[dms-discuss] Grant Writing Workshop

Wed Apr 16 22:31:36 PDT 2014

Well, it appears that I am in Yahoo Hell until I figure out a new solution, so thanks for the tip.

Okay, so I didn’t really get any feedback about what the DMS
vision is although it is exciting to see that more things might be “hatching”
in time for the Tour de Cluck.

Whether for grants, donations or community longevity, DMS,
would benefit from displaying its cool stuff  (in the newspaper, open house, art about) all the while re-iterating its
vision.  With every article, DMS misses
an opportunity to impress its goals upon the readers although Emily/Nick/Lucien
has been doing a great job of getting a mention, btw.

So let’s talk about getting tools and community support -
Today I met with a ‘focus group’ of seniors (acquaintances only not friends, so
more objective 'cuz they didn’t  know
whether to trust me).  I explained a
little about DMS and asked what they thought about donating tools as they and
their friends downsize.  Guess what?  They were interested.  As it turns out, these are the very same
people who ran all the PTA’s, Davis Parent Nursery School, owned small,
downtown businesses, built the bike trails, etc.  If they could understand DMS, they’d
definitely convince their friends to donate tools.  If they understood it better and believed in
its vision, they might even donate money.

Here were some of their suggestions to get tools and build
DMS:
Speak to all the local business groups (they have belonged to
these groups, too).
Work with Senior Citizens of Davis, told me the Godfather of
Davis Seniors
Put together a flyer with something like ‘Rosie the Riveter’
but with a Donate message because ‘that would get people’s attention.’  

So what issues did I encounter?
It’s a little hard to explain what DMS is or wants to
be.  
Open Studio Hours aren’t on our site (they’re on the Wiki) - This
audience wanted the web address, wondered when they could visit.  They would like to see a 3-D printer, in fact, because they don't know much about them.  
Is there a way to add a little mass appeal to the web site
without killing the spirit?
Our web site says: “Robots to Trebuchet”
Can it also say like “. . . and from beehives to techical
protoypes”?  It sends a message that DMS could help spur entrepreneurs, improve our community, etc.
DMS PR could use some additional Happy End User Stories/Photos –
I know these are a pain for James/whoever to get this stuff uploaded, but it
would help the support campaign.  Show them how DMS is changing the community, how we make a difference.

I will follow up with the Seniors Go-to-Guy and organize
a contact list of local nonprofits.  I
can put together a small flyer and am happy to schedule appointments for 15
minute community introductions with these various organizations, but does
anyone want to speak about DMS?  I can't speak to what DMS is offering or what it would like to offer in the future even
if it did have money.  Can anyone speak
to that?   
I will stay with the seniors and see if I can get
DMS some tools.  Heck, my meeting group
was thinking they might just have some extra tools that they didn’t need.  In fact, they could all think of people that ought to
get rid of tools they were no longer using.  

These people believe in DIY and community cooperation.  We should be able to get their support in some
capacity if we can package the message.  Can anyone point to a model hackerspace that is what DMS wants to be?
Sarah

________________________________
 From: suzie <szl at dcn.org>
To: discuss at lists.davismakerspace.org 
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2014 5:46 PM
Subject: Re: [dms-discuss] Grant Writing Workshop

Sarah, thank you for sharing your notes. I did not make the workshop, but I attended a different one a few months ago with comparable information. This grant writer cautioned that there are more organizations after fewer available grants than even five years ago, so the grant applications have to be very thorough with every i dotted and t crossed.

We were told (as you were) that concrete, measurable data and goals
    are very important, as are plans for evaluation, collaboration
    within the community, and a strong story that is able to show a
    population being served in a specific way.

Because each grant application takes hours, if not days, to
    complete; it may be wise to be sure we have all of the
    recommendations from both workshops in place before we begin the
    process. I would also echo Sarah's question in asking what the
    vision for the makerspace is, because the mission has to be very
    clear on grant proposals. My understanding is that a makerspace can
    provide shared access to tools, space and learning opportunities,
    but I'm not sure if this is what you all have in mind or if the
    greater Davis community is aware of this.

Suzie

On 4/15/14, 9:31 AM, Sarah Schrupp wrote:

Greetings
>
>
>
>Just wanted to know if anyone else had a chance to attend the Grant Writing Workshop for Non Profits last week.  There were some 25 people there, so I wasn't sure if Suzie, or anyone else, joined us.
>Presenter was Dr. Ronda Adams, Yolo County Department of Education, who has distilled her grant-writing strategies to a 38-page PowerPoint (se attached file), teeming with tips, imperatives and checklists.
>
>
>The Take Home - Grants are neither easy to obtain, nor in some cases, easy to administer; they result from hard work, preparedness, creativity, partnership, persistence and luck, as well as, in most cases, adherence to the rules of the grant, application process.
>
>
>Immediate Steps for DMS to prepare for grants -
>
>
>1) Start Collecting data on how community/members use DMS - log book, sign in register, anecdotal, whatever - you will need data to demonstrate how services (what) are being delivered over time (date/hours) and to whom they are being served (user zip code?).
>2) Conduct a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats - Presentation Slide #4) - Develop program purpose, goals and objectives, timeline for implementation and define the significance and overall effect that DMS does/could have on the community, as well as, identifies community partners; all are necessary for grant applications.
>3) Develop/update ancillary support materials that would be needed for a grant, such as budgets, objectives, policies, board members bios, etc.  Have as much information ready and current so applications can be written quickly should a funding opportunity arise (Intel?).
>
>
>Okay, I took lots of notes about consideration for the grant application process, but I think this might be a little premature. Let me know what you think, especially if you attended the workshop and have anything else to contribute/refute, whatever.
>
>
>Sarah
>
>
>P.S. Can anyone provide a successful model of an organization that is doing what DMS hopes to do?  I recently discovered Noisebridge (https://noisebridge.net/) in SF.  Is this closer to the vision than the tool lending library in Oakland/Berkeley or the Crucible models?
>
>
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