The Grants Guide

Knowledge & Experience – Grant writing consultants come with the knowledge and experience in developing grant proposals that have actually been awarded. We know the critical elements of a funding inquiry that will enable funding to occur at a much higher rate than someone without this knowledge and experience. They perform careful research to only include the most well matched foundations and to eliminate foundations that are not a likely match. Credentials – Grant writing consultants have the appropriate credentials to document that they have the education, experience, and level of success required to perform well.

An Outside Perspective – Grant writing consultants bring a new perspective on your organization enabling them to diagnosis the issues that may be preventing your organization from securing grant funding.

Resources – Grant writing consultants often work with multiple agencies and organizations. They usually have a library full of grant writing books and resources. They subscribe to multiple databases to ensure that they have access to information on every known funding source possible. They usually have multiple staff members enabling them to have experts in research, writing, administration, and other areas critical for grant success. Efficiency – Grant writing consultants have developed proven systems that enable them to be successful time and time again. These systems make fort an efficient process that would take a staff person years to develop.

Cost Effective – Hiring a grant writing consultant will save your organization valuable dollars. It is sometimes impossible to hire new staff during difficult economic times such as we have now. Many organizations under estimate the amount of expense it will cost to hire a skilled and experienced grant writer. The average salary for a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) is over $80,000. Individuals with a CFRE are the ONLY individuals who have the independently documented experience, education, and success that you are looking for.

How do you locate a grant writing consultant?

Professional Associations – Experienced and successful grant writing consultants will generally belong to a number of different associations and affinity groups. Look at Consultant Directory for the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), The American grant Writers Association (AGWA), The National Grant Writers Association (NGW) and others.

Organizational Relationships – Also look at industry specific affiliations. For example, if you are a Christian ministry you will want to look at grant writing consultants who have some sort of relationship with major Christian associations such as the Christian Leadership Alliance (CLA), National Outreach Association (NOC), the Evangelical Council on Financial Accountability (ECFA), and other groups. Search Engines – Search engines are a good toll to locate grant writing consultants because grant writing consultants are usually widely known as grant writing consultants. You do not want to hire someone calling themselves a grant writing consultant who has no documented history as a grant writing consultant.

How do you hire a grant writing consultant?

Each grant writing consultant will have their own process and procedure for engaging their services. You will want to check and ensure they have a publicized fee schedule that applies consistent fees to organizations rather than varying fees.

Ensure that the grant writing consultant works on a flat fee for services rather than on a percentage or commission.

Jeffrey J. Rodman is the President & CEO of Here-4-You Christian Grant Consulting & Grant Writing providing consultation for grant writing and funding development nationally and internationally to Christian ministries and Churches. Mr. Rodman has a Master Degree in Education, is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), and is a Certified Grants Specialist (CGS). He is an experienced grant writer, nonprofit executive, and public speaker. Mr. Rodman has written hundreds of proposal to both government and private sources, has secured millions as a consultant, and has an 80% success rate in securing grants.