I was reminded recently how important ethics are in the grant writing profession, and how there are many unsavory characters out there that fly in the face of any ethical standards. It seems unbelievable to think that nonprofits — those that are working so hard to do so much with so little — are being duped out of their scarce funds, but it happens. But it’s true, and it’s shameful.
It’s not only shameful (and totally unfair to the nonprofits), but it does a huge disservice to the rest of us who are trying to build and uphold a legitimate profession.
Case in point: A small nonprofit paid a tidy sum to someone who posed as a “grant writer” who promised them she would write and submit applications for them to win tens of thousands of dollars in grants. She convinced them they were practically guaranteed the money, and got them to pay her her entire fee in advance.
Turns out, she never wrote or submitted a thing! She strung that unsuspecting nonprofit along for a while, saying she would make calls to see what was going on. Then she started ghosting them. She probably skipped town, and that nonprofit was out (what was to them) a small fortune. They had trusted her, and because they trusted her, they had not done anything to protect themselves.
What could they have done?
1. CLOSED-ENDED PROJECTS (such as prospect research or a single (usually federal) grant proposal): What I do, as a consultant — and for everyone’s protection — is I include a deposit required in order for work to begin of 50% of the total in all my contracts for closed-ended projects. That way, the client is not out the entire fee, and I am motivated to start and complete the work and turn in the agreed-upon deliverables in a timely fashion, in order to earn my 50% balance due.
Everything is in writing! No handshake deals! I always have a written contract that we can both (client and contractor) return to and refer to. And I don’t start work until the check is in my hands. I’ve heard stories of contractors out hours and hours of their time (which equates to $) because the prospective client didn’t go through with the deal.
2. ONGOING WORK FOR SMALLER CLIENTS (that I don’t know): In the case of ongoing work for smaller clients I don’t know, I offer a “pay-as-you-go” system where they “feed the meter” for a set number of hours they want me to work. Again, in that way nobody is on the hook for an exorbitant amount. The nonprofit in question could have asked for either of these approaches.
3. ONGOING WORK FOR ESTABLISHED CLIENTS: For more involved ongoing work for established nonprofits, we reach a mutually agreed upon contract with either an hourly rate or a retainer agreement, payable Net 30. I turn in a timesheet each month to document what I have worked on.
There are other types of agreements between clients and contractors, that protect both parties.
Consultants: What do you use with your contracts?
Nonprofits: What kinds of arrangements are you most comfortable with?
Weigh in here.
When I was later approached by the nonprofit, they were reticent, uncertain, doubtful, worried, and understandably feeling burned. They had been scammed, and learned their lesson the hard way.
I had to not only tell them what I would and could do for them, but I had to double my efforts to allay their suspicions. I told them that I was a GPA member, held to a higher standard, as I had to abide by their Code of Ethics (which I shared with them) or face penalties : my membership being withdrawn, and referral to the GPCI about sanctions, including my GPC being revoked.
I “bang the ethics drum” consistently throughout the Unlock-Grants course, and make sure I communicate the value of a GPA membership. GPA not only boosts a young grant pro’s career, grant education, and feeling of community, but it also offers us all the premise of ethical behavior in all encounters — with prospective clients, employers, and with each other.
I feel so strongly about it that I pursued discounted GPA membership for course completion, as another benefit of the Unlock-Grants course. Check out all the course offers you here.
