Tuesday, 19 April 2016

How To Hire A Great Grant Writer

By Shirley Graham


Creative and technical writers are often born out of experience. Whereas, most often a two or four year degree is required for those working in the field of fund raising. For this reason, a professional grant writer must often hold an associates or bachelors degree from an accredited community college or university. Although, in some cases, companies, organizations and universities will hire someone based on equivalent experience rather than educational credentials.

Most of these writers are working for an organization, university, corporation or foundation looking to acquire funds. There are some cases in which individuals have been known to write a grant request for writing a book on various topics. When doing so, it is often good to take an online class which discusses the various steps, formats and writing techniques for a specific interest. Though, most often the objective is to acquire funding for an event or research.

The best writers are those who have all the information to complete a project. It is also important that the writer understand the process from creation to completion. While supervision is not always necessary, it is often good to check in to be sure the employee does not have any unanswered questions.

In doing so, each writer must analyze an audience for the intended proposal. To find the proper audience, it can often be beneficial to visit the location requesting the grant. Locating an audience, then gathering information which relates to the subject is the first step in this type writing. Once this information has been obtained, writers must then put this information into the proper written format.

While employers must often take taxes out of a permanent employee's pay, most often contractors pay taxes at tax time. With a 1099, the contractor reports an annual, semi-annual or hourly salary each year. Rather than having employers withhold taxes, these individuals pay taxes once a year at tax time. Whereas, employers are often required to withhold pay from permanent employees, often at a higher rate which can ultimately result in a refund rather than payment.

Individuals have often found that guidelines can vary widely. As a result, it is often best to ask if there are specific guidelines before beginning each project. Whether related to formatting, subject matter or writing, there are often differences. As a result, while some templates can be used, most often each request will involve new and different information.

Many of these individuals work on a contract basis. Some of these specialized writers are lucky enough to find full time work. Each individual must decide whether contract work which often does not include benefits, or a permanent position is more attractive. While, those looking for full time work may also want to look for contract to hire positions.

There are also a number of individuals who do this work either full or part-time from home. To so, it is important to have a dedicated work-space, proper computer and internet set-up and flexible schedule. Working from home can be great for parents, students and retirees among others. It is important that anyone doing so have a strong sense of self-control. Otherwise, important deadlines can pass which can sometimes result in an entity not receiving a much needed grant.




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