They may not identify themselves as a grant writer or development person, but they certainly have experience that says otherwise.Īdditionally, your location will pre-determine ‘going rates’ for grant writers, if you are looking to hire locally. Many small shops have an amazing leader who writes all their proposals like an ED or Founder and those folks wear many hats. Keep I mind that just because someone doesn’t have the Grant Writers ‘title’ behind their name, doesn’t mean they aren’t an amazing prospect with years of experience and success. These variables make a big difference in the actual experience and success of the grant writers you may be meeting. You should be considering how many grants are being written, to whom, how often, for gen ops or programs/projects/capital, etc. But, if you don’t know that I write the same 10 grants every year, and 5 of them are to Wal-Mart Community Giving Programs, or family foundations who give my organization dollars every year, you are missing a big piece of the puzzle. If I tell you I have a 90% success rate, that sounds amazing. In determining ‘success’, what questions are you asking, and do you know how to evaluate the answers you receive?Īre you asking about success rates without knowing how that answer is determined? If you are working with a writer who wants experience because they are new, obviously, this person might not be able to charge as much as a tenured writer with 10 years of great experience under their belt and a great history of success. Rates will vary based on these variables, as well as experience level and history of success of the grant writers or consulting agency you contract. You must first look closely as what you are doing, what you have time to do, and then what you are asking a grant writer to do for you. There is a great deal a grant writer could do, depending on the needs of the individual organization. When are the grants due and are grant professionals being asked to rush to complete a proposal in an unrealistic time frame? (We always required a 4-6 week window before a grant is due.) What are the timelines for the turnaround of their work? State/federal proposals have a lot more moving parts and require an intense work schedule in a short time.) One of the first questions we ask is, “What responsibilities will this grant writer be tasked with for your organization?” Thinking through this will help you advertise and locate the appropriate professionals to meet your current needs.Īre they managing the grant after submission through data tracking and reporting to a foundation?Īre they building relationships with the foundations?Īre they creating grant templates for other staff to use?Īre they meeting with community partners to create MOAs/MOUs?Īre they working with other staff to create measurable goals/objectives, or are those being provided to them?Īre they working with your team to create budgets, or are those being provided to them?Īre they being asked to work on foundations grants or also state and federal proposals? (Rates for writing state/federal proposals are often 3-4 times higher than foundations grants…for a good reason. This question pops up a lot in the nonprofit world, and honestly, the answer varies.
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