When you are looking to hire a grant writer, you have two options: an employee or a freelance consultant.
Whether or not you should hire a grant writer employee or a consultant is based on the development stage of your organization and the type of grants you need.
Nonprofit Stages of Development
A nonprofit organization has five stages of its development:
Idea Stage: This is the proof of concept stage, where concerned citizens test whether or not an idea or activity is helpful for the community. Typically, this stage occurs within the first year of the nonprofit.
Start Up Stage: In this stage, the organization is setting the foundation for its future activities: applying for tax-exempt status, formalizing its board, setting up systems for bookkeeping, creating a strategic plan and formalizing its operating structure. This stage usually occurs in years one to -two of your organization.
Growth Stage: In this stage, your organization is seeing traction: your programming is growing, and you are formalizing structures for grant writing and other segments of fundraising as you expand. Typically, this phase occurs between years three to ten.
Maturation Stage: At this stage, you are overseeing robust programming, have broad community awareness and have established funding partners. Typically, this stage occurs at year ten and onwards.
Review or Terminal Stage: During this stage, you are assessing if your nonprofit is still meeting the needs of the community. You may find you need to pivot and return to a growth stage so you can meet the current needs of your community.
When to Hire a Grant Writing Employee vs. a Consultant
If you are in a growth stage, it may be best to invest in a grant writing consultant because:
There is no added overhead.
They can help you develop the systems you need to apply and report on grants.
They bring years of experience and focused expertise that can guide your team as you build your grant portfolio.
As you grow, you want to consider hiring an employee who can:
Step into your systems and avoid the necessary back and forth between your development team and a consultant.
Act as the face of your organization to funders, freeing up the rest of your development team to pursue other revenue-generating activities.
As a mature organization, you may work with a consultant on special projects, such as complex federal grants, that can tie up your team for months in research as you research and complete opportunities and complete the final application, followed by countless additional hours in reporting.
Conclusion
Knowing your organization’s current needs can help you make the right hiring decision.
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