8 Steps to Start Earning Money in Your Freelance Grant Writing Business
Download MP3#1: Get your Business Formerly Set Up
Should you open an LLC or Sole Proprietorship?
The answer to this question really depends on your state and what your goals are.
Other items you will want to do are consider getting your business bank account set up and identifying the name of your business.
There’s nothing sweeter than getting your first check written out to your business :). Plus, when you go to your accountant you can run your report from your business account and not your personal bank account. OMG, this saves SO much headache at the end of the year and keeps things clean.
We go over how to do all these steps in week one of the 8-Week Freelance Grant Writer Academy! Plus, you will:
- Understand the differences between starting a Sole Proprietorship or LLC
- Create a customized success pathway
- Create values for easy decision-making in your business
- Get your bank account set up
#2: Identify Your Ideal Client & Service
Now that you have your business set up, you need to know who you are going to serve. If you don’t know who you will serve then it’s going to be tough to market and get clients.
A big mistake I see most freelance grant writers make is to try and serve all nonprofits.
Unless you will serve all nonprofits with a specific service (such as doing Nonprofit Wellness Audits) then this could be a big no-no.
You can decide what type of nonprofit you want to serve based on the subject matter of a nonprofit (i.e. conservation, education, etc.), size (i.e. pup nonprofits), or geographic location.
For your services, you can decide if you want to specialize in a certain service or be a generalist.
If you specialize you might only do grant research, write certain federal grants, etc. If you are more of a generalist, you might write grants, help nonprofits get set up, conduct nonprofit strategic planning, etc.
By being clear about who you serve and what you do, you will be able to create better services and market those services efficiently.
We go over how to do all these steps in week two of the 8-Week Freelance Grant Writer Academy! Plus, you’ll:
- Map out your ideal client avatar
- Develop a nonprofit lead list
- Identify Your Nonprofit Niche
- Figure out if you are a Generalist or Specialist
#3: Create Branding for Your Freelance Grant Writing Business
Your branding is how your business will resonate with nonprofit organizations. That does not mean you should randomly pick out colors and go for it! If you do that, you will be re-branding before you hit publish on your website.
But to really feel like you are confidently representing yourself and connecting with those ideal clients, it takes a little bit of time.
But this time saves you so much more time in the future.
Be sure to create mission and vision statements for your business and run a SWOT analysis. This will help you define what that branding image looks like and that you actually love it!
We go over how to do all these steps in week three of the 8-Week Freelance Grant Writer Academy! Plus you will:
- Get a Crash Course in Website Ideas
- Get Branding Templates
- Create a mission and vision statement
- Conduct a SWOT analysis
#4: Create a Working Schedule
I know you opened your freelance grant writing business so you could work whenever you want and not report to “The Man”. Guess what? You are now the “The Woman” or “The Man.”
Having a schedule doesn’t mean it has to look the same as an 8-to-5 job. But most freelance grant writers actually start working way more than 40 hours a week and work creeps into weekends and vacations.
We need to nip that in the bum. Pronto.
However you want to set up your schedule, you still need a schedule!
This is one of the hardest steps I have seen freelance grant writers get used to. Let’s face it. Regular jobs don’t really depend on output as much as they do on you showing up and taking up space.
But your business requires output. So you need to make sure you schedule out your week in advance!
We go over how to do all these steps in week four of the 8-Week Freelance Grant Writer Academy! Plus, you get:
- Holly’s Ideal Work Week Schedule
- Tips on when to hire (and who) to help out with your work
- A Client Time Tracker so you get paid for all your time!
#5: Develop a Pricing Model
Okay, it’s time to talk about money. You need to get paid as a freelance grant writer!
But will you charge hourly, retainer, or by the service?
How much will you charge?
How often will you raise your prices?
These are all things to consider when developing your pricing model.
Don’t stress too much about this. You can always change it whenever you want to!
But do figure out how you will charge your customers.
I go over how to do all these steps in week five of the 8-Week Freelance Grant Writer Academy! Plus, you:
- Get a Template on Having Conversations Around Pricing and Packaging
- Learn the art of developing proposals
- Get Sample Retainers
- Receive a Post Discovery Call Template
- Get a Checklist and Script of questions to ask in a Discovery Call
#6: Communicate Effectively
Now that you have your name set up, your branding, and know you want to serve, you also need to make sure when folks find you that they want to hire you!
Make sure you have a website and LinkedIn profile and that the copy on your website is clear and gets people to click a button to hire you!
- Read over your sales copy on your website and on LinkedIn profile and make sure everything is optimized.
- Then, have a few different people that work in nonprofits read it over.
Are you showcasing their needs and solving their problems?
Would they hire you if they didn’t know you?
Having effective sales copy is vital in developing the know, like, trust factor!
I go over how to do all these steps in week six of the 8-Week Freelance Grant Writer Academy! Plus, you get:
- Website Sales Copy Examples
- Create a Slogan and Tagline
- A Tool for Writing Blog & Article Headlines
- Ideas for items to Share on Social Media
- A LinkedIn Profile Review
#7: Create a Marketing Plan
Now that you know your ideal client, have great branding, and effective sales copy it’s time to get clients.
I know you just moaned because you aren’t ready to learn TikTok. Don’t worry, you don’t need to learn all the latest trends in social media to market your services effectively (well, if TikTok is part of your plan then you can include it, but it doesn’t have to be in there!).
Instead, figure out where your clients are hanging out when they want their problems solved and go there.
Are they at networking events, conferences, or fundraising events? If so, start scheduling them in your planner.
Should you snail mail nonprofits? Can you reach out to friends and family and let them know you started a business? YES!
Brainstorm all the ways that you think would be the easiest to get clients.
Social media marketing is actually one of the hardest ways to get clients if you don’t yet have a following. However, if you do post on social media, then tag your friends and family so they know what you are doing!
I go over how to do all these steps in week seven of the 8-Week Freelance Grant Writer Academy! Plus, you’ll:
- Identify your marketing platforms
- Get Social media tips that don’t burn you out
- Get a how-to-use Canva so you can create graphics, fliers, and brochures (even for the non-techies!)
#8: Be Sure to Include Steps on How to Diversify Your Revenue
Maybe all that you do for your freelance grant writing services is write grants. That is absolutely fine!
But did you know that you can repurpose this skill into other streams that bring in money?
For instance, you could use your skills to:
- Teach a group grant writing class
- Write a Master Grant Application
- Write a book/blog/podcast on how to write a grant
And that’s all from one service.
You can also include other services, such as:
- Conduct Strategic Planning
- Conduct a Nonprofit Wellness Audit
- Conduct Grant Research
- Run a Fundraising Event
- Create Online Courses
- Help Nonprofits Get Set Up as Charitable Organizations
- And SO much more
As a freelance grant writer, many nonprofits will come to you that aren’t grant ready or for other related services. It’s up to you to decide if you want to do these services or refer them to other consultants.
But even for those that come to you to do the only service you have, you can think of creative ways that will serve more nonprofits (i.e. like group training) in the same amount of time.
Maybe you only write for certain types of grants that are open only during specific seasons. By having diversified services means you can continue to create income during downtime.
ABOUT HOLLY RUSTICK
ABOUT HOLLY RUSTICK
Grant Writing & Funding (GWF) has a Global Movement to Secure $1 Billion in Grant Funding for Good and $30 Million in Grant Writing Businesses by 2030. Holly Rustick, CEO of GWF, is leading the movement; a world-renowned grant writer with 20+ years of experience, bestselling author, and business coach for new and seasoned grant writers to replace their full-time income writing grants part-time from home through her signature programs: the Freelance Grant Writer Academy and the Grant Professional Mentorship.
Rustick is the host of the top grant writing podcast “Grant Writing & Funding” and the author of the Bestselling book, The Beginner’s Guide to Grant Writing. With an MA in International Political Economy, past-president of the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce, serving on numerous boards of directors, Holly is also an unapologetic feminist. She lives on the island of Guam with her beautiful daughter, Isabella.
CONNECT WITH HOLLY RUSTICK
Website: https://grantwritingandfunding.com/
RESOURCES:
- Weekly Newsletter: “Write Grants. Get Paid” - Get thought leadership on grant and freelance grant writing strategies every week in your inbox. https://grantwritingandfunding.com/
- Freelance Grant Writer Academy: Replace your Full-Time Income Writing Grants Part-Time from Home. https://grantwritingandfunding.com/freelance-grant-writer-academy/
- Grant Professional Mentorship: Double your Monthly Revenue with an Income Stream Outside of Grant Writing. https://grantwritingandfunding.com/mentorship
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Thanks for listening!
Warmly,
Holly Rustick
Leading the $1 Billion for Good Movement: By 2030, aspiring and seasoned grant writers inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy & Grant Professional Mentorship will 1) WIN $1 Billion in Grants, and 2) MAKE $30 Million in their Grant Writing Businesses. We are on our way already.
