This episode, Isatou Bittaye-Jobe explains how to reduce the time you spend writing proposals, how she quit her job and became a full-time grant writer, and the key business skills that you need to know.
Isatou is a Grant Consultant specializing in gender justice, youth development, and human rights.
Isatou explains why having a specific niche is so important, how to increase the conversion rate of your sales calls, and what you need to transition from employee to business owner.
She also talks about how The Freelance Grant Writer Academy can support grant writers, the benefits of having a community of grant writers, and the type of goals you should have when entering the academy.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- How The Freelance Grant Writer Academy can support grant writers.
- The business skills that are taught in the academy.
- How to reduce the time you spend writing proposals.
- The benefits of having a community of grant writers.
- Why having a specific niche is so important.
- Increasing the conversion rate of your sales calls.
- How to transition from employee to business owner.
- The mindset coaching available in the academy.
- The type of goals you should have when entering the academy.
- How Isatou quit her job and became a fulltime grant writer.
About Isatou Bittaye-Jobe
Isatou Bittaye-Jobe is a Grant Consultant specializing in gender justice, youth development, and human rights.
Isatou’s passion for social justice and the need to address the systemic inequities in the funding landscape inspired her to found AmiKha Consulting to provide grant writing services, and program design and strategic planning for U.S-based nonprofits and NGOs in the Global South to skyrocket their funding potential.
She has over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector and has successfully supported nonprofits to secure grant awards totaling $10 million throughout her career. Most recently, she was the Director of Institutional Giving at UltraViolet, where she oversaw and managed the organization’s institutional funding strategy and plan for raising the $5 million annual operating budget.
Originally from The Gambia, Isatou served as a Senior Program Officer at the National Council for Civic Education, securing six-figure level grants and promoting civically engaged citizenry among Gambians. She was also a founding member and Communications Manager of The Girls’ Agenda. Since immigrating to the United States, Isatou has served in various roles with the Population Council, Women Deliver, and the National Network for Safe Communities.
Connect with Isatou:
Quotables:
- “When I launched my consulting practice I knew how to write grants but I didn’t know how to run a grant writing business and the academy really helped me niche down my services and learn the processes and services I needed.
- “I have the systems and business running now, so I gave my job the notice that I’m leaving at the end of the month so starting next month I will become self employed and be doing my business full time.”
- “I now have time for my family and I can live my life on flexible hours and earn more than I earned inhouse as a grant writer.”
Resources mentioned in this episode:
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