7 Favorite Tools of a Freelance Grant Writer

With the introduction of the Internet, grant seeking is no longer the Herculean task of old. Today’s technology gives me instant access to information that used to take days, if not weeks, to uncover. Thank goodness for innovation!

As a freelance grant writer, I have to be able to pivot on a dime with my data and research. I often have multiple projects from multiple clients, each project with its own unique needs and issues. At any given moment the phone could ring because a potential sponsor is returning a call, or a client has some additional information to contribute to a proposal. For someone who was not born with the organization gene, keeping all of this information orderly and accessible became a challenge for me. In order to get myself organized, and to STAY organized, I found tools online that help me keep on top of all of my grant seeking/writing tasks.

1. 990 Lookup – http://nccsdataweb.urban.org/PubApps/990search.php/

   Often a grant writer will have to research the foundation that is offering a grant program in order to get a better understanding of what the foundation is looking for in a proposal or project, what is the average amount of money awarded per grant, etc. Reading the 990 form of a foundation can give you insight that is not readily available in the foundation’s literature or website. If you have never read a 990 before or are having trouble understanding it, the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York has a tutorial to help you out. (See http://www.npccny.org/Form_990/990.htm)

2. Evernote – http://www.evernote.com

   More than just a bookmarking site, Evernote allows you to save text clips, photos, voice memos, web pages, and even whole documents. These saved items can be organized into folders that you designate, making it easy to keep all information related to a project. Evernote offers a free version and a premium (paid) version. Your notes can be synchronized with Evernote to work between your computer, laptop and mobile device. The most recently added feature allows you to create notes from Twitter.

3. Zoho CRM – http://crm.zoho.com

   After being a recruiter for a number of years, I learned to write down notes from every conversation that I had with a client or candidate. It didn’t matter that I could remember names and faces. What was most important was to remember the details of conversations – what job skills are most important, what the working situation was, how much was a client willing to pay in salary, etc. As a grant writer, the details of conversations with clients and sponsors are just as crucial. It also helps to have contact information on hand. Zoho CRM keeps all of your contacts in one place, allowing you to keep a record of when you contacted someone, what was discussed, what needs to be done next, etc. The online software is free for up to 3 users and is comparable to SalesForce, another powerful CRM. If you find that you have to upgrade to more than 3 users, Zoho does not require long term contracts, and you can pay as you go.

4. DIY Planner – http://www.diyplanner.com/

   I was a big fan of the DayTimer planner pages and even Franklin planner pages. But I also found that the standard planner pages did not necessarily conform to the way that I work. Instead I had to conform my way of thinking to someone else’s idea of how I should be organized. That wasn’t such a bad thing, but I found that I was constantly fighting the organization patterns laid down by DayTimer and Franklin. With a little bit of research I found that I could create my own planner pages and organizers! And to make things even better, I found that there are more planning systems designed by others that I could use! No need to reinvent the wheel – DIY Planner had dozens of options from which to choose. I eventually found something that I liked, tweaked it to work with my schedule, and am living happily ever after.

5. Xmarks – http://www.xmarks.com/

   Formerly Foxmarks, Xmarks allows you to save and backup bookmarks and synchronize them amongst a number of computers. It was previously available as an add-on to the Firefox browser, but now is available for Internet Explorer and Apple Safari. Also, if you find yourself on a public access computer, such as at a library or Internet café, you can access all of your bookmarks online simply by logging in at the website.

6. Visual Thesaurus – htp://www.visualthesaurus.com

   There are a number of websites that I like to use when I need a dictionary or a thesaurus. However the Visual Thesaurus gives me a three-dimensional view of the synonyms of a word and their relationships. The online edition is very affordable ($2.95/month), with no software to install and can be accessed from anywhere. At first this may seem a little frivolous, but when it comes to making your proposal concise and finding THE right word, Visual Thesaurus can be a valuable tool.

7. GrantSelect – http://www.grantselect.com

   Yes, I know. You’re thinking that this is another shameless plug. Well, you’re right. But there is no denying the usability of GrantSelect and the value of all the information it contains. Even prior to the acquisition of GrantSelect, my business partner and I were happy GrantSelect users, and we were constantly surprised at the quality and quantity of information that could be found in the grants database. We were able to find potential matches for every grant project for which we were contracted. Additionally, we were able to make quick decisions on which grants to pursue and which were not a good fit for the programs for which we were seeking funding. If you’ve been writing grants for any amount of time, you know that the initial step of finding funders can take a good portion of your time. And the process can take even longer if you don’t have a reliable source of grants information to use. With GrantSelect a grant writer can find many good possibilities for grants and other funding.