Much like a relationship, committing to a major funding bid is not a decision to be taken lightly. The longest bid I ever worked on took 18 months from launch to decision, longer than many – ahem – liaisons.

When approaching new funding opportunities, there are a few steps you can take to give yourself the best chance of a heavenly match.

1. Get to know each other

You’ve seen a bid which attracts you – what next? Firstly, don’t be shy. A common mistake some organisations make is to assume they can’t contact the funder for fear of compromising them. Sometimes, particularly with large Government tenders, this will be the case and will be clearly stated in the guidance. If so, back off.

In many cases, funders are open to an introductory meeting or call, which can give you some insights and explain nuances which aren’t clear in the written guidance. More importantly, it will help them to find out more about you and give you an opportunity to impress them (my ex-CEO used to call this ‘ritual sniffing’).  You won’t always be soulmates, but you need to identify some shared values, whatever they may be.

Once you’ve made the first contact and you want to pursue it, seek to continue the conversation: are there any events coming up where you could invite the funder to attend or speak? Take your cue from the funder and if they’re keen and enthusiastic, build on that.

2. Listen to what your partner wants

Whether it’s in the written guidance, verbal briefings, informal meetings or even their website, the funder is giving you a wide range of information about what they want. From how they dress to the kind of language they use, you need to be taking sharp note of it. I often jot down keywords (disruptive innovation, anyone?) whilst I’m reading the guidance or create a word cloud based on the funding guidance, to be referred to and reflected back when it comes to the drafting.

3. Once you’ve made a decision, commit fully

As in the world of dating, no-one likes a commitment-phobe. Indecision and procrastination are your enemies. From the moment you decide to bid, put together your bid team (which may be a team of one) and plan how you’re going to use any available time and resources to best effect.

Yes, the amount of work you’re sometimes required to do pre bid submission can be onerous, but going at it unenthusiastically and resentfully isn’t likely to result in a positive outcome. Be honest with yourself, and if you haven’t left enough time to put a convincing bid in, submitting something under par could do you more harm than good.

If the stars are aligned and you have the time and resource you need, cast your doubts and inhibitions aside and develop a healthy obsession with winning this thing. Remember, the more work you do now, the easier the project will be to deliver when you win it.

4. Get closure

Rejection is hard. Sometimes (and sadly more often than you would think) the funder changes their mind or withdraws funding after bid submission, and those cases are particularly frustrating. But if you’re offered the opportunity to get detailed feedback, always take it. It can be hard to hear but it will help to improve future bids.

Even if your bid is successful, take the time to review feedback as it’s likely that there will be areas for improvement. Innovate UK are leaders in the field here; following a recent successful bid I worked on with a client, we received a detailed report with feedback from several expert assessors. That feedback was then used to help improve the project.

Given the current trend towards increased openness and transparency across all sectors, funders who don’t offer any feedback need to be held to account. If they’ve scored your bid in a fair and structured way, they should have no issues with making this feedback available to you.

As with all good relationships, if you can listen, be open to change and commit yourself, you’re on the right path.

I could also have added that involving some well-chosen partners can enhance your bid, but I’ll be saving that for another post…