Grant Writers
Effective federal grant writing is a skill which can be learned over time. But when finding and securing grant funding is crucial to the ongoing operations for you and your non-profit, it may be better and ultimately more cost effective for you to hire an experienced grant agent.
Many non-profits fall into the trap of thinking they are saving money by having the administrator or CEO write the grants for the agency. Or they ask staff who wants to "be involved" in applying the next grant. This is short-sighted thinking as they will be taking the individuals away from work in which they are experienced and putting them into a position in which they may not be as effective. To pay an administrator to write grants is ultimately more costly than hiring an outside grant writer.
Finding a Grant Writer Agent
The best way to find a good grant writer is by word of mouth. Is another agency using a grant writer who has successfully written grants for them? Ask them about their experience and how much the grant writer charged. Ask to see a copy of the grants written if possible. How easy was the grant writer to work with? Was there anything specific they did not like about the job the grant writer did?
If you cannot find a grant writer by word of mouth, then you can advertise locally for one. Grant writers are rare commodities and it may not be easy for you to find one this way, but it could be worth a try. If you are in an urban area it may be easier to locate a grant writer; if you are in a rural area it won't be as easy.
