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By Betsy Clark
Let’s be honest. You’re busy. You’re up against multiple deadlines. Your holiday “to-do list” is a mile long. You feel like you don’t have one ounce of anything left to give. And quite frankly, you’re completely overwhelmed and just trying to keep your head above water. Why should you consider mentoring?
Let’s dispel some myths and get right to the point.
Myth #1: You’re Not Qualified
If you have written at least one grant, then you are absolutely qualified to give advice to others. This chosen field is not an easy one, and we really need to lift each other up. Perhaps someone didn’t get a huge grant they were working on, and they need to hear that sometimes “no” simply means “not right now.” And it can even mean that a bigger, better grant opportunity is just around the corner. Sometimes a person just needs some positive reinforcement, and you are more than qualified to lift them up.
Myth #2: You Don’t Have Enough Time
A mentor/mentee partnership can be whatever works best for you and your mentee — as simple as a quick phone call once every month or two. You will look forward to hearing from your mentee about their successes. And in all honesty, you most likely had a grants mentor, too, though it might not have been a formal mentor/mentee pairing. Isn’t it time to pay it forward?
Myth #3: You Have No Idea How to Go About the Mentoring Process
The Mentoring Committee has made this part easy for you. With a wealth of resources right at your fingertips, you’re sure to find everything you need at lightning speed. Not sure what questions to ask? No idea how many months the mentoring process will last? There’s guidance for that, too.
Myth #4: You Have No Insightful Knowledge to Offer
Grant burnout is real. Self-care is so important. You will seriously sometimes wonder why you’ve chosen this as your profession. Receiving a grant award notification will make you want to do cartwheels down the hallway.
Myth #5: The Future of the Grants Profession is Not Depending on Us
We need to pour ourselves into the grant professionals of tomorrow. Our next generation of grant writers is depending on grant writers of today. Guidance, expertise, and a listening ear are so very needed. We’ve all learned through the “school of hard knocks.” Everyone has a horror story (or two). You may even laugh about it one day. By sharing your vulnerability with others, the grant writers of the future will know that it’s okay to fail.
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Betsy Crick is the grants coordinator for Lexington County School District One, near Columbia, South Carolina. She has 20 years’ experience in the grants profession and serves on the Grant Professionals Association Mentoring Committee.
