Nonprofits: Should You Hire a Professional Writer for Your Fundraising?
Page 2You may wonder if he or she can be paid from funds received. The answer is, in a word, no. This practice is unethical and, in many places, illegal. Grant writers should be paid for their time and effort by the hour or by the project, whether or not the funding is received. The grant writer’s fees usually must be paid from your organization’s other resources, such as donations, reserves, etc.
How much will hiring a grant writer cost? Fees for an individual grant writing assignment typically range from about $2,500 to $7,500, based on the complexity of the proposal and the amount of time needed to complete it (usually several weeks), not on the amount being requested. “Rush jobs†will generally demand a higher fee, as in any industry.
Consider it money well spent. It may well make the difference between funds received and funds not received.
Other considerations: besides being a good investment, hiring a writer can help you avoid legal trouble. (And that, ultimately, is a very good investment.) For example, charities sometimes “borrow†copyrighted material from print sources and websites without permission; even changing some of the content can constitute copyright infringement. A professional writer will be unlikely to have a problem with this because he or she will, first, be more familiar with copyright law, and second, be disinclined to do so because writing is what a writer does!
Maybe you could do the writing yourself. But why would you want to? If you’re not a writer, you should be spending your time on your primary job function, and leave the writing to a writer.
About The Author
Lisa J. Lehr is a freelance writer with a specialty in business and marketing communications. She holds a biology degree and has worked in a variety of fields, including the pharmaceutical industry and teaching. She is also a graduate of American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI), America’s leading course on copywriting. Contact Lisa J. Lehr Copywriting www.ljlcopywriting.com, Lisa@ljlcopywriting.com for help with your business writing needs.
This article © Lisa J. Lehr 2005.
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Nonprofits: Should You Hire a Professional Writer for Your Fundraising?
Back to Page 1Additional Government Grants Resources
Every Day Counts Innovation Initiatives - Request for InformationIn keeping with this mission, the Federal Highway Administration has recently constituted the Every Day Counts Innovation Initiatives project wherein they intend to solicit information from all eligible sources regarding innovations and advances that will potentially transform the way people will do business.
Enhancing Awareness of Transportation and Transportation Careers ProgramThe Federal Highway Administration has recently established the Enhancing Awareness of Transportation and Transportation Careers Program wherein it seeks to solicit applications from eligible entities who have the desire to utilize the advances in technology in the noble process of informing and teaching middle school, high school and community college students and faculties regarding transportation and transportation careers.
Rural Policy Analysis ProgramThe Health Resources and Services Administration has recently established the Rural Policy Analysis Program, wherein it intends to solicit applications that support the research and analysis of respective policy affecting rural communities, so as to inform policy makers.
Health Care Fraud Program Expansion and Senior Medical Patrol Capacity Building Grants In line with this mission, the Administration on Aging has recently established the Health Care Fraud Program Expansion and Senior Medical Patrol Capacity Building Grants in an attempt to boost the capacity of the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program to reach more Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, their families and caregivers, while focusing on fraud prevention and identification.
Direct Housing Natural Disaster Loans and GrantsThe primary goal of the Direct Housing Natural Disaster Loans and Grants program is to provide loans or grants to homeowners whose homes are situated in counties that are named by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as being qualified to receive federal assistance under an emergency declaration that is made by the President of the United States.
First Time Homebuyer Programs in ConnecticutThe Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, otherwise known as CHFA, is a self-supporting quasi-public housing agency operating within the State of Connecticut. The agency was established in the year 1969 in an effort to address the concerns regarding the lack or insufficient supply of affordable housing opportunities for Connecticut’s low- and moderate-income families and individuals.
Department of Human Health and Services: Family Planning Services GrantOPHS has recently announced the availability of funding opportunities for the establishment and implementation of voluntary family planning service projects.