ICTworks

We all have more work than time, so when we come across a terrific grant opportunity, it often inspires a mix of both excitement and dread in small business development teams. At TechChange we have three BD staff. That means RFPs take a lot of juggling, stress, and late nights to respond successfully with a well-written proposal.

That was exactly what happened late last year when we heard about a complex 80-page RFP from a large multinational relief agency that was a perfect fit for us. The opportunity was exactly what we’d been preparing for, but the end-of-year crunch to get it done seemed overwhelming.

Sign Up Now for more grant writing tips

Happily, we’d recently discovered a new Generative AI-enabled tool, Grant Assistant. I called its CEO and their team sprang into action, help us to use the tool to complete – and win – that key grant.

From that experience and months of subsequent experimentation and integration, I would offer the following advice for other small and mid-size organizations taking their first steps into the GenAI-supported grant process.

1. Test the Options and Take the Leap

When we first encountered the RFP, we were under immense pressure. It was a complex, 80-page document that seemed almost insurmountable for our small team. But instead of backing down, we decided to take the plunge with Grant Assistant. Our commitment to fast learning and adoption allowed us to explore its features on a real-world document, understand its potential, and tailor it to our needs.

Tip: Don’t wait until the last minute to find new GenAI-supported tools. Test, adopt, and integrate GenAI solutions now, so that when a high-stakes opportunity arises, you’re already familiar with the tool and can start using it on the funding opportunity immediately.

2. Use AI Tools to Help Build the Structure

One of the biggest challenges with large proposals is the “tyranny of the blank page” when you’re trying to get started. Generative AI tools can be amazing at creating the structure for the proposal based on section templates and the RFP requirements, so you can populate content faster. With Grant Assistant, we were able to quickly organize the content, ensuring that every section was logically presented and aligned with the client’s requirements.

Tip: Leverage GenAI to bring order to the chaos. Use it to create a strong, well-organized foundation for your proposal that uses section templates and the RFP to structure your response.

3. Inject Your Own Creativity

While Generative AI capabilities can polish raw ideas into detailed professional language, they work best when fed high-quality, creative content based on your own experience, vision, and ideas.

At TechChange, we had spent the previous year refining our model and expanding our capabilities. When Grant Assistant offered a tailored template for the proposal, we didn’t just use it as-is; we infused it with our unique value propositions, making the proposal distinctly ours.

Tip: Use AI to enhance your creativity, not replace it. Start with your own ideas and get the AI tool to help structure and polish your ideas to perfection. Remember, GenAI is an overeager graduate assistant, not a final submission polisher – that’s still your job.

4. Maximize the Compliance Matrix

Compliance requirements can be daunting, but they’re also critical to winning contracts. The RFP we tackled was filled with intricate demands, but Grant Assistant’s compliance matrix ensured that nothing slipped through the cracks. This feature alone saved us countless hours and gave us confidence that our proposal was solid.

Tip: Make full use of GenAI-powered compliance tools. They can help you track the many RFP requirements, identify gaps in your submission, and ensure your proposal meets all the necessary criteria.

5. Integrate GenAI into Your Future Processes

Winning that contract wasn’t just a one-time victory—it was a game-changer. By integrating Grant Assistant into our ongoing proposal development process, we’ve been able to cut our drafting time by 50-60% on subsequent bids. This newfound efficiency allows us to take on more projects and compete at a high­­er level.

Tip: Don’t treat GenAI tools as a temporary fix. Incorporate them into your regular proposal development workflow to continuously improve your business development efficiency and effectiveness.

By embracing GenAI in our proposal processes, we’ve not only won a major contract but also transformed the way we approach business development. These tools are leveling the playing field, particularly for small and medium sized firms and Global South firms, who have excellent proposal design ideas but who maybe don’t natively speak/write in the language of the RFP or accidentally miss a compliance item.

As you prepare for your next proposal, consider how Generative AI solutions can help you not just meet deadlines, but win more business.

By Nick Martin, founder of TechChange