Grant proposal writing is a skill that can be developed with time and practice. Once you’ve acquired the skill, you can work as an independent contractor, part-time or full-time development officer, consultant, or freelance writer.
The earning potential depends on several factors; therefore, there is no single way to explain the income limit. However, would you like to know what enables a good writer to produce a steady cash flow? How could an average person or even a beginner make a living writing financing proposals? As a writer, I kept asking myself these questions. I’m sure some of you are thinking like me as we all have legitimate bills to pay.
As a writer for a religious organization myself, I realize that grant writers must acquire some attributes. Regardless of my experience and position, I see that these principles work cross-culturally. The attributes mentioned are my observations, however, you are free to have your own opinion on any of these points. Let us take a look;
1. Flexibility: As a proposal writer, you must think and act according to the needs of your donor and the application process, which often keeps changing. Therefore, you cannot stick to one focus.
2. Goal-oriented: it’s one thing to set goals and another to keep reaching them. Grant proposal writers not only set goals, they often carry them out through focused efforts.
3. Research Skills: Due to limited space, I cannot elaborate on this important topic here. However, it is worth noting that research is not about scrolling through thousands of pages or websites to obtain information, but about the ability to index quantified information to meet the need.
4. Tech-savvy – As more and more donors and donor organizations are upgrading to a paperless digital world. Be a tech savvy to keep up with this ever-changing pattern of technology.
5. Communication skills: Not only writing, but also speaking skills are equally important. These skills are necessary for presentations and articulation of vision meetings during donor visits.
6. A Vision for Your Passion: Although you are a fundraising professional, it is not all about money. Get down for your passion. I firmly believe that every writer has a passion and associates with an organization that believes they have a similar passion.
7. Credibility: The deed develops a trust factor between them and the client-financier. Therefore, grant writers must understand that “people give money to people,” not organizations.
8. Multitasking Ability – Can juggle end-to-end to complete task, from research to submission of grant application. The ability to switch gears between different tasks gives the grant writer a unique personality.
9. Interpersonal relationships: it is not computers or robots, but humans who make financing decisions. Developing a human relationship with donors and involving them in field visits and presentations, when necessary, is a must for any grant author.
10. Persistence and consistency: Shy personalities cannot survive as grant writers; Be brave enough to accept rejections. It doesn’t matter how well you did. Rejections are common and can have a number of reasons.
These attributes are my observations; however, the list is not exhaustive. You are free to have your opinion and add more.