BEFORE YOU HIRE A GRANT WRITER

Grant funding is a valuable monetary resource that can help nonprofit organizations secure necessary funds to offset the expenses associated with implementing or sustaining projects and programs that benefit their communities.

Smaller nonprofit organizations simply do not have the funds to hire a permanent grant writer; therefore, hiring a professional, independent grant writer may be the solution. Here are a few things to consider before hiring a grant writer.

Grant writing is a skill that is perfected with experience. Most professional grant writers are certified as either a Certified Grant Writer (CGW) or Certified Grant Consultant (CGC).

REFERENCES

An independent grant writer often operates under a contracted confidentiality agreement with regards to their clientele and grant awards. Therefore, asking for references may not be an option. Would a prospective grant writer provide you with a bad reference anyway?

GRANT WRITER PAYMENT

It is unethical for a grant writer to be paid on contingency, percentage or from grant award funds. These ethical standards are supported by most professional grant writing associations including: The Grant Professionals Association and the American Grant Writers Association. Keep in mind that a grantor is not going to provide you with funds to ask them for money. The cost of hiring a grant writer should be written into the organization’s annual operating budget.

Some grant writers charge by the hour, others by the grant and still others by retainer. Separate services may be available such as, Grant Research, Award Reporting, Application Review and Strategic Development.

GRANT WRITING GUARANTEE

No one can guarantee grant funding. A professional grant writer’s job is to ensure that your application has the best opportunity for funding consideration. Matching the organization's mission to the mission of a potential grantor, is critical. A qualified grant writer will first identify what type of funding the organization is seeking and whether or not they are eligible for grant funding. This information is gathered at the time of an initial consultation. During the initial consultation, a grant writer will typically ask the following questions:

What is your Mission Statement?

Have you applied for grant funding before?

When was the organization founded?

Does your organization have a 501 (c) 3 IRS Designation Letter?

Does your organization have Articles of Incorporation?

Is your organization documentation up-to-date on Guidestar?

Does your organization have a detailed organization budget?

Did your organization file a 990 or e-Postcard 990-N (if revenues were under $50,000)?

What are the organizations projects and/or programs?

Are these projects/programs new or continuing?

How many volunteers does your organization have?

Does your organization have a spread sheet of volunteer names, contact info and qualifications?

Does your organization have a written list of qualifications for every employee?

Does your organization have an odd number, Board of Directors listing?

Is your Board of Directors 100% giving to your organization? (If those closest to your organization do not support it monetarily, why would you ask someone outside the organization to fund it?)

Does your organization have a written Mission Statement, Vision Statement and Non-Discriminatory Policy?

Does your organization have routine outside audits of books?

Does your organization have budgets developed for each program and/or project? (This is used to identify the funding request amount and discern the number of grants that may have to be written for a particular project or program.)

Has the organization developed demographics such as: Number of people served, income level of people served, ethnicity, ages and so-on?

GENERAL TIPS

The question, “How many grants have your clients received?”, will not tell you whether or not the grant writer can effectively write grants for YOU. Just because someone has written one grant and may have received one large award, does NOT demonstrate grant writing success. A prospective grant writer will explain their application strategy for securing funds for your specific organization during the initial consultation.

Beware of percentage boasts of success and misleading statements. Example: A grant writer boasts that they have 100% ROI (Return on Investment). In reality, the grant writer received two grant awards for their client, but failed to reveal that they only submitted two grant applications; thus making the statement 100%, accurate but misleading.

A grant writer should always obtain approval and signature from the organization before submitting any application.

A signed contract between the organization and the grant writer is essential. A contract is not solely for protection, but serves as a written expectation of understanding for both the grant writer and the organization.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST - Beware of Scams!

Never send money to someone who claims to be able to guarantee that you will receive funding.

An individual CANNOT obtain a grant to START A BUSINESS, GO BACK TO SCHOOL or BUY A HOUSE.

Use caution if a grant writer offers to write a specified number of grants for a flat rate, without asking a number of questions about your organization.

When in doubt, contact a reputable grant writing company. To find a reputable company, search resources such as, the Better Business Bureau, local Chamber of Commerce and Professional Grant Writing Associations.

Still have questions about grant funding?  Visit our website at www.writefunding.com or give us a call at 812-589-1575. 

   

Valentines Day--Recall the Romance

     As Valentine’s Day approaches, it seems like the economy has been taking a toll on relationships. This year, refuse to get caught up in the hype. This Valentine's Day, allow your thoughts and actions to precede and replace the mindset of a frantic purchasing driven quandary.

     Like many married couples, I remember well the economic struggles in the beginning.  With a mix of blind faith and an unrealistic belief that together forever, we could simply “live on love", we were ready to take on the challenges of the world, naively believing we knew what the challenges would be.

     It was a simple time, basking in contentment, solace and joy. We lived paycheck to paycheck without furniture or for that matter, any luxuries; but we laughed and were happy, truly happy. 

   Eventually, the reality train radically collided with the non-problematic world in which we were residing, and with the birth of our children and bills and trials, we were forced to “grow up”

   Now, twenty-seven years later, we shake our heads in disbelief, as we remember and wonder how we survived those painstakingly, difficult years. However, for many couples, the economic downturn of the past few years has meant that those difficult times have not remained a memory but have returned, resurrected and manifested in the form of financial setbacks, as well as, job and home losses.  This final proverbial "straw that broke the camels back" has triggered the demise of many marriages. 

    As an observer of human behavior, I have found that, most often, the root of a problem is not in the remembrances of past struggles that resurface in the present, but failing to recall our, then, reactions to similar circumstances. It is the reaction, therefore, not the circumstances that ultimately are reflected within the relationship.

     This Valentines Day, try to think back to when you first met your spouse.  Remember the tough times, but recall the way the two of you endured and overcame the challenges.  I decided to do this myself; this is what I remembered.....yet often failed to recall.

• I remembered a time when we did not have furniture….but failed to recall that we sat on a pallet on the floor, eating fried bologna, spinach and applesauce (hey, it was a meat, a vegetable and a fruit), watching a 13” Black & White TV, without cable and LIFE WAS GOOD!
• I remembered working a “crap” job at the mall, but failed to recall the big snowfall that covered my car, made the roads treacherous and learning that my spouse had arrived early to clean off my car and follow me home and LIFE WAS GOOD!
• I remembered living in that “dumpy duplex”, but failed to recall the times we would laugh at the silliest things until tears streamed from our eyes and LIFE WAS GOOD!
• I remembered when we couldn’t afford a babysitter or eat out; but failed to remember the simplicity and the romance of eating baked chicken and rice, smothered in cheese, the kids ate spaghetti AND we all laughed and enjoyed dinner......by candlelight and LIFE WAS GOOD!
• I remembered the time when other families were going to Disney World and taking vacations and we felt as if our kids were cheated; yet failed to recall the Friday night game nights that instilled memories they still cherish as adults and LIFE WAS GOOD!
• I remembered a horrible time when our work schedules conflicted because of different shifts and making the decision to quit the best paying job I had ever had; but failed to recall that it was the best decision of my life; it saved our marriage, restored communication and reestablished our friendship. Yes, friendship. Your spouse should always be your “best friend" and LIFE WAS GOOD!

   Whether, your matrimonial state is that of a newlywed couple or a long relationship that has experienced both good and bad days, the key lies within the ability to laugh, enjoy each day and eventually realizing that, in the end, everything else is just………..STUFF and LIFE IS GOOD!

    For parents, particularly new parents, it is important to retain the mindset of a “couple” identity. When hectic schedules are allowed to monopolize all of your time, there is little time to talk about anything else but “the kids.” Eventually children grow up and a couple can find themselves left with……..each other!   It is what you do in the interim that can make the outcome fantastic or disheartening knowing that LIFE IS GOOD!

    Finally, with Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, many couples are feeling like they are caught in a vise. Expectations from advertisements imply expectations of grand romantic illusions. Illusions that can be costly, increase stress, cause depression and plunge one further into debt, making one forget that together, LIFE IS GOOD! 

   This year, when Valentine’s Day rolls around, if you can afford gifts, GREAT, give them; however, if you can’t, accept it. Either way, this year, plan now to make Valentine’s Day 2013 memorable through genuine, LOVE DRIVEN ACTION and realize that love combined with laughter means embracing what life has to dish out, take circumstances (good and bad) as they happen and recognize that a lifetime is but a fleeting spec in the universal time-frame.  Learn that time spent together is forever embedded into memories and those memories live forever and that makes LIFE GOOD!  

Happy Valentines Day!!!!