Grant Writing and Nonprofit Leadership: With Great Privilege Comes Great Responsibility

This is the first in a series of 2011 blog posts that Grant Savvy will be sharing about nonprofit leadership and its impact on fundraising, grant writing and public administration. This blog is first and foremost a place for common sense tips about grant writing, but occasionally will venture to discuss larger issues that affect the nonprofit community. Share your thoughts and check back often for new content. Cheers!

In previous posts, I’ve shared that I never aspired to be a professional grant writer. I didn’t have great aspirations to compile ridiculous amounts of research and then have my work constantly judged. Really, it’s a bit absurd to choose this as a career, especially for a twenty-something. Wherever this creative path leads, it’s no big secret that I would LOVE to work on the other side of the foundation table and be part of a foundation that supports organizations (and people) that are doing incredible stuff in our communities.

Earlier this week, I shared an amazing opportunity to work with the Reeve Foundation. A dream job indeed, not because it is the “Reeve Foundation” and has international exposure, but because it is an opportunity to make a difference. In 2011, nonprofit and foundation leaders have the chance to produce change the nonprofit community from the top down--positions like this are how it is going to happen. Foundation and corporate relation management is imperative to making things happen for nonprofits.

What I hope for the next person who works for the Reeve Foundation is that they will be true leader. A leader who other foundation staff can look to, an innovator and a real-world thinker. My generation, Generation Y,  needs people who are not just asking for money, but who are also making tough decisions about how grant money is spent, which relationships to steward, how outcomes are reported and how organizations are held accountable.

Like tectonic plates (this is where 8^th grade geography pays off for me), foundation giving is continually evolving and expanding its purpose in the philanthropic landscape. It will take a skilled, confident and competent group of next generation leaders to respect the integrity of the traditional foundation and simultaneously engage in creative, innovative endeavors. 

I’ve never felt more centered in my career as I do as a grant writer. I enjoy the freedom to work with a variety of organizations and be creative in my writing. Through my work, I have learned to recognize the enormous impact that a foundation leader can have in the nonprofit world. As I continue to explore nonprofit leadership within my own community, I urge other grant writers to recognize the value of their work and the impact the competent leadership has in finding, securing and using foundation funding.  

~Cheers!