The Chronicle's Philanthropy Careers section asks its readers to submit questions about job hunting, recruiting, and management challenges in the nonprofit world. In their advice column, they respond to some of those inquiries with tips about resources and suggestions from experts.
Q. I am interested in writing grant proposals. How can I get some guidance in getting started?
A. Plenty of resources are available to help you, says Gail Vertz, executive director of the American Association of Grant Professionals, in Kansas City, Kan. With such a wide range of tools, you can tailor your approach to fit your time or financial limitations.
Ms. Vertz suggests Grant Writing for Dummies, by Beverly Browning, a grant-proposal writing consultant in Buckeye, Ariz. Beginners can also check out The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grant Writing: An Essential Resource for Securing the Funds You Need, by Waddy Thompson, development director for Symphony Space, a nonprofit performing-arts center in New York.
Other resources are available online, says Mr. Thompson. He recommends checking the Foundation Center's Web site for online tutorials and courses on grant-proposal writing and links to sample proposals.
More books and online resources can be found via The Chronicle's Nonprofit Handbook, available on the newspaper's Web site.
If you're looking for a classroom experience, Ms. Vertz suggests starting local. She says your town's United Way, Salvation Army, or community foundation will often "offer a one-day or a half-day training from a grant professional in the community, and those types of workshops are really invaluable, because they not only give training on proposal writing, but they also provide an opportunity for networking."
She adds that universities and colleges offer grant-proposal writing courses as well. For those interested in a more intense experience, Ms. Vertz recommends the five-day workshops led by the Grantsmanship Center, of Los Angeles, which are hosted by nonprofit groups throughout the country.
"It's a very in-depth class," she says, adding that the center will even provide you with a post-workshop review of the grant proposal you develop during the course.
Though there are many books to read and classes to attend, nothing beats learning by doing, says Mr. Thompson.
"What I recommend to a lot of people is that they look for volunteer opportunities, because there are PTA's, community choruses, kids' soccer teams — all kinds of grass-roots organizations for which there is grant money out there in the world, and they need someone who can write," he says. "So if a person is a good writer, and they've done their research by reading one of these books and looking at examples [of proposals] on Web sites, then I think they can get some good experience doing grants as a volunteer."
Courtesy of The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Previous editions of Hotline are available at http://philanthropycareers.com/. Send your questions about job hunting, recruiting, or managing in the nonprofit world to hotline@philanthropy.com.
~Cheers!
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