It's hard to believe Christmas is just around the corner and once again we're fast approaching the new year. Before the year is out, I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on 2022's achievements, lessons learnt and what's in store for 2023.
Big decisions
This year I made the (initially) unsettling decision to quit my job and setup my own business, with a mind to working with a variety of NGOs across a broad range of project areas. What began as a fairly broad scope of work from supporting the evaluation of a refugee support service in Hong Kong to developing organisational processes and practice approaches, soon morphed into a targeted focus on grant writing services.
This shift to self-employment coincided with another major life decision, to work remotely while travelling abroad for 12 months. In February 2022, my partner and I reduced our belongings to two suitcases and set off on our journey, starting in Koh Samui and finishing in Barcelona.
Over time and with practice, what began as unsettling, turned into an invaluable experience and new way of life, significantly improving my work/life balance and reinforcing my passion for supporting NGOs to bring their community projects to life.
Working (& hiking) from Parc Nacional d’Aigüestortes - Catalan Pyrenees
Achievements
Here's a snapshot of my impact as a grant writer in 2022:
Applications submitted: 32
Funds raised: $1.3 million
Organisations supported: 5
As you could imagine, applying for grants in the wake of COVID-19 with a global recession looming is tricky business. Many trusts and foundations have either reduced or cut their annual grant rounds altogether, driving NGOs to compete for an already limited pool of funds. Despite this, I'm forever inspired by the strength and resilience of community organisations who continue to create innovative solutions in the face of new challenges.
Lessons
While I'd love to think I have all the answers, starting a new business lead to many new lessons throughout 2022. These included:
Enhancing the accessibility of my services: in November I had the pleasure of working on a submission with the team at Deafblind Australia (DBA). I quickly realised how little I knew when it came to hosting an online workshop together with persons who experience deafblindness and how much more I could do to ensure my services were more inclusive and accessible. I was grateful for the patience of the DBA team in walking me through how to make online workshops more accessible which included providing a visual description of myself at the beginning of the session and ensuring live captioning was available.
Viewing unsuccessful submissions as learning opportunities: While no-one likes to receive a "we regret to inform you…" email, I was pleasantly surprised this year by the response that I received from funders after reaching out for feedback. One in particular had previously worked as a grant writer and understood the challenges of being seen by a selection panel within a pool of 300+ applications. This process had the added benefit of establishing a relationship with the funder for future applications.
Obeying local signage when parking your car abroad: after parking our hire car to visit a local viewing point while in Barcelona, my partner and I came back to find our car missing. After looking around we realised we'd parked in a (poorly signposted) tow zone and bumped into another group of people who had made the same mistake. After a 50 minute walk and 200 Euro fine we were back on the road and committed to paying more attention when parking.
2023 and beyond
After a jam-packed and nomadic 2022, my partner and I have decided to retire our suitcases and are excited for a long(er)-term move to New Zealand in 2023. I'm looking forward to a 2023 full of collaborations with exciting community based organisations, confirming even more funds towards their impactful projects.
If you’re looking for grant writing services in 2023, or interested to learn more about my experience with remote work, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!