We’ve all been there: staring at a blank document, fingers paralyzed on the computer keyboard, waiting for words to come to us magically.

It’s bad enough when writer’s block hinders clever donor outreach or campaign promotions. But when it stands in the way of writing a winning grant proposal, your nonprofit can’t afford to wait.

Writing a proposal isn’t just about meeting a word count or listing your organization’s accomplishments—it’s about securing the funding needed to make a difference. Fortunately, there are easy tips for breaking through that wall of anxiety and moving your proposal forward.

Here are our top recommendations for overcoming blank-page anxiety in the first draft of your grant proposal.

1. Gather Your Materials Ahead Of Time

Before sitting down to write, you should know what you’re writing. With a clear roadmap for the writing process, you can tackle the proposal as manageable sections instead of a lengthy and overwhelming document.

The grant’s requirements can guide your initial outline, highlighting the points you’ll need to cover to meet the funder’s expectations. Learn Grant Writing lists the following sections as a general framework for proposals:

• Introduction or abstract
• Organizational background
• Statement of need
• Project description
• Methodology
• Goals and objectives
• Budget
• Evaluation plan
• Sustainability plan

Outlining these sections also helps you identify additional resources you’ll need to attach to your proposal, like:

• A resolution
• Risk assessments
• Partnerships and collaborations
• Letters of support
• Appendices, data, and research
• Other supporting documents, like copies of IRS documents

As you figure out what materials you need, create a checklist to track the ones you already have and what you’re still looking for. This way, you can jump right into writing the proposal without wasting time looking for relevant documents.

2. Jot Down Key Phrases About Your Organization

What comes to mind when you think of your organization? More importantly, what do you want others to think about your nonprofit?

If you’re stuck on choosing the right words to fill each section of your proposal, it’s best to go back to the basics. Jot down the words or phrases that do come to mind when you think about your organization, and let these thoughts spark more ideas as you go.

Start with these areas:

• Your organization’s mission and values
• The beneficiaries or communities you serve
• Desired outcomes and impact on the world

Try this practice with your nonprofit’s data, too. For example, list some of your nonprofit’s recent accomplishments, such as a specific number of beneficiaries served. Or, jot down insights you’ve gathered from recent impact measurement efforts.

These notes set the foundation for the key points you’ll want to highlight. Then, you can expand upon them as you start building out each idea.

3. Set a Timer For Short Writing Sessions

The problem behind every blank page is the thought of writing until it’s filled with words. It could take all day, or even several days if you’re feeling blocked.

Instead of tackling the whole writing process at once, break it down into manageable chunks of time. Time constraints can help you maintain focus and productivity. Plus, when you take breaks as needed, you won’t feel like you’re writing “forever.”

Try setting a timer for 30 minutes and writing until the timer goes off. Then, take a quick, 10-minute break, after which you’ll start the process all over again.

Pro tip: Aim to complete your first draft in a day or two. Setting an overall goal and breaking it up into smaller milestones can help you stay on track to finish writing quickly!

4. Connect The Dots

Think of your proposal as a city with a highway running through it. The core narrative is the highway, and smaller roads branching from it lead to your story’s unique aspects. But all roads lead back to your main highway.

A basic tenet of grant writing is to weave together a story that both meets the funder’s requirements and demonstrates why your nonprofit deserves the grant. Here’s how:

• Start with the funding guidelines. Review the funding requirements to get a sense of what the funder is looking for and what information you’ll need to share.
• Develop the basic structure of your story. Answer the funder’s specific questions, keeping in mind how they’ll relate to your overall story.
• Fill in the gaps. Start connecting the dots between each section of your proposal (i.e., from introduction to problem statement, from budget to impact).

Once you’ve made connections between each main point, take a step back to review your work. Does each section align with your core narrative? Does the story’s flow make sense? Make adjustments as needed, and ask other team members for their feedback.

5. Strengthen Your Writing Skills

Every writer has gotten hung up on a blank page—it doesn’t mean you’ve lost your touch! However, revisiting your core grant writing skills can inspire new ideas and approaches for your proposal.

There are quite a few resources available to help you strengthen your skills:

• Courses. Grant writing classes cover everything from proposal writing to award management. Find the right one to refresh your memory on grant writing best practices.
• Project management tools. Invest in software that can help you manage the grant writing process and collaborate with other team members. These tools can also help you keep your data organized as you gather materials and track grant applications.
• Organization resources. You must have a basic structure for your grant writing process to stay organized (and repeat your success in the future!). Grant calendars and deadlines, writing templates, and other materials help organize the process.

Over time, you’ll inevitably try out different tools and best practices. You’ll fall in love with some, ditch others, and ultimately learn what grant writing process works best for you.

Grant writing doesn’t follow a magic formula, but there are ways to overcome the hurdle of writer’s block in the beginning stages. By simply getting your ideas down on paper, you’ll be one step closer to writing a winning proposal.

Ready to level up your grants management? Let’s talk about how we can help you streamline tracking, drafting, and submissions with the right tools and support.