When applying for funding, nonprofits are usually asked for specific details about the organization. According to Alan Silver in “How to Win Grants,” it’s important to keep these so-called “boilerplate” items on file for easy access.

Silver recommended developing hard-copy and electronic files with this information so that you can easily insert them into your applications with only minor revisions. He listed the following 10 items to include in your boilerplate files:

• Documentation of agency legal status;
• Agency mission, vision, and values;
• Description of services, programs, staffing, fees, eligibility, or admissions criteria;
• Descriptive information on your geographic service area and target population (including state, regional, and national comparisons);
• What makes your agency special (examples include unique mission, quality, and cost metrics);
• Volunteers: Numbers, roles, hours, and the aggregate annual economic value of the time they contribute;
• Key management and staff;
• Summary statistics/utilization data; and,
• Key performance indicators and trends (cost per client or per encounter, number of clients served per year, comparison to industry standards).