Asking for money.
We know this might feel daunting. Or perhaps you've asked for funds before with no luck. Thankfully, these days companies want you to be engaged and want you to develop in ways that work for you. So we are here to help you craft a compelling business case.
After completing this module, your business case for funds from your employer will be spot on and will hopefully leave them with no option but to say YES! to your funding request.
Let's tackle the challenge of requesting funding.
How do you write a powerful funding request?
First, you need to know specifically what you want the funding for.
Next, you want to have a clear picture of the problem you will solve for your company, team and manager by using the funds.
Last, you want to connect the dots between what you want the funds for and the problem you will solve. In other words, you will explain very clearly the benefit that they will receive by giving you these funds.
Don't forget to be creative and thoughtful in your request. You want to make this something they CANNOT say no to. Provide statistics, facts, and real scenarios to help tell the story. And be sure you are solving the right problem.
The biggest mistake employees make when asking for funds is trying to solve their personal problem, versus the company's.
For example:
Instead of this, "I need coaching to be a better leader and to receive support crafting my 10-year career plan."
Say something more like, "Leadership coaching will allow me to be a better communicator, build skills to grow future leaders, and show up as an empathetic leader at this company as I grow internally for years to come."
How can anyone say no to that?
In this module you will:
1. Understand in detail what you will use your funding request for
2. Know the problem you're solving as it relates to your company
3. Be able to clearly connect the use of the funds to the problem you're solving
4. Write a solid draft of your request that is ready to send
This module will take roughly 30 minutes. The amount of additional time will of course depend upon the time you require to write and brainstorm.
Before we dive in, please answer the following questions with 1 being "Strongly Disagree" and 5 being "Strongly Agree."