Becoming a Grant Writer – an Ongoing Journey!
Becoming a Grant Writer – an Ongoing Journey!
By Roger Magnus
As a nonprofit prospect researcher helping nonprofits find new foundation funders, I realized in the fall of 2024 that I needed to add grant writing as a service to my business. For a while, I had seen nonprofit postings requiring consultants with both grant research and writing experience, and felt I was missing opportunities without the writing piece. From speaking with other grant writing consultants, I learned that grant writers often are asked to write an updated grant application periodically to the same funder – an element of sustainability that my grant research projects lacked.
The big question for me: how do I learn grant writing? I interviewed a grant writer from my consultants’ group, and she mentioned that many novice grant writers learn by assisting more experienced grant writers. She was unable to take me on but suggested I send an inquiry to the group to see if any others were interested. Immediately, two grant writers wrote back. Unfortunately, neither worked out long enough for me to learn what I needed. After trying once more with another grant writer, an attempt that also ended too soon, I started investigating grant writing courses in the spring of 2025. There were a few possibilities, but each cost several thousand dollars, and it was tricky to evaluate the pros and cons of each. Fortunately, I came across a grant instructor I had not found before. As soon as I read the instructor’s webpage, I knew I had found the best one for me. Some others emphasized making money, while she focused on the societal impact of writing grant proposals.
I enrolled in her 90-day course. It was intense with weekly lectures and assignments, and extra content that went beyond just writing grants. For example: 1.) better ways to phrase arguments and explain with data, and 2.) other related ways to help nonprofits with their fundraising besides grant writing. I wrote only one sample grant, but the instructor ripped it apart in every way, requiring several revisions. I was drained but happy by the time I got to the final result. The course also covered how to run a grant writing business, and I completed it with a set of goals and a 90-day plan to move forward. Graduating from the program in the late summer of 2025, I feel well prepared, and I can bounce questions and ideas off other alumni at any time.
The next phase is to get more experience writing grants. Fortunately, I had mentioned the course to another AIIP member who serves on the board of a cultural nonprofit. She recently hired me for a one-year term to write grants for it; I am very grateful to her. This shows the power of AIIP membership,
The current irony is that my prospect research business has taken off since I finished the course, and I have had to put my grant-writing business goals on hold until things slow down. I don’t know if it is coincidental, but I believe the knowledge from the course has already made me a better researcher.
This journey to learn grant writing is ongoing. It has not been straightforward, but it has been so worthwhile to learn a new skill, one I think will ultimately transform my business – and more importantly, make the world a better place.
Roger Magnus is CEO of Roger Magnus Research. Services provided include research and analysis for nonprofits to locate donor/foundation funding and wealth screens, for businesses to find news, trends, companies, industries, and demographics (U.S. Census Bureau), and for other types of organizations, such as academia or government. Also provides customized training on DIY donor and foundation research. Have recently added grant writing as a service. He as held the following AIIP positions: Social Media and Marketing Referral Committee, chair; Virtual Events Committee; AIIP Board Treasurer
