Respond to each peer initial post with 3-4 sentences long.

Peer# 1

Discussing the difference between a grant proposal goal statement and objective:  Drafting a well-written grant proposal requires a massive amount of time and dedication. The initial step that should be taken is to ensure that there is a problem found and that it can be fixed or resolved. Once this is established, it is very imperative that steps are outlined in detail that describes why and how the issues will be fixed or resolved. It also should be a sole priority to show how the grant funding will benefit the organization and its problem. The goal is to end up with a well-conceived proposal that lays out a strategy to address a problem and to use the funding to pay for the resolution (“Grant Proposal”, n.d.).   There are a few steps that are important to follow when drafting a grant proposal. As the proposal is being drafted, it is important to agree on the problem, describe what is desired to be achieved, design the program, locate funding sources and finally draft the proposal (“Grant Proposal”, n.d.). Now that the essential information has been discussed, it also important to know the difference between a grant proposal goal statement and objectives.   The goal is what’s intended to be accomplished. An important thing to do is to draft the proposal based on the need statement (Fritz, 2018). Goals can be broad, general intentions or hard to measure. A goal is really about the ultimate impact or outcome that is intended (Fritz, 2018). Objectives provide specific information on how the goal will be achieved (Baker, 2012).      Example of a Well-Written Goal Statement  “New program entitled “No HIV for Me” will provide realistic, gender-specific prevention education services focused on the intersection between juvenile delinquency and STD/HIV infection for female adolescents. The program will specifically target young women ages 9-17 that are deemed at risk for juvenile delinquency and will provide a gender specific approach that is focused on HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and support services in a collaborative manner.”   The elements of a well-written goal statement are to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and have a time frame. The goal statement listed above provides information on the types of audience that will be focused on, the gender and the age group. The statement also provides a realistic approach for the audience by focusing on HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and supportive methods.     Example of a Poorly Written Goal Statement  “The Orchard Middle School, in Orchard, VT is seeking a grant to expand our Read to Succeed! Program with the objective of helping all of our at risk students increase their reading skills and to read at grade level using the same classroom textbooks and materials as their peers. The objective is that by the end of the year the students will have at least doubled their reading speed and will have improved their reading skills by one to two grade levels. The Read to Succeed! Program is based on the latest research on effective reading instruction. Funding in the amount of $16,504 is requested for staff training and to purchase the required software and hardware for the school’s resource room” (Kurzweil Educational Systems, 2002).  Rewritten version:  The Orchard Middle School, in Orchard, VT is seeking a grant to expand our Read to Succeed! Program with the objective of assisting all 8th grade students who are at risk or not being promoted to high school for the 2018-2019 school year due to poor reading skills. The objective is that by the end of 2019 school year, each 8th grade student will be eligible to enroll and participate in college prep courses that are offered to each 9th grade student who are not eligible for advance placement. The latest research has been found by conducting midterm and end of course testing to evaluate each 8th grader’s reading levels and about 52% is below average. Funding in the amount of $16,504 is requested to provide thorough training to staff to include online and textbook tutorials along with computer software to assist with vocabulary and reading comprehension tutorials for the school’s resource rooms and classrooms.         Baker, B. (2012). How to write goals, objectives and outcomes that grant funders will love! Retrieved from https://www.grantprofessionals.org/rc_files/27/How_to_Write_Goals_Objectives_and_Outcomes_-_Betsy_Baker.pdf     Fritz, J. (2018). How to write goals and SMART objectives for your grant proposal. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancesmb.com/writing-goals-for-grant-proposal-2501951        Hazelton, J. (2002). Read to succeed! improving reading performance for at risk students. Retrieved from https://www.kurzweiledu.com/files/proof_resources_grant1.pdf     How to write a grant proposal. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.arc.gov/funding/HowtoWriteaGrantProposal.asp

Peer#2

This page automatically marks posts as read as you scroll. Adjust automatic marking as read setting    A Well Written Goal Statement     The goal of the CARE program is to facilitate the process of healthy aging for older adults by delivering mental health prevention and early intervention techniques that maintain positive mental health (Examples of Goals and Objectives from Actual Proposals, n.d.).      A well written goal statement should state the program action (what the organization wants to do), intended outcome (what the organization expects the result to be from the program’s action), and the specific population (those in need of the help). This particular goal statement addressed: •Program action:  facilitate the process of healthy aging by delivering mental health prevention and early intervention techniques •Intended outcome:  maintain positive mental health •Specific population: older adults   A Poorly Written Grant Proposal Goal Statement     The goal of the Read to Succeed! Project is to enable at risk students and students with learning and reading disabilities to improve their reading skills to the point where they can succeed in school and develop the reading skills that will prepare them for high school and post secondary education (Hazelton, 2002).     I feel like this is a poorly written goal statement because it is very confusing, it is too wordy, and it is a run-on sentence. It almost gave me a headache just trying to make sense of it. I do not think it would have impressed the grantor at all. Though it did have the components of a goal statement, it was not concise at all. Some of this could have been addressed in the need statement without being repeated. If anything, less words could have been used to make this a better statement or it could have been broken down into multiple goal statements. For example, this goal statement could have read:   The Read to Succeed program goal is to empower at risk students to succeed in school with higher reading levels with goals if furthering education. •Program action:  empower •Intended outcome:  succeed in school with higher reading levels •Specific population: at risk students  and/or  The Read to Succeed program goal is to improve the reading literacy of at risk students with learning disabilities to prepare them for post-secondary education. •Program action: improve reading literacy •Intended outcome: prepare at risk students for post-secondary education •Specific population: at risk students with learning disabilities.     Difference Between a Grant Proposal Goal Statement and Objectives     A goal statement indicates what action(s) and outcome(s) the nonprofit intends to accomplish as a result of the program for a specific population(Goals and Objectives, 2018). It is a general statement that specifies what an organization would like to accomplish. You want to use visionary words like empower instead of enable or reading literacy versus reading skills. The use of language as such will catch the attention of the person reviewing the grant proposal quicker than it will not using those kinds of words.     “An objective should describe what behavior(s) will be performed to achieve the goal. The objectives are frequently used to evaluate the program (Goals and Objectives, 2018).” It is basically a strp of how the organization will accomplish he goal. The objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time Sensitive (SMART). For every goal statement there should also be a minimum of one objective.     References     Examples of Goals and Objectives from Actual Proposals. (n.d.). Retrieved from Mount Mercy University: https://www.mtmercy.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/giving/Goals-and-Objectives.pdf  Goals and Objectives. (2018). Retrieved from South University: https://myclasses.southuniversity.edu/d2l/le/content/27939/viewContent/731701/View  Hazelton, J. (2002, October 6). Sample Grant Proposal. Retrieved from Kurweil Educational Systems: https://www.kurzweiledu.com/files/proof_resources_grant1.pdf