What is the key to compelling S.M.A.R.T. goals that make funders want to partner with you?

These important metrics are crucial if you want to write a successful grant proposal.
Here are three tips and a few examples to help you craft goals that create a compelling case for funding.
What are S.M.A.R.T. Goals?
The acronym S.M.A.R.T. stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

Specific: Your goals need to be specific enough to be tracked (e.g., not improve engagement but increase attendance in the afterschool program).
Measurable: Your goals should have some metric tied to them (e.g., increase attendance by 50%).
Achievable: You should have a reasonable chance of achieving these goals (e.g., if your program has seen attendance increase by 20% last year, then you need a well-written rationale for why it will increase more than that this year).
Relevant: Your goals should be tied to your mission and the impact you want to have through your project.
Time-bound: You need to establish a timeframe for when these goals will be accomplished.
Tip 1: Make it Relevant
S.M.A.R.T. goals in a grant proposal should tie back to the impact you want to have. One way to do this is by tying S.M.A.R.T. goals to the outcomes you mentioned in the program evaluation section of your grant or in your logic model (to learn how to create a compelling logic model—including a free template—read our blog here).
Your outcomes, or the intangible impact of your program, should always have a corresponding metric you will use to prove that these outcomes have been achieved. From these metrics, you can create relevant S.M.A.R.T. goals.
For example, if one of your outcomes is “Increase the population’s awareness of available training resources,” and you plan to measure that outcome by the number of community resource sessions offered, then a key S.M.A.R.T. goal might be “Increase the number of community resource sessions by 50% over the next 12 months.”
Tip 2: Make it Achievable
When thinking about S.M.A.R.T. goals and how you will evaluate your success, you want to consider if you have the resources, staff, finances and stakeholder buy-in you need to achieve your goals.
For instance, in the example above, it would be unrealistic to offer 50% more community resource sessions if you have 20% less staff able to work on this project as compared to previous years.
When setting S.M.A.R.T. goals for grants, it’s wise to under-promise and over-deliver … that way, when you report back to the funder, you can show your program was a greater success than anyone thought, helping you secure more funding in the future.
Tip 3. Make it Funder-Specific
The last tip for setting effective S.M.A.R.T. goals for grants is to tie these goals to the funder’s objectives.
Often, the funder has specific goals they are looking to achieve. You can usually find these priorities in the Request for Proposal (RFP).
By ensuring that your S.M.A.R.T. goals align with the funder’s agenda, you paint a case for why your project is necessary to the funder’s mission.
For an example of funder-specific S.M.A.R.T. goals, you can view this example from SAMHSA.
The Wrap Up
Knowing the what, when and how of your program’s impact is key to getting funders to buy into your vision.
Employing these tips can help you craft S.M.A.R.T. goals that build trust and a strong partnership with the funders.
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