Thursday 21 April 2016

How To Hire A Great Grant Writer

By Shirley Graham


Creative and technical writers are often born out of experience. Whereas, most often a two or four year degree is required for those working in the field of fund raising. For this reason, a professional grant writer must often hold an associates or bachelors degree from an accredited community college or university. Although, in some cases, companies, organizations and universities will hire someone based on equivalent experience rather than educational credentials.

Most of these writers are working for an organization, university, corporation or foundation looking to acquire funds. There are some cases in which individuals have been known to write a grant request for writing a book on various topics. When doing so, it is often good to take an online class which discusses the various steps, formats and writing techniques for a specific interest. Though, most often the objective is to acquire funding for an event or research.

It is important when working in this area to know the subject matter. By knowing the objective, individuals can write to a targeted audience which is more likely to donate time or money. As a result, writers who target a specific audience with important information often have the best results.

When an entity or writer locates the proper audience, it is important to convey information in a way that is easy to understand. Once an audience is identified, the writer can then gather more information related to how the audience has reacted to previous request. In doing so, it can be easy to identify those who have given the most towards fund raising in the past.

While creating a proposal or submission sounds easy, it is actually quite involved. For, the information must include a variety of facts associated with the use of the money being requested. For example, if there are employees or others being paid, proposed salaries must be included along with any operating costs and other information.

Each entity usually provides a set of guidelines which include specifics related to subject matter, length, formatting and writing style. As formatting can vary widely, it is important to always use the right formatting for the proposal type. Once the first draft is complete, it is important to proof, edit and revise the document. After which, the organization may either accept or reject the proposal.

Most often, these individuals work on a personal or professional contractual basis. In some cases, entities have also been known to hire these individuals on a full-time basis. One of the biggest differences between working contract and full-time are those associated with benefits like paid health care, education, vacation and parental leave.

Working from home is another option when it comes to this type writing. There are some things to consider when working from home. First, it is essential to have a quiet place to work. Whether that be a home office, or a kitchen table, writing is often easier without others present. While working from home allows for a flexible work schedule, it is always important to work during the quietest hours of the day whether writing for oneself or others.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment