Fundraising, Newsletters, Grant Writing, Copywriting, Government Contracts: Start Here

Below are some typical questions about Start Here. If you have a question that isn’t listed here, please contact us and ask.

Q: How much will my project cost?

A: Start Here doesn't charge anything to provide you an estimate. Here's how it works:

Describe your project to us by filling out a brief questionnaire.
Give us a few days to review and get back to you with any additional questions.
We'll provide you an estimate shortly thereafter.

It's important to stress that our estimate takes the form of a range of time and total cost, and we never charge over the high end of our estimate. It's also important to stress that we provide cost-effective, matchless and compelling content with a quick turnaround, so you've got nothing to lose by asking for an estimate.

Q: How quickly can you turn my project around?

A: Start Here asks for your deadline in our questionnaire, and we're well aware of it from step one. We won't take on a project that we don't feel confident that we can complete for you with our customary level of thoroughness and exceptional quality in the time available to us. We've done projects in a week, and we've had other, more collaborative projects that took shape over several years.

Q: Do you do site visits?

A: If it's necessary, yes. Start Here's default action, with an eye toward keeping expenses down for all parties, is to nail down every germane detail via phone and email. If it makes sense to you and to us that we visit your location, however, then by all means, we will.

Q: What sort of copywriting do you do?

A: Start Here

Writes and/or edits scientific journals, annual reports, and newsletters of all types. We will simply write and/or edit copy, or we can provide design and layout services.
Develops pitches and creates marketing materials: Brochures, web copy, calendars, etc. You name it, we probably do it.
Generates and circulates newsletters online: If you have a group of people—fans, subscribers, an extended family, elephant enthusiasts—and their email addresses, we can communicate with them for you via e-newsletters. This we can provide as an ongoing service.

Q: How hard is it to get a grant or a government contract?

A: Here's the simple answer: If you know the grant or contract you want, call the grantor or the contracting officer and ask. Odds are that you'll encounter a friendly and helpful person on the other end, and he or she will shoot straight with you. (If this is something you don't have time to do, or you don't have any funding sources in mind, Start Here can do this for you.)

Q: Can Start Here help me prepare a budget for my project?

A: Yes. Here's some advice: NEVER let fear of budgeting deter you from going after funding. Once you accept that budgets are by definition conceptual and fluid, you'll be ready to create one. Budgets are not necessarily lock-you-in pledges as to where you will allocate funds; they are a vehicle by which grantors get a grounded sense of how you'll run your project.

Having said that about grants, if you're interested in a government contract, you know that the pricing that you include in a bid is less malleable. Indeed, it's something that a contracting officer compares, apples to apples, with other bids in ranking the proposal that you'll send to them.

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