I was involved in a nonprofit who could not decide whether they wanted a grant writer or not. The staff were capable of writing grants, but they were already understaffed. I helped the nonprofit out with the indecision by not deciding if I wanted to be their grant writer or not.
The first thing nonprofit leadership and a grant writer should do is decide whether they want each other or not.
Grants can be written by someone outside of the nonprofit such as a volunteer or contractor. Or someone on the nonprofit staff. Or a combination of these. While a nonprofit might want grants, they do not necessarily need a grant writer.
Or maybe a nonprofit does not want grants. Writing grants can be a lot of work and some nonprofits can survive on only donations.* These are the decisions the nonprofit leadership should make before diving into the grant world. Once there, they should decide if they want a grant writer. Also, the grant writer should decide if they want to work with that nonprofit.
My relationship with the nonprofit was undefined and unending. As a grant writer, I should have better defined my relationship and planned for an ending to that relationship since the nonprofit did not do it.
In the end, I am not their grant writer which is okay with me.
* Note: I suggest nonprofits have a diverse stream of income that includes donations, fund raising events, and grants.
