Considering my options in grant writing
For the past few years, I've been mulling over whether or not to include grant writing as part of my career, weighing all of the factors given my skills, interests, and personality. I could use some input from the community (thanks for the suggestion Melanie!).
First, a little background: I earned an MSW in 2007 and had initially intended on direct practice in the area of disabilities and/or rehabilitation. I did hold one post-MSW position providing Information & Resources at a non-profit serving individuals with brain injuries and their families. However, after being laid off in 2008, I decided that working directly with the public wasn't for me, and wanted to go in another direction, but ideally still within my field.
Grant Writing has been high on my list of possibilities because based on my reading and the one course I took, it seemed so perfect with my skills:
- writing
- attention to detail (for RFP guidelines)
- research (researching funders, putting together the needs statement, maybe program evaluation post-award, etc).
However, I am beginning to get scared off by some of the more relationship-based aspects. Make no mistake - I do enjoy interacting with others, especially about topics of interest. However, I can also be shy; I know that is probably a huge deal-breaker for anyone wanting to pursue grant writing since cultivation and stewardship with funders are critical components. Another caveat is that I cannot drive due to a slight vision impairment, so meeting with funders or partner agencies would be a challenge.
I just want to get a sense of what options to explore given what I've laid out above. I have been trying to gain experience in order to get a sense of how good a fit grant writing is for me, but so far, nothing has fully panned out. I have other areas of interest, so I imagine there are possibilities out there where grant writing is just one part of one's overall role and perhaps where someone else is responsible for cultivation & stewardship.
Sorry this post is so long. I welcome any and all thoughts!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Derek Link on -
Hello Christine, It looks like you've given this a lot of thought! A few things to consider that came to mind. In my experience, most writers become writers because they prefer writing as a form of communication at some level. Then when you want to write professionally, reality sets in. You realize that you have to write for someone and this entails interaction. If you enjoy people, you'll probably enjoy most of your clients as well. As far as gaining experience, the easiest way is often to volunteer for a nonprofit you care about and write a few grants for them. Sometimes you can find a mentor who will help you by hiring you to write something for them or with them. Sometimes another good way to gain experience is to read grants for an agency competition when they call for readers. Not sure what to say about the driving part, but you must be getting around to your other life-appointments so I would assume you'd do your business travel in a similar way. Good luck in your deliberations! Derek
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