Where in the Organization Chart Does Your Grant Professional Belong?

Where do you belong in your organization? Who do you report to? And does your boss even understand the world of grants? The answers vary with every grant professional.

 

We bring in funding for our organization, so some agencies lump us in the finance department. We are fundraisers, so nonprofits often place us in the development department. Some metropolitan cities have grant professionals embedded in multiple departments – police, fire, parks and recreation, and transportation. Sometimes we are found in administration or some other catchall department. We might report to city managers, executive directors, development directors, finance directors, vice presidents, assistant superintendents, or any number of titles found in nonprofits, universities, local governments, K-12 schools, and other organizations.

 

But where is the right fit for a grant professional? And while the specific answer is “it depends,” the general answer is “where decision-making happens.” Despite many people labeling us “grant writers”, you cannot simply hide us in some corner and expect us to write, write, and write until the money starts flowing.

 

Grant professionals, successful ones at least, have a seat at the leadership table. We are involved in strategic planning. We have a voice in matching programs and projects to funding opportunities. We educate our bosses, boards, and colleagues about grants, specifically what they do and don’t do. We collaborate with program directors, accountants, and organizational leadership. To do all of that, our position should be housed in a department or with a team that naturally allows interaction with our peers and has some semblance of authority in decision-making.

 

Whether you believe it or not, whom we report to and where we sit in an organizational chart either commands respect or does not. You want your grant professional to be taken seriously. You want your staff, community partners, and funders to respect their values, words, and ideas. This gives grant professionals the ability to put forth the most competitive grant proposals, increasing the odds of funding  your organization’s good work.

 

If you are an executive director (or leader with some other title) and have no idea how the world of grants works, then hire an experienced grant professional and believe the advice and information they share with you. Ask questions. Attend meetings with your grant professional. Consider attending grant training. The more you know about the world of grants, the better you can support and uplift your organization’s grant professional and their work. Not sure where to begin? Check out our latest Fundraising HayDay Podcast, where my cohost Kimberly and I  share tips and ideas in What I Wish My Boss Knew About Grants – HayDay Services.

 

Just as nobody puts baby in a corner, nobody should put their grant professional in a corner either!

 

DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services, LLC is so excited to be season 6 sponsors for Fundraising HayDay, a podcast about grants and such. Catch up on seasons 1 – 5 and stay up to date on the new season here.

Don’t let grants stress you out, check out the helpful grant writing services our team has to offer here.

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