How do you incorporate feedback and testimonials in your story?

Client testimonials are a great way to showcase what your nonprofit has accomplished. (Make sure you have their permission before you share!

This is a subject area where there is a distinct divergence between grant writing for federal grants and most state grants, and for philanthropies and foundations. In terms of government grants, you should avoid testimonials. However, independently supported, fact based details and information involving stakeholders, and beneficiaries can often be the difference on whether an application is funded. There can be value to independent verifiable details that affirms your history and experience in meeting federal grant compliance and completing programs similar to the one you are applying. Having been a grant reviewer for a long time for multiple federal agencies, I can attest gratuitous testimonials are not positively viewed or helpful.

When incorporating feedback and testimonials into your story, think of it as curating an art gallery. Each piece displayed should add value and bring a different perspective to the viewer. Select testimonials from a diverse set of sources that represent various demographics, roles, and experiences related to your topic. This diversity not only enriches your narrative but also broadens its appeal, making your message resonate with a wider audience. Ensure that each testimonial is relevant and aligns closely with the key points of your story. By doing so, you reinforce your narrative with authentic voices that underscore your points, making your argument stronger and more relatable.

Incorporating feedback and testimonials into your story, especially have written on my grant book "Grant Writing Made Easy: A Book of Discussion," is essential to build credibility and demonstrate the effectiveness of your guidance. Highlight testimonials from readers who have successfully secured grants using your advice, emphasizing specific results and positive outcomes. Integrate feedback to showcase the practicality and user-friendliness of your strategies, ensuring potential readers that my book provides actionable, real-world solutions. By weaving these elements into your narrative, you reinforce the value and reliability of your content, encouraging more readers to trust and invest in your expertise.

Testimonials are a powerful tool in drafting a compelling story. They should be included to directly emphasize your most important program impacts. For example, if you run a senior center that provides transportation, and you are seeking funding for that program, make sure your testimonial is from a) a senior that b) uses the transportation. You can either lead with your testimonial and back it up with statistics and other feedback, or make your point and immediately emphasize it with a testimonial. Whenever a program provides direct services, a testimonial is one of your most powerful tools.

To make your story truly compelling, use direct quotes instead of paraphrasing. Quotes bring the authentic voice of the speaker into your narrative, adding a personal touch that statistics or general summaries lack. When selecting quotes, look for those that are clear, concise, and convey emotion or reveal a transformation. Stories, especially those that illustrate a journey or a significant change, engage readers by creating a narrative arc that they can follow and relate to. Embed these stories and quotes strategically throughout your content to highlight key points, and watch your story come to life with the genuine experiences of real people.

Just as a museum provides a plaque for each exhibit, your story needs to give context and attribution for each testimonial and quote. Explain who the speaker is, their relationship to the topic, and why their perspective is relevant. This not only lends credibility to the testimonials but also helps readers understand the weight and relevance of the feedback. Avoid dropping quotes into your story without introduction or explanation; instead, weave them in seamlessly with sufficient background information. Additionally, ensure that you have permission to use these quotes, especially in a professional or public domain, to respect privacy and copyright laws.

Providing both qualitative and quantitative data in a proposal are powerful. This also applies to feedback and testimonials. Your testimonials are your qualitative data. Testimonials backed by reports, publically available data, or stats is the quantitative data. Combining both brings real credibility.

Testimonials add the human feel to the data- I like to embed our testimonials within the research section of a proposal to bring the data to life. Incorporating testimonials communicates the depth of impact on individuals while the statistics communicate the scale of impact.

Incorporating feedback and testimonials into your story is not just about adding credibility—it’s about building a narrative that connects on a human level. When selecting testimonials, consider not only their content but also their emotional impact. Choose those that evoke empathy, inspire action, or illuminate a problem in a new way. It’s also wise to balance positive feedback with constructive criticisms that you’ve addressed, showing growth and responsiveness. Make sure to format these elements in a way that they stand out but still fit seamlessly within the flow of your text, perhaps using pull quotes or highlighted sidebars for emphasis. Update your testimonials as your work evolves to keep your story relevant and dynamic.