, you need to stay organized with a calendar and timeline of tasks to complete grant applications on time for submission and allow yourself time to cure deficiencies should you be notified of them. If you are not really ready to prepare and submit in this year's cycle, gather your information for the future open date and collect, collate and prepare for the next opportunity.

In order to stay on track from start to finish, the grant manager and staff must be in sync with the timelines for each phase of grant development and administration. Checking in weekly and having daily interactions with colleagues, stakeholders and others, helps to see if things are lagging and offers opportunities to help in areas where it’s needed.

This sounds so basic, but it's sometimes overlooked: define roles and responsibilities and develop clear procedures on every aspect of the grant life cycle. How many times have grant managers just jumped in and started administering a new grant award and forgotten to document HOW to do it so other staff understand what needs to be done if someone leaves the job? And some grants have specific requirements that others don't. Write it down and pass on that knowledge to the grant managers that come in after you so they can be successful.