To Use Or Not To Use: Grant Writers
In the world of grant-writing, there are good reasons and not-so-good reasons to hire a professional grant-writer. Take some time to evaluate whether or not it makes sense for you to hire one.
Teach Your People How To Fish
The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This is also a good way to approach grant-writing proposals. Unless you anticipate receiving a grant that will sustain your organization for the remainder of its lifetime (not likely), grant-writing will be needed again and again.
If you’re just starting out, hiring a grant-writer is not a bad idea because you need someone to teach the basics, like how to put together a budget and frame your organization’s needs in a way that will appeal to foundations. What’s important, however, is that you have at least one member of your organization (two or three would be better) to walk alongside the professional grant writer, watching everything they do and preparing to do it themselves one day. That way, at some point, you can tell the professional his services are no longer needed, and the staff of your organization can take over the responsibilities of writing regular grant proposals.
Get To Know The People That Know The People
Although its true that foundations fund causes and organizations that are in line with their stated purposes, it’s also true that many organizations receive grant applications do so solely on a recommendation-only basis, or at least that recommended applicants stand a much better chance.
Say, for example, a foundation receives 800 applications for a grant of 2 million dollars, all of which are in line with the foundation’s mission. Joanne in pre-screening needs to reduce that list to 15 organizations for the board to consider. How does she do it? One way is to look at groups that have come to the foundation from sources she trusts – like recommendations.
Once your organization has gotten on a few of those shortlists, you can actually continue reapplying on your own, without the help of the professional grant writer, because he has already given his recommendation. Don’t be confused by professional grant writers that promise millions of dollars through esoteric “connections.” Chances are the more free money is promised, the less likely that connections only are required (at least legally) and that you are about to get taken for a ride.
Are You Having One Of Those Weeks?
Sure, you should have seen this coming. Yes, you could have planned better. But nevertheless, there are four grant proposals due this week and all of them are half-finished. Better to hire somebody to help than to miss a valuable opportunity at earning some cash, and let all the work done so far go to waste. Just remember next time to set your goals more realistically when it comes to completing tasks for the grant applications, and don’t be afraid to involve co-workers.
Asking for money is a major part of what non-profit and educational organizations do, and even to a lesser degree, small businesses. Accept it, and learn to do it well.
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