Once you’ve clearly established the need for a specific Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) or grant application, it’s time to determine a goal and develop measurable objectives. For example, their needs section has stated that their target population is a small rural village with 500 people and neighboring vampires are eliminating villagers at the rate of one per week (US Department of Vampires report, 2010). Your goals are: 1. decrease the loss of villagers by; 2. increase the number of vampire hunters to; 3. decrease the number of vampires. (At this point I need you to double check your FOA and make sure the funding is actually for vampire removal and not werewolf grooming and while this is a topic for another blog it’s important here too) . As it should be, the objectives are general and do not indicate how many villagers you plan to save; how many vampire hunters do you plan to train; or how many vampires each slayer will kill. Measurable targets will now move in place and make or break your proposal (and ultimately your village because they can’t last very long at that rate).
It is impossible to develop a solid operating plan or even a proper evaluation without measurable goals. Let’s write an objective for your first goal, which is to decrease the loss of villagers due to neighboring vampires. We want this goal to be measurable and ambitious, but not overly ambitious.
The following is an example of a goal that is not measurable:
The Vanishing Vampires Project will significantly reduce the number of villagers kidnapped by neighboring bloodsuckers at the end of the funding period. (How much is a “significant increase”? If you choose to go this route, grant reviewers will award you 1 or possibly 2 points out of a possible 10 for applying.)
The following is an example of a goal that is measurable but not ambitious:
The Vanishing Vampires Project will significantly reduce the number of villagers kidnapped by neighboring bloodsuckers by 2% at the end of the funding period. (hm, bloodsuckers – 98, villagers – 2. Not an impressive score. Might get you 2 or 3 points with reviewers.)
The following is an example of a goal that is measurable but probably too ambitious:
The Vanishing Vampires Project will significantly reduce the number of villagers captured by neighboring bloodsuckers by 100% at the end of the funding period. (To sell this to the reviewer, you better have a very detailed operating plan packed with research-based activities.)
The following is an example that is measurable and ambitious:
The Vanishing Vampires Project will significantly reduce the number of villagers abducted by neighboring bloodsuckers by 75% by the end of the first year of the funding period and by 85% by the end of the funded project.
Prayed
The Vanishing Vampires Project will significantly reduce the number of villagers captured by neighboring bloodsuckers by 100 people in the first year and 250 by the end of the funded project (you just saved half the village and that should impress even the harshest critic, especially if you follow through with a researched plan of action, but that’s another topic!).
