Preventing Employee Burnout by Hiring a Grant Professional
In the world of nonprofits, government offices, hospitals, K-12 schools, and higher education institutions, there are fewer people doing more work than their 40 hours daily (i.e., fulfilling their other duties as assigned). The increased workload while covering for a coworker’s sick-leave or covering while another person is hired, etc. can lead to existing employee burnout if the strain goes on too long.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), burnout results from chronic workplace stress. Long-term stress culminates in the reduced ability of employees to do their jobs. “Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed," according to the WHO. "It is characterized by three dimensions – feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficacy."
One way to reduce employee stress is to hire a professional grant consultant. Finding grants is a critical task for organization operations, funding projects and achieving goals, and it's important to spend time seeking grants and applying for them. However, nonprofit staff members have many other duties as well.
Contracting with a grant-writing professional makes a lot of sense because a professional can add to the staff's knowledge base by offering another dimension of expertise in finding grants and in writing effective grant applications. The professional handles the time-consuming, detail-oriented aspects of funding, leaving the organizational leader and employees freer to oversee the organization's overall mission. Employees can concentrate on their areas of expertise, which can increase morale and prevent burnout.
Consider this scenario.
A senior staff person at The Best Nonprofit spends 30 hours every week researching and writing grant applications, which leaves less time for strategic planning and team leadership. The stress from working overtime, especially as grant deadlines approach, is taking its toll on job performance and morale.
The Kindness Project has fair success at getting the grants it seeks, but sometime all those hours spent researching and writing applications have a negative outcome.
Enter a contracted grant professional.
The Best Nonprofit's project manager now can dedicate those 20 hours each week to projects and mentoring team members while spending only two hours meeting with the grant writer. With specialized skills, the grant writer suggests new grants and submits higher-quality proposals, resulting in an increase in successful funding applications.
The grant writer's fee is an investment in time and resources, leading to an increase in successful applications.
A grant-writing pro has specialized knowledge of funding sources and might find available grants that the organization has not applied to. The pro also understands the often-complicated application process and can draft compelling proposals that stand out to committee members making funding decisions.
A professional reduces employee workload and increases the likelihood of winning funds because they are less likely to make mistakes that could jeopardize an application being accepted.
Hiring a grant professional can help organizations alleviate the stress and workload associated with securing funding, allowing employees to focus on their primary responsibilities. The strategic move not only improves the quality of grant proposals but reduces workload and stress on full-time staff. This strategic decision leads to enhanced efficiency, increased funding success, and a healthier, more motivated team. By investing in a grant-writing pro, the non-profit organization can ensure its mission continues to thrive while maintaining the well-being of its dedicated staff.
I've been writing grant applications for more than 20 years. As one of the most experienced local professionals, I would like to offer my expertise to your organization. Please feel free to contact me at AnnKeefe@123GrantWriter.com or call 419-619-4436.
Moving forward together,
Ann Keefe
Owner
123 Grant Writer LLC
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