Character and Clarity in Declines

When you are declining a proposal, it is enormously tempting to blame “them” for the negative decision. It is also cowardly and grossly unprofessional. All of that notwithstanding, “they” may indeed be to blame. As discussed in Chapter Four, most foundations require a group decision for the approval of funding requests, whether that group be a council of program officers, an internal committee including officers of the foundation, or the institution's board of trustees. Sometimes you will champion an applicant's proposal to the bitter end, only to have the group decide against funding it. It then falls to you to deliver the bad news—a decision that you vehemently opposed—to the applicant. This system is somewhat ...

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