Attending grant workshops will help you learn how to access funding for your organization. In order to choose the best grant workshops you must first investigate the organization offering the workshop. There are a number of organizations that will gladly take your registration fee only for you to leave the workshop with minimal or outdated information. You will also want to investigate the trainer. Ideally the person leading the grant workshops should have a great deal of experience with the complete grant process.
With a little research, you should be able to find companies, organizations and groups that conduct grant workshops. Obtaining the knowledge needed to successfully complete the grant process can be costly, though. Before making an investment for a workshop, do a bit of research on the organization offering the workshop. Depending on the type of funding requested, the grant writing process can be tedious and you will need to be guarded with as much information as possible. Grant workshops that offer just a preview of the process and require the purchase of additional electronic materials or CDs should be taken with caution.
Know who is conducting and sponsoring the workshops you consider. Oftentimes an organization’s marketing materials claim that a university or reputable agency is sponsoring the workshop when in reality the company is just renting space from the institution. Just because they are being conducted at a nice facility or on a reputable college campus does not mean the agency is legitimate or will provide you with the information you need.
Check the appropriate registry in your area to confirm the company offering the grant workshops has a business license and meets other requirements to legally operate in your area. You can also contact the hosting or sponsoring agency to confirm the legitimacy of the agency and inquire about past complaints. Searching the internet for information on the company may not be effective. Just because a company is listed first in the search results does not mean the company is highly regarded.
The marketing materials for grant workshops should contain information about the trainers. If the trainers are not identified on the marketing materials, this is a red flag. If you are planning to invest time and money, you should know the credentials of the trainer. Contact the company and request a bio or information on the experience of the trainer.
Look for workshops that are taught by individuals who have worked as a professional grant writers or in any other capacity where they have expert knowledge on the grant process. You should review the qualifications of the trainer with the same considerations as you would if you were hiring him to work for your company. Ideally the trainer should have experience with foundation, government and corporate grant writing.
