In my professional opinion as a nationally recognized consultant, fundraiser, and nonprofit executive it is counterintuitive to layoff funding development staff when you are in need of more funding. It seems to me that this would be a time to further support this function of the organization and offer them new resources to grow the funding development effort.

However, there is a way to BOTH grow and improve your funding development while reducing overhead costs for the organization. Outsourcing grant writing services to an experienced consultant is much less costly than having on staff grant writing and brings more experience, resources, and efficiency to the organizations funding development efforts.

Typically, an organization with one full-time grant writer on staff will expend $50,000-$100,000 in salary, benefits, supplies, and resources. The $50,000 figure is a very low estimate based on hiring an inexperienced grant writer and providing them with few resources to be successful. By comparison, the typical Full Service Grant Writing contract with Here-4-You Christian Grant Consulting is approximately $13,000-$20,000 for the first year and even less in the 2nd and each subsequent year. Additional expenses are capped at $1,000 per year but the average ministry working with Here-4-You Christian Grant Consulting pays less than $300 per year in additional expenses.

Unless an organization has the funding to dedicate to hiring an experienced grant writer and support staff (researchers, editors, etc.) and can furnish this new grant writing office with the tools and resources it needs, the ministry or nonprofit should consider hiring a consultant to get them through the strategic planning and development stages of establishing a grant writing strategy. A three year start-up period with a consultant will place a ministry or nonprofit on a strong foundation for future success.

Below are just a few examples of the benefits your ministry or nonprofit will gain by outsourcing funding development to a grant writing consultant.

Knowledge & Experience - Grant writing consultants come with the knowledge and experience in developing grant proposals that have actually been awarded. We know the critical elements of a funding inquiry that will enable funding to occur at a much higher rate than someone without this knowledge and experience. Grant writing consultants perform careful research to only include the most well matched foundations and to eliminate foundations that are not a clear match. Christian ministries and churches should look for a consultant with relevant experience and specific knowledge related to your type of organization.

Credentials - Grant writing consultants have the appropriate credentials to document that they have the education, experience, and level of success required to perform well. Look for the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) as the primary credential for your grant writing consultant.

An Outside Perspective - Grant writing consultants bring a new perspective on your organization enabling them to diagnosis the issues that may be preventing your organization from securing grant funding.

Resources - Grant writing consultants often work with multiple agencies and organizations. They usually have a library full of grant writing books and resources. They subscribe to multiple databases (each costing $1,000s) to ensure that they have access to information on every known funding source possible. They usually have multiple staff members enabling them to have experts in research, writing, administration, and other areas critical for grant success.

Efficiency – Grant writing consultants have developed proven systems that enable them to be successful time and time again. These systems make for an efficient process that could take a staff person years to develop.

Cost Effective – Hiring a grant writing consultant will save your organization valuable dollars. It is sometimes impossible to hire new staff during difficult economic times. Many organizations under estimate the amount of expense it will cost to hire a skilled and experienced grant writer. The average salary for a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) is over $80,000. Individuals with a CFRE are the ONLY individuals who have the independently documented experience, education, and success that you are looking for.

Each grant writing consultant will have their own process and procedure for engaging their services. You want to ensure they have a publicized fee schedule that applies consistent fees to organizations rather than varying fees.

Look for a consulting company rather than an individual practitioner. A grant writing company of one suffers from the same limitations as having an on staff grant writer. They simply do not have the client base to leverage financial resources and acquire the best possible tools for the process. Larger grant writing firms with 3 or 4 staff can take on more clients and thereby purchase resources that then benefit many different organizations. Larger firms are also able to hire specialists that compensate for weaknesses other individuals might have.

Ensure that the grant writing consultant works on a flat fee for services rather than on a percentage or commission. The ethics of our profession state that it is not ethical to accept percentage or commission based compensation. This standard is repeatedly stated by the major organizations that set the standards for our field. This includes the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), and the Christian Stewardship Association (CSA). A grant writing consultant willing to work on commission is either unaware of these standards or simply does not care about the field established for professional ethics.