Episode Details

Nonprofits will happily hire you for your grant writing services.

Says hundreds of freelance grant writers and nonprofits that I, and Academy students, have worked with.

A nonprofit is a business. It is just a not-for-profit business, meaning all profit goes back into the business.

They still need to pay for some (or all) of the following:

• Rent or lease a space
• Procure materials (paper, printers, etc.)
• Hire staff AND CONSULTANTS
• Buy computers
• Pay for water and power and maintenance
• Purchase vehicles
• …and SO much more.

They still contract out workers.

This is HUGE!

So if this is the case, why do so many of you think that nonprofits don’t have money to hire you?

It’s because of some questions that nonprofits have:

• Can you work pro bono?
• Do you offer discounts?
• Can you get paid on commission?
• How many grants have you won?

Nonprofits will ask you these questions. 

It doesn’t mean by saying “no” to any of these means they won’t become clients.

These are just questions they feel they need to ask. 

Oftentimes, their board of directors will tell them to ask this question during any interview.

It doesn’t mean that you need to say yes.

It’s just a question that needs to be answered.

Just think of this. 

If a nonprofit books a Discovery Sales Call with you – and you follow our recommendation to ask vetted questions with one main one being “Do you have a budget range to hire a grant writer and work with us?” Then they know you aren’t doing pro bono work.

Even if they haven’t figured out how to get money yet to hire you, they booked a call with you with that thought in the back of their mind, “How can I find money for this?”

Just like you aren’t going to book a sales call with a social media marketing company or even a doctor without knowing you are going to have to pay for the services rendered.

How you respond to those questions is the Make or Break of Getting them as a Happily Paying Client. 

Inside the ETHICAL NONPROFIT SALES SYSTEM we teach you how to respond to these questions in an ethical way AND how to happily convert them to a paying client!

In 15 months, our Academy students have collectively made $2.2 million in their freelance grant writing businesses. So obviously nonprofits have money – literally millions, to pay for your grant writing services.

But you need the language on how to respond to these questions. 

Here are some tips for you:

Don’t be offended when they ask if you can work for free. Tell them no and why.

List pre-questions on your Discovery Sales Call page, including: 

• “Do you have a budget range to hire a grant writer?”
• Also add a disclaimer on the Sales Call page “We do not offer free services.”

Be curious instead of offended when they continue to say they have no money to hire you. 

Ask questions like: 

• “How would getting grants solve problems at your nonprofit? 
• Do you have time to learn how to write grants and keep up with a grants calendar? 
• How would hiring us alleviate your stress of knowing that grant writing is a priority but also knowing you don’t have time to do it? 
• Have you hired a grant writer before? If so, what did you like / not like about it?”

Ask them leading questions on how they could get funding, 

• “Can your board come up with funding for this if it’s important and a priority for your nonprofit?”
• “Do you have any unrestricted funds?”
•  “How would it feel to hold a fundraiser to hire us so we can build out a strategy for you?”
• “Could yo