Are You the New Hire? Ready for Grants? Need grant training?
Did you get a promotion this New Year? Anybody get a new job? Need grant training?
If you are a new staffer in a new position, how prepared are you for the responsibilities? With staffing shortages we are all experiencing in some way, shape, or form, it is understandable that a “new hire” may be under-qualified.
How do you prepare for the responsibilities of the job of Grant Seeker? Or any of the other names assigned to the job: Grant writer, Grant administrator, Grant manager, etc.?
First of all, you need to come clean about what you know and don’t know. How prepared you are, as the New Hire, is totally dependent on your experience holding the position previously, and how well you did at that job.
But if you are coming in fresh, and don’t yet know what you don’t know? Time to get serious and think about investing in some serious training. Or getting your new boss to think about it.
Grant trainings can take several forms. They generally fall into one of two camps. Each comes with their upside and downside.
- Free (or cheap) classes online on an individual topic
Upside: It’s free!
Downside: Training on an individual topic, or even in a full course, is micro-learning that doesn’t provide any background on what other challenges a grant seeker would face. Plus, “free” (or cheap) trainings are typically just platforms to get your contact info and upsell to you.
- Courses in a university setting
Upside: there may be credit towards a degree
Downside: It’s expensive. Plus, you have to show up at the same place, at the same day of the week at the same time, for weeks. Generally these classes are held after office hours, which makes for a long day. Then you have to consider: do you have a university in your region that offers grant training courses?
Wouldn’t an online training that you could take on-demand — with the broad perspective offered that provided a full picture of where grants fit into the fundraising landscape — be best?
But the downside in that version of training is that it leaves the learner with questions, and no way to address them. It leaves the learner “without a net” when they go out into the real world to try out what they learn “in class.”
What if there was a course that:
- Offered broad grant training, covering all the bases and basics of proposal writing?
- Was on-demand, so the learner could go through the course at their own pace, when it was convenient for them?
- Came in written and recorded versions, so the learner could listen to the content, look at the visuals and graphics, or use the written transcripts and slides to absorb the subject matter and have it handy to study, now and in the future?
- Included regular skills assessments, so they could gauge their comprehension as they built their knowledge?
- Incorporated tools and handouts to make learning, and doing the job, easier and more efficient?
And what if that course also included:
- Live group calls, weekly, FOR A YEAR, to field questions?
This feature would give the learner a sounding board on what they’ve learned and perhaps not quite comprehended. It would give the learner a mentor to bounce ideas and experiences off of. It would allow for deeper dives into all the content being delivered. In short, it would close the gap on attaining the knowledge, and turning it into know-how.
And then, what if all that extra added content was recorded, and divvied up into a Topic Library, for all future learners to access?
Look no further. This course exists!
The Unlock-Grants course was developed to close the gap between Knowledge (that is, the course content) and Know-How (transferring that Knowledge into practical skill). As Founder and Lead Instructor, I accomplish this by providing deep, layered content that the learner can access at their own pace, and coupling it with A FULL YEAR of weekly live group calls to field their questions.
The calls are my investment in my mission: to close the gap in understanding about grants in the nonprofit sector. And with nearly 15 years in the grants industry, I have lots to share!
Six Reasons to Invest in Grant Training
Investing in the course pays off in so many ways — ways that would impress your boss!
- Enhanced Success and ROI
Trained grant writers not only have higher approval rates, with some boasting an 80% success rate, but training also delivers an impressive return on investment, averaging 46%.
- Skill Development and Efficiency
Grant training equips writers with specialized knowledge to navigate complex applications and increases efficiency, enabling more applications within the same timeframe.
- Improved Communication and Compliance
Training enhances writing and communication skills, essential for effective grant proposals, and ensures awareness of compliance, reducing technical errors and risks.
- Competitive Advantage
Comprehensive training provides a competitive edge in a crowded field, with trained organizations standing out among the many seeking funds.
- Employee Engagement
Investment in training correlates with higher employee satisfaction and retention, with employees valuing organizations that prioritize their professional growth.
- Future-Ready Fundraising
By staying updated on funding trends through training, organizations can adapt more quickly to the changing landscape of grant opportunities.
If someone isn’t ready to commit to the course and the investment it represents, I advise using this language (or the full guide I offer for download) with your boss, or with your community foundation (or other capacity building grant source) to help pay for the course. That may help them see that investing in you in this way can pay huge dividends in the long run.
If you have no one else in your department that is able or willing to serve as a mentor to you as you build your grants career, this course can be especially valuable. Through the Unlock-Grants course and all the extras it offers, you will gain the depth of knowledge, and the confidence that comes with it, to be a leader in your field.
