Five College Courses That Improved Your Grant Writing Skills (And You May Not Have Realized It)

Grant writers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and possess a variety of skill sets. The truth is, there is no one defined way to enter the grant writing world.

For instance, my background is in Finance. I passed Level 1 of the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) exam before getting an MBA in Finance. I thought banking was going to be my world, but my experiences took me in a different direction. I know folks with medical backgrounds, arts backgrounds, general liberal arts backgrounds - you name it. They all bring something new and exciting to the grants profession.

If you have ever taken a few courses in high school or college, you will notice that each course presented new ways of thinking. As I look back, I can pinpoint how each course helped me in my career and can help you, too. This list is especially valuable if you identifying college courses that may be helpful if you are considering entering the grant profession:

• Law: Business law or prelaw classes teach you how to create an argument, organize your thoughts, and write persuasively. When you are writing to a funder, you are convincing the funder that you are the right organization to fund. You have persuade the reader to understand why you'd be the best candidate.
• English or Literature: These classes teach you how to read for comprehension and master basic grammar, spelling, and punctuation skills. There is such a close connection between being a good reader and being a good writer. As far as grammar, spelling, and punctuation, yes, we have tools to help us, but it is still beneficial to know basic grammar rules. Tools aren't perfect, and we still have to confirm that everything is correct.
• Statistics: We work with a lot of data in our field. Understanding garbage data in and garbage data out is paramount. Also, making appropriate data comparisons is key for the reader to make the connection and understand the point that you are trying to make.
• Math: You may not need Advanced Algebra or Calculus, but you sure need to know how to add numbers up for a budget. This type of advanced training makes doing basic addition and subtraction of budget items easy.
• Any social worker-related course: Social workers make great grant writers. There are many reasons, but the key reason is that they have experience being close to a lot of the work clients help their beneficiaries with. Any social worker-related course you can take can give you great insight into some of the work nonprofit clients face.

Can you think of any other courses that have been or would be helpful for those entering the grant writing profession?

-Shavonn

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About Shavonn V. Richardson, MBA, GPC

Shavonn is the Founder and CEO of Think and Ink Grant Consulting. As a former nonprofit leader and grantmaker, Shavonn has over 20 years of experience delivering practical, real-world advice to nonprofit leaders nationwide.??Shavonn earned the GPC (Grant Professional Certified) credential from the Grant Professionals Certification Institute in 2020 and is a Grant Professionals Association Approved Trainer. Shavonn also serves as President of the Grant Professionals Association.

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