Grants: Spend Money to Make Money

FUNDamentals!

The old saying, “You’ve got to spend money to make money.” is certainly true. However, you can still be frugal in your spending. For example, many grants request you to send the application package (or, in the case of some online applications, separate paper copies of specific pages) by next day air. That can get expensive! Most overnight services offer a selection of delivery times at varying cost—later in the day is cheaper. And, in general the cheapest service still gets it there overnight – just sometime in the afternoon.

But, is next-day air really necessary? Maybe not. Sometimes second-day air will suffice – if you just need to have it delivered by a specific date. Have it delivered late in the day and – well, you do the numbers. You may be able to save more than 60% of what it would cost to send your package by next-day air. You still get all of the same services, though, including package tracking and assured on-time delivery.

Think of this the next time you are putting together a timetable for writing a grant. Back it up another week and save big if you are using overnight delivery.

Sandy Spruill is the Grants Administrator for Georgia Public Broadcasting and a member of the American Association of Grants Professionals.