Start a grant writing practice for nonprofits

What this produces: a written log of six interviews with executive directors or development staff at small nonprofits, ending in one verdict line and a kill decision. What makes it tricky: you are testing willingness to pay, not collecting encouragement — a warm “that’s so needed” is worth nothing until someone names a price they would actually hand over.

Interview the people who would sign the check: executive directors or development staff at small nonprofits (annual budget under roughly $1 million) in two or three candidate niches. Build the list with the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, filtering by state and purpose, then pull each director’s name and email from the organization’s own website.

Run each interview in 20–30 minutes, over coffee or by phone, and ask the same six questions every time:

1. Do you apply for grants now — and how many in the last 12 months?
2. What stops you from applying more?
3. Have you ever paid anyone to write a proposal?
4. If someone delivered one proposal researched, written, and submitted for a flat $2,500, would you buy it this year?
5. What would you say is fair for that deliverable?
6. What else is missing — deadline tracking, reporting, funder research?

Log one row per interview with columns: organization, contact, applies now, blocker, price named, would pay (yes/no).

The verdict line closes the log: demand is real at this price, real only at a lower price, or not real. Count a “would pay” only when the interviewee names a price they would actually hand over — “maybe, depends” is a no.

The kill rule: if fewer than two of the six say they would pay, the plan stops here and the budget stays in your pocket.