Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Find a Money Getter!


Most nonprofits have a development staff of one! If you’re one of these one person shop or only have a couple of folks handling development tasks, a good way to pursue additional funding is to work with an independent grant writer or what I like to call a “Money Getter”! A good grant writer can help leverage a limited development budget by working on a specific project within their area of expertise. This can all be done without having to provide office space, benefits and a computer. Frankly, this can make a dramatic difference in a tight development budget!

There are some factors to consider when working with an independent grant writer. First and foremost, a grant writer should be carefully vetted. Grant writers being should have a proven track record of getting money - not of merely putting together a pretty grant. While volunteer grant writers might offer their services for the experience, a paid grant writer is there to do one thing – bring in money! Ask you prospective grant writer specifics about their grant writing history such as how much money they got, from how many foundations, in what time frame. Ask for a writing sample and references. Diligently scrutinize both! Ask for three references and make the calls. If you don’t call references, you could get scammed.

Once you have selected a grant writing consultant (i.e. Money Getter), you have to keep an eye on them. You should lead the grant writer through the instructions for the proposal they will be writing and be prepared to field any questions. A strict timeline should be established for first, second, and final drafts. Plan for having the proposal reviewed by objective readers and schedule adequate time for the consultant to make changes based upon your corrections and the input from objective third parties.

Independent grant writing consultants can be paid one of two ways, by the proposal or by the hour. It is considered unethical to pay grant writers a percentage of the amount their proposal brings in. Some funders will rescind funds if the grant writer receives a percentage of the grant award. The amount that grant writing consultants charge varies with the region and the grant writer’s skill set. Talk to other development professionals in your area to gauge what grant writing consultants in your regions charge. One word of caution, with grant writers you often get what you pay for!

With careful selection and good management, your development team can leverage its resources to bring in funds through an independent grant writing consultant. A good development team doesn’t have to be a large full-time staff, it can be a small full-time staff augmented by talented consultants! In development, brining in dollars often means knowing how to stretch yours!

No comments: