| Teaching Yourself to be a Grantwriter | Hiring Consultants | Teaching Yourself to be a Grantwriter Small nonprofit organizations without the discretionary funds to hire a grantwriting specialist must decide whether to educate existing staff in proposal preparation, recruit a local volunteer with solid writing skills, or hire a fundraising consultant. Fortunately, free web resources can help beginners learn the basics of grantwriting. Of course, be realistic -- the designated staff person should already know the fundamentals of clear writing, have an analytical mind, and love detail like a bureaucrat. Although beginners might lack the strategic sophistication of a professional grantwriter, funders are more concerned with the quality of the organization than grammatical perfection. (Nonetheless, proofread carefully and use spell check.) In fact, the Hewlett Foundation's guidelines state: "While the Foundation respects the aid that grant writers provide, it has been our experience that proposals are less persuasive and thus less competitive when they lack the voice and do not directly reflect the thinking of those involved in the conception and responsible for the execution of the proposed project." In addition to advice available at this Grantproposal.com site, the online tutorials below provide an excellent starting place: Proposal Writing Short Course I & II: Free online resource from the always reliable Foundation Center. Discusses the standard components of proposals.
http://www.fdncenter.org/onlib/shortcourse/prop1.html
http://www.fdncenter.org/onlib/shortcourse/prop2.htmlThe Downing Foundation Guide for Grantseekers: Streamlined explanation of grantwriting’s basic principles, from establishing objectives to documenting your case.
http://www.jcdowning.org/resources/generalguide.htmWriting a Successful Proposal: These tips from the Minnesota Council on Foundations includes answers to common questions, such as “What happens to my proposal after it reaches the grantmaker?” and “What should I do if my proposal is rejected?”
http://www.mcf.org/mcf/grant/writing.htmPaladin Group on Writing Proposals: Outlines the standard components of a full proposal, including the budget and attachments.
http://www.silcom.com/~paladin/promaster.html
Hiring Consultants Grantwriting fees vary enormously, from $15 an hour for less-experienced writers to $1,250 per diem or $10,000 per government proposal prepared by consulting firms. A good strategy might be to use a professional to prepare a boilerplate "case statement" that describes your organization and the various projects that need funding. Then you can cut and paste from this document to prepare proposals for specific foundations. Another option is to partner with an established nonprofit organization in your area that has experienced staff and would be interested in co-sponsoring a project. Most foundations are hesitant to support brand new charities because of concerns about fiscal accountability. So the proposal would probably be far stronger if you could draw on the track record and infrastructure of an older institution. Sometimes new nonprofits ask about commission arrangements, where the grantwriter only gets paid a percentage if funding is received. But this is considered highly unethical. Most grantwriters require hourly or per diem compensation, rather than deferred pay contingent on grants received. In fact, the "Code of Ethical Principles and Standards of Professional Practice" of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives opposes deferred payment: "Members shall work for a salary or fee, not percentage-based compensation or a commission. Members shall not pay, seek or accept finder's fees, commissions or percentage compensation based on charitable contributions raised, and shall, to the best of their ability, discourage their organizations from making such payments based on charitable contributions." In my opinion, the success of grant proposals depends on four factors: (1) The quality of the nonprofit organization. (2) The innovative nature or critical importance of the proposed project. (3) The emerging priorities of a funding source or the competition level in a particular grantmaking cycle. (4) The skills of the grantwriter in building a compelling case. No matter how carefully and strategically I prepare a proposal, these other factors impact the outcome. As a result, grantwriters deserve upfront compensation for their time. Very few professional grantwriters "donate" their services beyond a few cherished projects, since we depend on nonprofits for our career and since every charity that we work for is equally deserving of a discount. Personally, I volunteer for only one local charity, an environmental group that is dear to my heart, but cannot make any further exceptions.
Finding Consultants Be careful when screening possible consultants -- ask for writing samples, check references, and begin with a short-term project to test the working relationship. Larger nonprofit organizations or the United Way in your area might be able to provide referrals to talented local consultants. If your budget is limited, you might consider hiring a student in English, Social Work, Public Administration, or a related field to assist with editing. The following associations post lists of consultants online, but beware that listings generally reflect paid memberships rather than proof of expertise. The National Society of Fund Raising Executives maintains a directory that can be searched by state:
http://www.nsfre.org/welcome/consultants/index.htmlThe International Alliance of Grantwriters and Nonprofit Consultants maintains an online directory:
http://www.iaogwanc.org/directoryThe National Grant Writers Association also maintains a directory:
http://www.researchassociatesco.comThe American Association of Fund-Raising Counsel has posted a list of tips for choosing a fundraising consultant
http://www.aafrc.org/8STE.HTM
© Grantproposal.com 2000