Learning how to right award-winning proposals and developing awesome grant writing skills is a very much needed asset in today’s global economy. Many sales and marketing professionals need to have excellent and detailed writing skills that will allow their respective organizations to win lucrative contracts and granting opportunities. Without these skills, many private businesses and organizations that heavily rely on government contracts and private sources of funding would be out of business. Here is a comprehensive overview of how to develop these much needed skills while enrolled in college.
What do I study in undergrad
Grant writing and proposal writing is a very unique skill that is incorporated into a lot of business school curriculum. However, one of the best ways for a student to learn these valuable skills is to ensure that they are taking English courses focused on composition and technical writing skills in college. Most English departments offer a technical writing course in which students should learn grant and proposal writing. Students will learn not only how to draft proposals, but will also learn industry-related jargon, project management techniques as well as how to draft letters and documents associated with the RFP (request for proposal) process. It will also be helpful to study a variety of desktop publishing software such as Adobe Photoshop, Quark, Adobe Acrobat and other tools that are commonly used in order to draft grant requests and proposals.
What about certificates?
Another route that interested students can take in order to gain valuable proposal writing skills is to look into a continuing education course. Many colleges and universities offer students the ability to learn the art of grant writing through continuing education programs. Usually these courses are marketed as certifications and are designed to attract mid-level professionals. These classes are typically offered at night and are no more than six weeks in length.
How long does it take to get good at this form of writing?
It usually takes anywhere between two to five years of consistent and steady grant and proposal writing to develop top notch skills. Grant and proposal writing is a very well-defined skill and writers know how to write multiple proposals all at the same time in order to help their organizations win money from different contracting opportunities.
What are the salaries for grant and proposal writers?
Salaries in the grant and proposal writing industries will vary greatly depending on the location, geography, size of the organization and years of experience. Most experienced grant writers usually make anywhere between $35,000 to $50,000 while RFP/proposal writers generally make anywhere between $50,000 to $60,000 a year. Proposal writing is a lot more lucrative than grant writing usually because proposal writers are used heavily in corporate settings. Many corporations hire proposal writers to help sales teams win contracts from federal, state and city agencies. Grant writers are usually hired by nonprofit organizations, hospitals and other places that provide social services. Their salaries tend to be lower because these organizations cannot generate large profits, which inevitably translate into larger salaries for line staff.
Grant and proposal writing is definitely a good skill to have for any college graduate. Grant writing skills are in high demand and highly qualified and experienced professionals can command large salaries with years of experience.
