Like any other business, nonprofits may hire regular employees for necessary work, including grant writing. Having workers in full-time positions entirely dedicated to grant writing is generally only a possibility for large NPOs, as small start-ups generally do not have access to the resources necessary to hire full-time grant writers. The wage scale for nonprofit grant writing tends to be lower than comparable for-profit work, but larger organizations tend to pay closer to industry standard wages.
Finding the equilibrium between the size of the nonprofit and the amount of grants that the organization will apply for can be challenging. Generally, small start-ups may want to keep grant writing activity comparably small to ensure a steady stream of capital, not an overwhelming wave of funding.
Nonprofit organizations must be unambiguous when hiring a volunteer or freelancer to do any work, and must discuss approach, expectations, and compensation before taking on any worker. Additionally, a member of the organization should always check over any contract or volunteer work before sending it in, even if just to verify spelling or basic items. Doing so can prevent future problems with the very workers who help to secure funding for the organization.
