Our First Grant Conversation: A Strategy Session About Need

A compelling proposal is not created in the application portal. It is built on a clear, evidence‑based story about a specific population, experiencing a clearly defined problem, in a clearly understood context. That story is what funders are really investing in — and it must be solid before anyone starts writing.

When I meet with a new nonprofit partner, our conversation is less an intake and more like a strategy session focused on your statement of need. Who are you serving, what do they need, and why does that need exist?

Getting Specific About Who You Serve

In our first meeting, we will work together to move from broad to specific. We answer questions like:

·       Which neighborhoods or communities are you focused on?

·       What age ranges, identities, or other characteristics define your participants?

·       What barriers or inequities are they facing daily? And why?

For example, instead of “we serve youth,” we might arrive at something like: “We serve middle‑school students from X and Y neighborhoods, where more than Z% of families face food insecurity, and students have limited access to hands‑on STEAM learning opportunities.”

That level of specificity matters. It helps funders quickly understand the target population and see how your work fits into the broader landscape of need.

Clarifying the Need

Once we have a clear picture of who you are serving, we dig into what those community members are experiencing.  Here, we move beyond general phrases like “lack of opportunity” or “food insecurity” and define the need in concrete, observable terms. For example, the need might look like:

·       Students who are several grade levels behind in reading or math

·       Families choosing between housing and groceries each month

·       Residents facing higher exposure to environmental risks

·       Adults who want to upskill but cannot access transportation or childcare

To understand and articulate this clearly, I draw on two forms of evidence:

·       Internal data: program records, enrollment and waitlists, attendance, informal assessments, outcome trends, and even staff observations that have not yet been captured in a formal system

·       External data: community statistics, school district reports, public health data, environmental data, and relevant research studies

My years as an analyst trained me to find, interpret, and synthesize data for decision‑makers. In grant development, I apply the same skills to help you build a concrete, credible description of what is happening in your community.

Exploring Why the Need Exists

Many need statements stop at “what.” Funders, however, are also interested in “why.”

This is where root‑cause thinking comes in. Together, we explore the context behind the problem. Examples are:

·       Historical underinvestment in certain neighborhoods

·       Policy decisions that have shifted resources away from the community

·       Economic changes or workforce trends

·       Environmental factors or infrastructure gaps

·       Systemic inequities that shape who has access to opportunity

As an analyst, I spent years helping organizations understand market dynamics and disruptions —what was changing, why it was changing, and what that meant for their strategy. I now bring that same lens to nonprofit work: understanding the dynamics behind community conditions so we can explain them clearly to funders.

The result is a statement of need that goes beyond description and shows that your organization deeply understands the forces shaping the lives of the people you serve.

Creating a Strategic Roadmap

By the end of that first conversation, we’re not just trading information. We are building the backbone of your statement of need:

·       A clearly defined target population

·       A specific, evidence‑based description of the problem

·       A thoughtful explanation of why the problem exists in your community

From there, everything else in the grant process becomes more strategic.

Because we understand the need in depth, funder research becomes sharper: we can focus on opportunities where the funder’s mission and priorities truly align with your population and your challenge. Your goals and SMART objectives are grounded in the actual needs of real people. We can design activities, timelines, and evaluation plans that realistically address the need we have described.

And when it is finally time to write, we are not starting from scratch. We are articulating a need that has already been tested, refined, and supported with evidence.

Why This Approach Matters

Grant writing is about telling a precise, evidence‑based story about:

·       Who you serve

·       What they need

·       Why that need exists

·       Why your organization well positioned to respond

My experience as a strategist and grant professional gives me a particular perspective: every strong grant proposal starts as a strong strategy conversation around need. When we invest time in that first conversation, we not only improve a single application—we strengthen how your organization understands and communicates its impact, across funders, partners, and stakeholders.

If your organization is exploring new funding opportunities and you want your next grant conversation to double as a strategy session on need, I’d love to connect! Please message me directly on LinkedIn or visit https://www.hollisgrants.com/contact