CONCLUSION
THE GUERRILLA GRANTSEEKER: FOCUSED, DISCIPLINED, PERSISTENT
What is guerrilla warfare?
It is a type of warfare characterized by irregular forces fighting small-scale, limited actions, generally in conjunction with a larger political-military strategy, against orthodox military forces.
ROBERT B. ASPREY, WAR IN THE SHADOWS: THE GUERRILLA IN HISTORY
As a well-trained “guerrilla grantseeker,” you are now a member of an elite group of professionals who understand the realities of the grantseeking process and have armed themselves with the knowledge and skills essential to winning grants. Before you take the field, you know the odds against you and that your power is inferior to that of the grantmakers you must win over to your cause.
Nevertheless, you are not pessimistic; rather, you adopt an attitude that is realistic and pragmatic. You realize that you are in this for the long haul, that you cannot pursue indiscriminately every opportunity that presents itself. Instead, you will marshal and conserve your resources, pick your spots carefully, and commit yourself only to those engagements you believe you can win, even knowing that you will not win all the time. You will use your instincts and your imagination as well as your intelligence. You will learn everything you can about the grantseeking terrain, the grantmakers who occupy it, and the way the game is played.
You will recruit and train allies and auxiliaries, and prepare carefully and thoroughly for every encounter with the grantmaker. When the encounter comes, you will try to be at your very best—attentive, responsive, light on your feet, and ready for anything. Ultimately, you will win the trust and confidence of grantmakers, make them allies, and help them see that your cause is their cause. In essence, you will succeed by building sound and enduring relationships.
All this requires focus, discipline, and persistence. Grantseeking, like guerrilla warfare, is not for the faint of heart or those who want a “quick fix.” There will be many days when your plans do not work, when the road you are traveling seems impossibly long, when your best efforts go unrewarded. By turns, you will feel confused, embarrassed, and exhausted.
But like other challenges, if these experiences don't kill you or drive you out of the business, they will make you a better and stronger person, professional, and grantseeker. You will learn not to waste your efforts on unpromising situations, to stay focused on your goal, and to keep moving forward with confidence in the ultimate outcome.
As a veteran of the grantseeking wars, I assure you that if you adhere faithfully to the principles outlined in this book, you will distinguish yourself as one of the select few who consistently emerge winners. Over the long haul, the results will justify your efforts; you will win grants that make it possible for your organization to advance, to enhance the lives of the people you serve, and to make your community and the world a better place.
I wish you success.
This is the basis, the essence of guerrilla fighting. Miraculously, a small band of men, the armed vanguard of the great popular force that supports them, goes on decisively to achieve an ideal, to establish a new society, to break the old molds of the outdated, and to achieve, finally, the social justice for which they fight.
CHE GUEVARA, GUERRILLA WARFARE