Description

Session Overview:
This session provides a strategic framework for nonprofits to navigate the hiring and retention of grant writers. It analyzes the organizational risks associated with turnover, such as loss of institutional memory and decreased revenue, while offering actionable guidance on assessing readiness, defining service needs, and implementing best practices for recruitment, pricing, and long-term professional development.

This session illustrates the costs of grant writer turn-over and the importance of building institutional memory, how to effectively support grant writers, and the roles of grant consultants. Participants will learn what organizations can do to identify appropriate grant professionals for their organizational and revenue generation needs. Participants will gain an understanding of how to recruit and retain quality grant professionals.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Analyze the negative impact of grant writer turnover on organizational compliance, revenue, and institutional stability.
   
2. Evaluate your organization's internal readiness, including financial resources, systems, and overall capacity, before initiating a hire.
   
3. Define clear scope-of-work requirements by categorizing needs into services like grant management, research, or strategic development.
   
4. Apply best practices for proactive recruitment to attract qualified, long-term grant professionals.
   
5. Identify and avoid common hiring pitfalls and warning signs of low-quality or inexperienced applicants.
   
6. Determine fair, market-rate compensation structures based on industry data and professional experience levels.
   
7. Implement effective retention strategies, such as providing professional development and setting realistic performance goals, to foster long-term partnerships.
   
8. Utilize available resources and industry tools to support sustained grant-seeking success and organizational growth

ABOUT THE PRESENTER 

Rachel Waterman is a Thinker, Writer, Advocate, Entrepreneur, Software Developer, Artist and Mother of two. She has held various community development positions including Peace Corps Volunteer, organizer, researcher, consultant, coach, City Master Planner, nonprofit Executive Director, and Mayor of the City of Lake Worth Beach, Florida. She holds a Master’s Degree in Community and Economic Development with a concentration in Applied Social Research, a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies, and speaks Spanish and Portuguese fluently. 

She is a Certified Fundraising Executive, a Certified Grant Professional, A Grants Professional Association-approved trainer, and the Founder & and CEO of Global Development Solutions (aka GDS Grants), the makers of GEMS- Grant Easy Management Software. Rachel lives and works remotely part of the year from Florida, USA, and part of the year from Florianopolis, Brazil.