Why hiring a great writer won’t lead you to success in increasing grant dollars.

In this blog post, I will share with you some of the insights I gained from my experience as both a grant maker and a grant seeker. I will explain why hiring a great writer is not enough to secure more grant funding for your nonprofit, and what skills you need to look for in a grant writer. 

First, let me clarify what I mean by a great writer. A great writer is someone who can write clear, concise, and grammatically correct sentences. A great writer can follow the guidelines and format of different grant applications. A great writer can convey the mission, vision, and impact of your organization in a compelling way. A great writer is essential for any nonprofit that wants to apply for grants, but it is not enough. 

Why? Because grant writing is not just about writing. It is about research, analysis, planning, strategy, and relationship building. These are the skills that make a great development professional, and they are also the skills that make a great grant writer. Let me break them down for you: In my roles as Development Director and later as president of two different nonprofits, I witnessed the efforts of various grant writers. These included both staff and contract writers. It was only when at my last nonprofit I conducted a comprehensive audit of our grants portfolio that I realized why our success had been moderate: being a great writer simply isn’t good enough.

Additionally, grant writing shouldn’t be a cut-and-paste business, a practice I saw far too often. Let’s move beyond the overused advice about being better storytellers. This isn’t about storytelling; it’s about skills. If a grant writer does not have the mindset of a development professional, their success will be limited.

The very best development professionals I have worked with over the past 14 years  share one crucial trait: they are highly skilled in relationship building. Success in development hinges on keen listening skills and understanding what fuels a donor’s passion and giving.

If your grant writer is not a relationship builder, stays behind a desk and never interacts with donors, how can they possibly write a compelling request? The simple answer is they can’t, and they won’t. Being a great writer is not enough. Being a great “storyteller” is not enough. Your grant writer must have the mind and mindset of a development professional to be successful. If your organization is not maximizing their grant potential, let’s talk.