Written from the perspective of Julie Khamati, Senior Coordinator, Portfolio Services & Special Projects

*From left to right: Doris Kamathi (Manager, Portfolio Services), Michelle Wanjala (Associate, Grantmaking Systems), Julie Khamati (Snr. Coordinator, Portfolio Services & Special Projects)*

Being part of AMPLIFY Girls’ panel, “What Makes a Winning Proposal?”, was both humbling and eye-opening. Alongside brilliant panelists from Co-Impact, Blood:Water, and Vibrant Village, we shared how funders review proposals and how organizations can better position themselves for funding. The session was a reminder that these conversations are as much about listening and learning as they are about sharing insight.

I had exactly one week to prepare. It was my first time on a panel, and I felt a mix of excitement and nerves. With just a week to get ready, I kept asking myself: Could I pull it off? Would I be able to represent our work clearly and confidently?

I quickly realized that preparing for a panel isn’t just about rehearsing answers. It’s about trusting what you know and being open to learning in the moment. The experience stretched me in ways I didn’t expect and reminded me why how we approach our work matters.

Here’s how I prepared and the lessons I’ll carry forward.

Stepping Into the Spotlight

When I accepted the invite I:

Reviewed expected questions shared by the host, and drafted answers.
Shared my drafts with our Advocacy team for feedback.
Had a crash session with Atti to structure my responses with clear points. Learning from someone who has been on many panels was helpful.
Practiced my responses daily.

This was enough to transform anxiety into readiness. I also had to absorb new information quickly, especially about details I hadn’t worked with closely. So, I anchored myself with: “I’ll do my best,” and that mindset made a real difference.

Lessons From Sharing Our Work

The panel reminded me of what makes our work unique.

Our grantmaking is designed differently. We use an open application system, so more diverse organizations can access funding. Every applicant has an equal chance of consideration, and we’ve built processes to ensure equity, like automated responses for all applicants and directing any application questions to our grants team. We also do not take calls from prospective applicants who want to pitch, keeping the process fair and consistent for everyone.

We believe in appreciative evaluation when reviewing applications. We are aware that organizations are at different stages, and so we go the extra mile to genuinely understand an organization's whole story, including its strengths and areas for growth. We also rely on an organization's vision and approach as guiding beacons, evaluating the organization’s ambition, results, and delivery, and assessing how effectively they are realized.

Flexible partnerships are part of our ethos. We provide bespoke portfolio services to our partners and the Portfolio Services team adapts to partners’ needs around deadlines, reports, and reflections. We also provide organizational development grants to our portfolio partners that support strengthening of their teams and systems.

Visibility and storytelling are powerful. Our partners, Wandikweza and Gender Mobile Initiative, secured funding not just by showing up, but by consistently telling their story through their work and presence.

Wandikweza caught a funder’s attention simply because someone had been following their work online.
Gender Mobile Initiative applied to join our portfolio in 2022 but didn’t make it, yet they re-engaged in 2023 through our refresher application and successfully joined.

Both organizations communicated their mission and impact, whether through their platforms or the application process. Fundraising is a long game, and persistence, clarity, and consistent storytelling can open doors over time.

Key Takeaways

The conversation addressed an ongoing challenge. There is still a real power imbalance in many funder–applicant relationships, and not everyone seems aware of it. It’s one thing to talk about equity; it’s another to live it. There were messages I felt strongly about and shared on the panel:

Stay true to your mission. Don’t chase every grant or reshape your organization to fit funders’ expectations. If your foundation is strong, the right opportunities will come.

Tell your story. Visibility is not vanity; it’s strategy. Sharing your work consistently helps people see your impact, and that alone can open doors.

Authenticity matters. Building feedback loops with your community and being honest about your impact, even where you’ve fallen short, creates trust.

Final Thoughts

This experience pushed me to deepen my understanding of our work so I can speak about it with confidence. I aim to carry these lessons into pitches, proposals, and stakeholder conversations, while continuing to challenge power dynamics in funding spaces and advocate for transparency, accessibility, and fairness.

The first time in any public role can feel uncomfortable. But if you prepare and stay anchored in your values, you’ll find your voice.

In short: Don’t shy away. Be yourself. Tell your story. Let your work do the talking.