Grant Writing is one of the most in-demand skills for independent contractors today. The organizations that require the services of a grant writer include non-profits, community-based organizations, universities and colleges, and other institutions that utilize grant as a funding source.
The keys to a successful grant proposal lie in comprehensive advance planning and preparation. The more organized and concise the proposal, the easier it will be for a funder to determine whether or not its goals coincide with the goals of the grant seeking organization. This process can be tedious and arduous but can provide a lucrative compensation for a skilled grant writer.
The tools needed for successful grant writing are excellent writing skills, a clear understanding of the project process, strong research skills, and acute discipline and organizational skills.
The process for finding employment as an independent grant writer begins by identifying and making a list of potential client organizations nearby. Next, contact the development offices and find out whether they employ grant writers as full-time staff or if they hire part-time consultants for special projects.
When preparing a proposal, extensive planning and research is absolutely key. One must organize, write, and package the proposal based on a standard template before submitting to the funder. After the proposal is submitted, the grant writer is responsible for initiating follow-up contact with the potential funder as well as the grant seeking organization.
The compensation is presented in several different ways. The first of these ways is by and hourly rate. The average per hour rate for a competent grant writer goes around $50 to $70. A grant writer charging $60/hour can therefore earn $1,200 for a 20-hour assignment. More experienced and capable grant writers can charge rates of $100/hour or more, while there are less established grant writers who charge $25-50/hour.
The second type of compensation is a predetermined wage for a particular project. Depending on the length and complexity of the grant document, project fees can range anywhere from $1,000 to $8,000. This also takes into consideration that a lower rate will be awarded for grant applications submitted to a foundation or corporation and a higher rate if the applicant is seeking state or federal grants.
The third type of compensation is determined by a commission. This is when pay is based on a certain percentage of the requested funding. In this arrangement, the grant writer's compensation is tied to their success in securing the grant, and will be paid anywhere from 1% to 5% of the total grant awarded. This form of compensation is the most risky due to the fact that if for some reason the grant is denied, then the grant writer will receive no compensation and will have essentially provided his or her work for free.
Additional services that many grant writer perform in order to increase their revenue and work load are; grant funding search, grant research, grant proposal review, and grant proposal evaluation.
Resources:
- Teaching Yourself to be a Grantwriter, http://www.grantproposal.com/starting_inner.html
- Minnesota Council on Foundations Writing a Successful Grant Proposal, http://www.mcf.org/mcf/grant/writing.htm
- American Association of Grant Professionals, http://www.grantprofessionals.org
- Non profit Guides, http://www.npguides.org/
- GrantExperts.com, http://www.grantexperts.com
- Association of Fund Raising Professionals, http://www.afpnet.org/
- Foundation Center, http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/learnabout/proposalwriting.html
- Superhero Grant Writer Comic Strip sampled from GoComics.com, http://www.gocomics.com/superherograntwriter/2010/02/16/
No comments:
Post a Comment