The Sky Is Falling!
Grant writers hear it all the time: “The sky is falling!” Passion is essential, but it can easily overshadow clarity. Funders don’t fund panic; they fund plans. Here’s how to calm the storm, clarify your strategy, and build a narrative that inspires confidence — not overwhelm.
How to Turn Alarm Bells Into Action Plans in Your Funding Narrative
“The sky is falling!”
Every grant writer has heard some version of this cry. The cause may change — housing, civil rights, mental health, literacy programs, after-school initiatives, or even sea turtles — but the sentiment is the same:
The world is on fire, and someone needs to do something right now.
Funders Fund Plans, Not Panic
And they’re not wrong. The sky may, in fact, be sagging a little. But if all we do is shout about it, we’ll never convince anyone to fund the ladder, the nails, or the scaffolding to hold it up.
Passion is vital — it’s what keeps us up late writing, marching, planning, and believing. But when it comes to funding, passion alone can cloud communication.
Funders don’t fund panic; they fund plans.
When Passion Overshadows Purpose
Passion is often what draws founders, advocates, and volunteers into the work. It’s what sustains us through the lean seasons and fuels our persistence when progress feels slow. But unchecked passion can sometimes eclipse clarity.
Funders already know the sky is falling. What they need to know is:
Where do you stand, and what’s your plan?
I once spoke with a small nonprofit that worked tirelessly to raise awareness about an urgent social issue. Their energy was contagious — they cared deeply and spoke with conviction. But when I asked, “What specifically will you do with the next $10,000 you receive?” their answer circled back to the storm clouds.
The passion was undeniable, but the plan was still somewhere up in the clouds.
Passion Without a Plan Sounds Like Panic
It’s easy to get swept up in the urgency of our mission. But a grant proposal isn’t a rally cry — it’s a blueprint. The same emotion that compels people to act can overwhelm decision-makers if it isn’t anchored in specificity.
Instead of shouting that the sky is falling, show funders where you’re placing the beams:
“$10,000 will buy concrete and steel to shelter 200 more people when the sky falls.”
“$5,000 will fund crash helmets to protect those left outside when the storm hits.”
“For every 200 people we shelter, local governments save $250,000 in emergency response costs.”
That’s how panic turns into a proposal.
Numbers like these tell a story funders can trust. They translate urgency into investment, emotion into structure, and fear into forward motion.
What Funders Really Want to Hear
Funders read dozens — sometimes hundreds — of proposals every month. If every applicant insists the sky is falling, they eventually stop looking up.
What cuts through the noise is clarity.
They want to know:
What piece of the sky are you responsible for?
Who benefits first and how do you select them over others left out in the cold?
How will you measure the difference you make?
What’s the next milestone once this storm passes?
Our job as a grant writer is to draw the line between the problem and the path — to say:
“Yes, the storm is real — but here’s how we’ll build shelter, one beam at a time.”
Ground Control for Falling Skies
You don’t have to silence your passion.
You just need to translate it into strategy.
Start by grounding your message:
1. Define the crisis clearly — but briefly.
One paragraph is usually enough.
2. Name your solution.
Describe what you will do, not everything that’s wrong.
3. Quantify your impact.
Dollars, time saved, people served — specifics show stewardship.
4. Show readiness.
Demonstrate you have the systems, partnerships, and people to act once the funds arrive.
5. End with hope.
Funders want to invest in possibility, not despair.
From Alarm to Alignment
When your story shifts from alarm to alignment, your mission becomes fundable. You’ve stopped shouting from the town square and started handing out blueprints in the builder’s yard.
The Windborne Way: Alignment to Altitude
So yes — maybe the sky is falling. But while everyone else is running for cover, your organization can be the one providing the shelter.
Passion starts the movement, but strategy sustains it.
At Windborne, we help bridge that gap — translating urgency into action and story into strategy — because the sky may be heavy, but with the right structure, it’s still full of possibility.