Things You Should Know First
Your organization has decided that you need to hire a grant writer. Before you even start looking for one, there are a few things that you need to have ready. Contacting a grant writer and asking them to “FIND US MONEY”, just won’t happen if you are using a professional. You need to have decided on a project. You will need to have done some research on your own about the project, what it will cost, and what the outcome of completing this project will do for either your organization, community, county, state, etc. This should be a GROUP effort. Good grant writers are in high demand and do not
come cheap, therefore the more preparation work that your organization does, the wiser your organization dollars will be spent. The more information that you have accumulated, the better a professional grant writer will be able to do a professional job.
So much may be riding on getting that grant to continue funding your projects or funding to start a new project or program, but there are some things that you should keep in mind before you start looking for that grant writer.
Two questions are essential in determining which grant writer to hire.
First you should consider WHO you are going to hire. You should be looking at professionals that know what they are talking about. If the grant writer that you are considering hiring doesn’t go through an interview process gathering information about
your organization and your project, chances are they are not the “professional” that you are searching for. A good professional will explain that the more information that you have put together, the less the charge will be for the writing of the grant proposal. They will want all kinds of information about your organization, your current projects, your
past projects, and details about your new project.
The second thing you should consider is HOW MUCH is it going to cost. A good professional will not be able to answer this until they have met with you, talked about your organization, looked at your project and discussed in-depth what you are
expecting from them. They should prepare a contract between your organization and the
grant writer that specifies what they are going to do and at what cost.BEWARE of the person that asks for a percentage of the grant. Most grant writers charge from $50 to $75 per hour, but some charge as much as $125 per hour. They don’t ask for
percentages or award bonuses. Most funders will not allow you to pay a grant writer out of grant funds. These fees are considered organizational operating expenses