What Nonprofit Start-Ups Need Before Hiring a Grant Writer

Many new nonprofits seek funding at the beginning of their journey. However, some grants require specifics that your nonprofit organization may not be ready for.

Many Nonprofit start-ups hire grant writers without the proper funding and proper paperwork for their project. This may result in a waste of time and money. To prevent this from happening, ensure that you are actually ready to hire a grant writer. 

These are some things that nonprofits need before hiring a grant writer.

Stable Funding: Before applying for a grant, make sure that you have the proper funding to prove to the grantor that you are a worthwhile investment. Foundations do not want to grant funding to nonprofits that will fold. Many grantors require an outline of your budget in your application.

Further, grant writers do not work based on commission. Your nonprofit must have the proper funding to pay the grant writer before any award from the funding source is granted. If you tell the grant writer that you only have $200 for your project; there is not much work the grant writer can do for you. Moreover, grant writers will not agree to take on a project that only involves grant research because that is all your organization can afford.

Crowdfunding is a great way to gain funding for your organization before hiring a grant writer. YouHelp is the perfect platform in which you can create a fundraising campaign for your nonprofit start-up.

Accomplishments: When grantors view applications, they want to award the organization that most qualifies to win the grant money. You must be able to prove to the grantor that you are worthy of receiving the funding. In order to do so, make sure that you have made some accomplishments that you can put in your grant proposal.

Clear Direction: If you are unclear as to what your organization stands for or specializes in, you are not ready to hire a grant writer. You need to have a plan as to what your organization programs are/will be, what you stand for, what you need the funding for, etc. Grant writers expect to receive clear information from you. Without the proper direction and organization, the grant research and/or grant writing process can become a difficult maze.

Moreover, to apply for a grant, you need to be clear in your direction. Your grant proposal must be concise and understandable. If you don’t know the details of your own nonprofit, how will your grant writer prepare the grant proposal for you? Grantors award their funds to organizations that have a clear plan and goal. As said before, they want to make sure you are a worthwhile investment.

So before hiring a grant writer, make sure to have a clear, focused, and organized plan for your nonprofit organization.

Paperwork: Grants are extremely detailed oriented and require a lot of planning. The funding source may require some legal and financial paperwork (IRS 501C3, tax return, etc.) to authenticate that you are a liable organization and meet their qualifications. It is frustrating for a grant writer to constantly ask for details and paperwork that are needed for the grant. This is time-consuming and will cost you a lot of money.

Look at examples of grant applications, so that you can see what information you need so that it is available for the grant writer immediately. 

Make sure you have all information ready before you hire a grant writer. So that your grant writer will have to work fewer hours on your project and the process will be smooth and quick.

When you are ready to hire a grant writer

When you have stable funding, some accomplishments, a clear direction, and have collected the necessary paperwork for your project; you may hire a grant writer. GrantWriterTeam has many experienced grant writers that can take on your project today!