Nearly 10 years ago, I contracted with a start-up non-profit that had won a seed grant in a Shark Tank style competition for non-profits. I worked for them for six years before they grew so big that they needed to hire a full-time in-house Grants Manager.
I often joke that I grew myself out of a job. The truth is that I love working with small non-profits and growing their grant budget from $0-$1M+.
I talk about my “grant niche” here.
I researched and wrote 5 grants each month for them. The Executive Director used to ask me, in amazement, “How do you keep coming up with 5 different grants every month?”
It wasn’t always easy, and I had to get crafty.
One thing that most grant writers agree about is that connecting with the right decision-makers can fast-track your grant writing success.
As a remote freelance grant writer, how can I connect with the decision-makers of local community foundations, etc?
LinkedIn makes it pretty easy. When I started using LinkedIn as a grant tool, my success rate moved in an upward trajectory.
If you haven’t visited LinkedIn for Nonprofits, check it out.
After exhausting the usual methods for finding grants, I headed over to LinkedIn and began searching for local foundations. I wrote a brief, but intriguing intro about how the non-profit had won the seed money and a bit about our growth and plans for the future.
I began connecting with foundation decision-makers and sending them the message. I received several responses. One foundation sent over an application, and the following year, they granted $150K towards constructing a new facility.
By the time the facility was constructed and opened, the foundation had contributed $500K.
And all that started with a message sent on LinkedIn.
How can I get started on LinkedIn?
Three simple steps:
- Polish your personal LinkedIn page and make sure the non-profit’s LinkedIn is updated and looking strong.
- Don’t start messaging everyone. When you find a foundation, do a few minutes of research to ensure your mission aligns with their goals.
- When you request to “Connect,” use the “Add a note” section to provide some context about why you are connecting. Don’t make the ask yet; just introduce yourself in an interesting way.
Once they accept your connection request, start reading their content and commenting. Once a preliminary relationship is established, send your message with your ask.
Let me know how it goes!
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants