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  Teamwork: Defining Manpower & Roles
 
  Some grants require detailed descriptions not only of what you are setting out to accomplish, but how you are setting out to do it. Every grant application process is different in terms of the depth and scope of information requested to determine your eligibility. As a result, you must be prepared to provide detailed information on methodologies and project design. We have already discussed how you can determine the deliverables of your grant (i.e., what are setting out to solve or provide in response to a problem or shortcoming). Now, we will discuss how you can determine your methodology and project design.

Teamwork: Defining Manpower and Roles

The first question we will ask is: Who will you need to work with in your project or program? What types of assistance will you require in terms of skills, volunteers, and other types of support? The table below illustrates the different types of manpower components that may be required to successfully implement your grant:
 

Manpower Component

Description

Full-time staff

For our intents and purposes, full-time staff will be defined as anyone requiring financial compensation, whether hourly or by salary, for 40 hours per week. In some cases, 35 hours per week applies.  Make a list of all those you will need, categorized by their professional label (i.e., teacher, scientist, administrator, clerical, etc.), financial rate, and the specific roles they will play in your project. For each person, you should be able to provide a resume and brief biographical information.

Part-time staff

Part-time staff encompasses the labor you will require that is less than 40-hours per week. Some staff support may only be needed for several hours per day or only several days per week. Since grant resources must be used as efficiently as possible, you should try to minimize the amount of salaried time to only what’s necessary. As with your full-time staff, make a list of all those you need, categorized by their professional label (i.e., teacher, scientist, administrator, clerical, etc.), financial rate, and the specific roles they will play in your project. For each person, you should be able to provide a resume and brief biographical information.

Volunteers

Volunteer staff can be defined as any support that does not require financial compensation. It is critical that you track your volunteers carefully.  You should be able to assess your volunteer staff in theoretical specific financial terms: how many volunteers there are, how many hours each one works, and what their compensation rate would be at fair market value. When we discuss finances in the next section, you must be able to put a dollar value on volunteer staff, which will be recorded and submitted to your grantmaker as “in-kind support.”

Board Members

Your grant staff may be working under the direction of board members who may play a direct role in managing your project or may be part of the organization (i.e., a university or non-profit) that is co-sponsoring or co-granting it. Board members should either be accounted for as full-time, part-time, or volunteer staff if they work in your project. But if they do not work directly on your project, they are still vital in terms of accountability. They are the team you report to and they set the standards.  As a result, you will need to provide your grantmakers with a list of board members and the terms of accountability you share with one another.

Other Stakeholders

Other stakeholders in your project may include participating organizations that donate resources and facilities or other grantmakers that contribute funds to your project. You will need to provide your grantmakers with a list of other stakeholders and the accountability you share with one another.