What Is a Go/No-Go Meeting?

A go/no-go meeting should be conducted for each funding opportunity of potential interest. The meeting, if done correctly, will answer three key questions: 1) Is this opportunity strategic for us; 2) Do we have what it takes to respond to the opportunity; and 3) Given what we know about the funder and the potential competition, will we be competitive?

👥 Suggested Meeting Agenda

I. Overview of Opportunity II. Expected Competition III. History with Donor IV. Opportunity’s Fit with the Organization’s Mission and Strategic Plan V. Resources Required to Respond (human and financial) VI. Budget Implications (e.g., cost share requirements or overhead restrictions) VII. Discussion VIII. Decision

• [ ] Pursue
• [ ] Not Pursue
• [ ] Postpone Decision and Seek Additional Information (Next meeting: DD/MM/YY, X AM/PM)

📘Opportunity Evaluation Worksheet

Name of Opportunity: Funding Opportunity I.D. Number: Name of Funder: Opportunity Status: New opportunity (i.e, no incumbent) Follow-on (i.e., a continuation of a current project) Application Due Date: Anticipated Award Amount: Project Period: Will the funder cover overhead costs?

• [ ] Yes [enter amount]
• [ ] No

Delete prompts and illustrative text before completing

• [Enter Name] | Organization X has started recruiting for key personnel | | Potential Partners | -[Enter name, potential scope of work] -[Enter name, potential scope of work] | Organization Y contacted us last week to discuss partnering | | Key Personnel (Who can fill the key positions?) | - Enter name, role] -[Enter name, role] | | | History with Funder (Past and current funding, knowledge of funder) | | | | Relevant Project Experience (List of current and past projects in related technical or geographic areas) | | | | Arguments in favor of applying (For example: revenue potential, positioning for future work, etc.) | | | | Reasons not to apply (For example: financial risks, staffing issues, etc.) | | | | Proposal Budget (a.k.a., opportunity costs) (Personnel, travel, production costs, etc. required to prepare proposal) | | | | Potential revenue amount | | |

Summary

• [ ] We think we can win this opportunity for the following reasons (ranked in order of importance):

  • [Enter Reason 1]
  • [Enter Reason 2]
  • [Enter Reason 3]

• [ ] We should submit an application for the following reasons (even though we believe we have a low chance of winning):

  • [Enter Reason 1]
  • [Enter Reason 2]
  • [Enter Reason 3]

• [ ] We have decided not to pursue this opportunity because:

  • [Enter Reason 1]
  • [Enter Reason 2]
  • [Enter Reason 3]

NOTES