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| *Ostroff, Fair and Company>>>Government & Non-Profit |
What skills do I need to break into freelance grantwriting? |
I have non-profit employment experience, but not in development. Excellent research and writing skills. I once got rejected from a job because I didn't have that experience, but those are the basic skills you need. How good are you with producing effective research results from the Internet? How is your grammar and spelling? Other than the above, I am unable to suggest anything else. You really need to be able to write on Benefits and Cost. This is extremely important if not everything when asking for grants. Nobody will just dish out thousands or millions for anything at all, if it has no benefit to anybody or anything. Lets say a park. You want to ask for $25,000 for a park. Nobody will give it to you if nobody will see the park. You see what I mean? So, even if you say, you need $200 dollars to buy supplies to build a part. And you will supply the labor from start to finish. And to be honest, $200 is cheap for a park. And its worth it. But, if nobody sees it, or if nobody benefits from it, then its not worth it at all. And they will not send you $200. They will send nothing at all. So, if need be, take a classs on Benefit and Cost in the Economic section of some nearby college. Um, one note, not all benefits are money wise. So, even if the park doesnt take in any money doesnt mean that $50k is a waste of money. ..etc etc.... You need to have the ability to hustle...meaning checking with exisiting not for profits to determine their needs for freelancers. Of course, you have to have the skill to do grantwriting from an established course (with proof of graduation or completion of the course). There are PLENTY of opportunities out there, especially IF you can write other things along with grants, such as speeches, proposals, etc. Check your local library for books on the subject, as well as guides to the not for profit community. A LOT of freelance jobs are based upon word of mouth....so you need to build your professional skills and portfolio. |
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