Accomplished, experienced grant writing consultants are in demand, and they are not cheap. Therefore, you should do as much of the preparation work as possible yourself. This will allow you to spend your consulting dollars where they are really needed — the actual grant writing. Also, the better prepared you are, the more likely you will be to attract the best grant writers. Before you engage a grant writer, you should already have:

1. Defined the project or program you want to get funded.
2. Developed the essence of your “Case for Support.”
3. Identified prospective grant sources for the project or program.
4. Determined who will actually solicit the funds and how they will do it.

Begin the definition process by first setting your grant-seeking priorities as they fit within your organization’s long-range strategic plan and mission. The three basic areas for which you are likely to be seeking grants are:

1. To create new programs and services.
2. To support ongoing programs and services.
3. To provide annual operating funds.

Then clearly and precisely define each project or program for which you will seek grants in terms that grant-making organizations will recognize and respond to. Make sure that while you’re doing this you also plan for life after the grant. How will you support the project or program in the future if it is to last longer than the timeframe covered by the grant? It’s a question every grant making organization will want answered.

Be certain that you have reasonably determined in advance the scope, intent, and “case” value to the community of the project or program you wish to have funded before you engage a grant writer. If you ask the grant writer to do this, he or she will have to learn your organization’s capabilities and community’s needs in the specific areas. It makes no sense to pay someone on the outside to do this. Those who run your organization already have this knowledge. Also, when you meet with grant makers you will be better able to respond to questions if you have developed the case.

Identifying the sources most likely to make a grant to an organization such as yours for the purpose you have defined is crucial to the process of grant application. The public library, the Foundation Center, your trustees, and others in your community are excellent sources of this information. Check your state Attorney General’s office to see if it publishes a list of foundations. Go through other non-profit organizations’ annual reports to look for funders. Then be sure to contact as many foundations and other grant making organizations as possible to get their grant seekers’ guidelines and grant awarding calendar.

While most experienced grant writers, particularly if they operate in your geographic and “services” areas will know such information, doing your own research will let you better direct the grant writer’s efforts. It is not hard to do and will establish a process and routine you can follow in future grant- seeking opportunities. Plus the information and expertise stays in your organization.

Never ask a grant writer to be the actual solicitor of funds. You and others within your organization are the best people to present your case. Why would you want a grant writer with whom you have a temporary relationship to represent you to grant makers? Why let the outside grant writer build a personal relationship you or your trustees could be nurturing? Besides, foundations want to meet the people who operate and are committed to an organization — not an outsider on a temporary hire.

Prepare well before you engage a grant writing consultant and you will save money while putting your organization in a better position to attain the grants for which you apply.

Okay, we’ve covered a lot of material here. Everything from paying and evaluating grant writers to using consultants. But by no means have we exhausted the topic of grant writers and grant writing. Neither I nor anyone else has all the answers on this subject. My goal here is to encourage you to look at grant writers, how you use them, and how you pay them within the context of:

1. Your organization’s mission.
2. Your organization’s fund-raising agenda.
3. Grant making organizations and what they are likely to expect of you.

Those are my views on the subject of grant writers. What are yours? I welcome your comments and suggestions.
Tony@raise-funds.com