- December 28, 2022
- Posted by: admin
- Categories: Businesses, Marketing
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By Linda Nwoke
Grant writing is both technical and complex. It is a profession that combines persuasion, resource allocation, people management, and marketing skills toward achieving a set goal. These can be fundraising and advocacy for a notable cause.
To be successful, a grant writer must be grounded in understanding the organization’s mission and programs. This knowledge will enable them skillfully to promote the nonprofits’; missions and programs to potential donors using persuasive language.
They are also expected to develop important working relationships with the key staff of the organizations they support in reaching a goal. The staff members can be board members, seniors, or operational staff.
Together, the grant writer will articulate the organization’s essence through designing, promoting, and implementing strategies for securing funding for delivering a program. Moreover, a grant writer must develop soft skills like outstanding interpersonal skills, detail-mindedness, results-driven, and tenacity. These are essential in executing the three phases of crafting a proposal – research, proposal development, and submission to seek donor funds.
Central to any successful career is the ability to conduct research and gather the appropriate research materials for funding the program. They must be able to analyze the audience and determine key performance indicators for evaluation.
Ultimately, a grant writer is responsible for gathering and submitting an entity’s grant proposals. Any fund in the form of gifts or awards by public or private foundations to fulfill some purpose – research, product development, or philanthropy is known as a grant. Therefore, grant writers work for one or several organizations as staff members or freelancers, applying their skills toward qualifying for many grants to increase the organization’s budget.
Types of Grants Writers
There are two major employment types for grant writers – contractors or direct employees of nonprofit or charitable organizations. The former category is self-employed or freelancers who seek projects from different institutions and sources such as education, nonprofits, and healthcare.
Benefits of the Profession
Grant writing has numerous benefits, including the following:
*Owning It: As a grant writer, you are a manager, team member, and content creator. You also constantly make decisions such as the area of specialty, choosing your clients, creating your schedule, and deciding on your approach to work. All these rests with you. As a professional, you also set your rates and work preferences. It all rests in your hands. However, most of these merits apply to freelance grant writers!
*Creating a Legacy: As the one who uses your experience and expertise to help individuals, nonprofits, and small businesses, achieve their dream, you leave a trail of your impact on the lives of your client. When you help them identify a grant, apply, and get the funds for their goal, it leaves an indelible mark in the lives of those you satisfied and your life. To know that the hours and efforts you exhausted at work have helped bring a change is quite a
rewarding experience. This is always a significant deciding factor in choosing a career.
*Good Source of Income: An entry-level grant writer charges a minimum of $20/hour, while experienced grant writers charge as high as $150/hr. Due to its specialty, you can expect to make a reasonable sum either as a freelance or staff. Grant writers are paid more on average than other documentation specialists or writers.
As a freelancer grant writer, who owns a grant writing business, you can charge companies between $25 to $100 per hour for services depending on the level of experience and the organization you choose to work for. You can choose to work on a retainer or based on a project. For those on a long-term contract, there is constant work, which means you’ll be able to make money consistently.
*Opportunity to learn: One of the most satisfying aspects of grant writing is learning something new daily while working as a professional within the field. Openness to learning is fundamental because the art of grant writing is founded on research.
Everything you learn concerning your client will be translated through persuasive writing to the donors for funds.
Additionally, working with international NGOs provides a grant writer the highest amount of exposure due to the variety and diversity of opinions and resources available for the job.
Practical Steps to Getting Started Without Prior Experience: Entry-Level Requirements Education and training are vital to entering the profession. However, interest is also pertinent. To qualify for an entry-level position, grant writers need a bachelor’s degree from any field, especially for those who want to work as staff members. However, the fields of English and marketing are two helpful fields.
Learning to craft grant proposals: After your education, you must train and acquire grant writing skills. One can learn fundamental knowledge from free or inexpensive online courses or classes that teach you about grant writing. These professional development courses and certifications can help you gain skills to use immediately in the grant writing career field. In some cases, earning a professional certification can increase your candidacy for hire or perception as a professional.
Your writing ability should articulate your words concisely, with clarity and logic. The reader should read and comprehend your work seamlessly.
This is a skill that should be mastered and applied in the field in other fields before looking for a grant writing job.
Gaining relevant experience: Learning industry-specific grant writing is essential, and understanding can be achieved early through internship or volunteering. If you want to apply for a job that writes grants for a tech company, consider volunteering or training in a tech field as a grant writer. You can also volunteer at nonprofits.
Market your skills on your resume: Before applying for work in this industry, update your resume, and let it reflect the skills you gained from your jobs. Adjust your resume to the position’s demands in line with the job description, including references and recommendations from past associates.
Network through professional organizations: Joining professional groups and organizations that support grant writing is fundamental. It will motivate and connect you to potential donors. For freelancers, networking helps you find new clients. Hence, the time it takes to become a grant writer depends on the type of work, personal goals,
and experience.
Certification Program for Grant Writers
This is a summary of what it takes to become a grant writer. With a combination of passion for writing, a desire to make a change, research experience, and an eye for detail, you will commence your journey into becoming a professional and having an ever-in-demand career.
They are an indispensable resource for many organizations and of great necessity.
One can learn to become a grant writer by taking courses and certifications that range from hours to months. Presently, the Chamber Coalition offers a 5-week Grant Certification which costs $250 up to January 31. Thereafter, it’s $350.
Therefore, undergoing live training like the Chamber Coalition Grant Certification Boot Camp is an excellent opportunity to acquire hands-on experience from one of the award winners in grant writing. To register, visit grantcertification.eventbrite.com
