The last eight months have been a blur. In the last 10 years since Kim Joyce and Associates began, the world of grants has never changed quite as suddenly and drastically as this year.
Because of COVID-19, many new grants were created, announced quickly, and felt like they were due in seven seconds (OK, maybe seven days). While some funders really stepped up and increased their giving, whether those funds will be available again next month or next year is unknown. So much is unclear as this pandemic continues: how fundraising events will be revamped, if we’ll ever be able to attend an industry conference in-person again, whether we’ll work from home or the office, or whether our kids will be in school or learning online at home.
In this time of uncertainty, there is one thing I know for sure. I’m grateful for my clients who realize the value of a professional grant writer. “You are considered an essential worker,” a client said to me during the time most organizations were suffering their most uncertain financial moments. It means the world to me that my clients understand the valuable ROI they gain from a professional grant writer – the questions we ask that lead them to new or stronger connections with funders, the answers we can provide to their grant questions and concerns, and the workload we handle on their behalf. This includes strategically choosing grant opportunities and writing multiple applications for clients that have resulted in millions in funding just since COVID began.
I know this is cliché, but we truly are all in this together. We’ve all been working around the clock this year – nonprofits, grant writers, and funders. Some of us feel shell-shocked and exhausted. However, I remain grateful. For my health, for my clients, for the work, for my family, and for the army of other grant professionals in my circle who drop everything to support one another, no matter the time of day (or night). And for clients who answer the question “What’s the value of a professional grant writer?” with the word “immeasurable.”
What’s next? We don’t know. So we’ll keep our heads down, keep strategizing, keep counting words and characters (with or without spaces) that fit in the text box, and keep writing grants that gain the most financial support for our clients. We’ll keep working together, with others in our industry, and with our clients and funders. We know that the work we are doing is changing communities all over the globe. If we keep working hard, and build a more cohesive industry, we can continue to do our part during this time of constant change and help lead the recovery.
Your dedicated Grant Girl,
Kim Joyce, GPC
Founder and President