Proposal writing is a task that can seem quite intimidating for NGOs. There are so many rules to follow, so much competition to beat and so many thoughts to take into consideration. So sometimes, it seems like a good idea to outsource it to not have to deal with it at all. But does it make sense for NGOs to hire proposal writers?
In this article, we take a detailed look at the issue of hiring a consultant.
There is no guaranteed success, but a guaranteed cost
There are proposal writers who write proposals on commission. However, for most NGOs, hiring consultants to write proposals do not amount to good use of resources. It will not guarantee to fund and even if you hire a very successful proposal writer, you will never know for sure. Sometimes foundations might have run out of funding or other reasons than the quality of the proposal might play into it. Nevertheless, consultants typically have a fee which they charge regardless of the success or failure of the proposal. So if you pay a lot of money for a proposal writer and do not win the grant, your NGO will effectively have made a loss.
At the same time, your staff will probably still have to invest a significant amount of time, even if the task of writing the proposal is outsourced. The consultants don’t have the needed detail knowledge and expertise to write every part of the proposal, so your staff will have to get involved – the time saved by hiring a consultant can be marginal, depending on the experience the consultant has.
It is more sustainable to develop resources internally
More importantly, writing proposals are something organizations must do repeatedly. It is an essential skill every NGO relying on grants to fund projects must possess. The resources put into hiring a consultant might be better spent developing internal capacity in proposal writing. With the same money that a proposal writer would cost, your staff could participate in training or you could hire an in-house trainer to support your own people. In the long run, this will pay off as you can internalize many tasks within your organization that would cost a lot of money if you would have to hire a consultant every time.
Should we work with consultants at all?
Consultants can be great resources in certain areas. They can conduct donor research, organize field research, create marketing tools, etc. External staff can also review and edit proposals written internally. All these tasks are added to the actual proposal writing process. If your own staff has the ability to write a quality proposal, consultants and volunteers can help them to make them perfect – with much higher chances of success.
If you are looking for training opportunities for your staff, check out our database with training opportunities worldwide.
I did not know payment can be commission based
Yes, they are and with no guarantee of winning the Grant, our suggestion would be not to hire Grant writers
Sub : Application for grants.
SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS (SPR)
Sub : Consultant need for proposal writing for ngo.
Dear friend.
Greeting from SPHR. SPHR is a local voluntary organization. It has been working different type of human rights and humanitarian activities in Meherpur district.
Now our need a consultant for proposal writing .Please advice me .
Thanks for you
Abu Abid
Executive director
SPHR
Meherpur.
Date 20 December 2022.
Mobile No-01733 928545 Email: sphrbd@gmail.com
It’s really challenging when it comes getting proposal writer at commission based.
True and for grassroots NGOs its better to use the money to invest in training someone from office in proposal writing than spending on grant writers.
Can I get someone to train my organization in writing proposals.
Could you please help get us from the developing countries, some kind of opportunity for training funds
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Hi Alta,
It is really useful what you are doing, giving us a know-how on project proposal writing. What my organization need to do (costs, your demands, administration etc) to invite you to conduct a course on Project for research and development proposal writing?
We are newly registered NGO how can we start hiring Consultants
Am a Humanitarian DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION Disruptors on SDG4-QUALITY EDUCATION Implementation Dreams.At the Moment,As Accredited Registered CONSULTANT/CEO, that’s what We are into for Project Development Proposals Writing for in Achieving SDG4-QUALITY EDUCATION AND STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION handled by Our Organization in the Educational FUNDING Actions.Thanks,Dr.Anthony Obo-CLAUDIUS OGOSU, NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA.