Latest / The Comeback Career Podcast with Fexingo: Returning After a Gap, Stay-at-Home Re-Entry / How to Return as a Nonprofit Grant Writer After a Career Gap
Transcript
- Lucas: You know, we get a lot of questions from listeners who spent years at home raising kids or caring for a family member, and now they're looking at the job market and thinking, 'I have no idea what I can do that's actually meaningful and pays a decent wage.' Luna: And a lot of them say they want to do something that feels like it matters — not just another corporate marketing gig. Lucas: Exactly. So today I want to talk about a role that's both mission-driven and surprisingly accessible for returners: nonprofit grant writer. Luna: I love this. I've actually been looking at this myself. What's the entry point? Lucas: Let me tell you about Maria. She was a marketing manager at a mid-size apparel company for about six years, then took seven years off to raise twins. When she was ready to go back, she didn't want to return to retail marketing. She wanted something with purpose. Luna: So she found grant writing. How did she make the connection? Lucas: She started volunteering at a local food bank — just helping with their social media posts. But pretty quickly, she noticed they were always scrambling for grants. The executive director told her they had one part-time grant writer who was overwhelmed. Luna: So she offered to help? Lucas: She did. And she realized that a lot of the skills she had from marketing — audience research, compelling storytelling, campaign analytics — transferred almost directly. She learned the specific language of grants, like needs statements and logic models, but the core was the same: persuade someone to fund your project. Luna: And that's the key. A lot of returners think they have to start from zero, but they've actually been building skills all along. Lucas: Right. Maria told me she spent those seven years managing a household budget, negotiating with contractors, planning schedules, and advocating for her kids at school. Those are all grant-adjacent skills. Budgeting, project management, persuasive writing. Luna: So how did she actually get her first paid grant writing role? Lucas: She wrote two small grants for the food bank as a volunteer — both were funded. That gave her a portfolio. She also took a free online course from the Foundation Center — now Candid — on proposal writing. Then she applied for a grant writer position at a regional health nonprofit. Luna: And she got it? Lucas: She did. The hiring manager told her that her marketing background was actually a plus because most grant writers come from social work or public health and don't know how to 'sell' a program. Maria could write a case for support that read like a campaign. Luna: That's a great angle. I read a survey from the National Council of Nonprofits earlier this year — July 2026 — that said 68% of nonprofits struggle to find experienced grant writers. Lucas: Sixty-eight percent. That's huge demand. And a lot of those organizations are willing to train the right person, especially someone who demonstrates they can learn quickly. Luna: So what's the first step for a listener who's thinking about this? Lucas: I'd say find a small local nonprofit — a food bank, a literacy program, a community health center — and offer to write one grant for them as a volunteer. Not a huge federal grant, maybe a $5,000 foundation request. That gives you a real sample to show future employers. Luna: And you can do that while you're still at home, on your own schedule. Lucas: Exactly. Maria did it in about 20 hours over two weeks. And the food bank was thrilled. They'd never had anyone volunteer specifically to write grants before. Luna: And now she's a full-time grant writer making what — fifty-five, sixty thousand? Lucas: She started at fifty-two, and after two years she's at sixty-two. Plus the work is remote three days a week. It's a solid middle-class salary with flexibility. Luna: That's a great outcome. And it shows that you don't need a fancy degree or a perfect resume. You just need to reframe your experience. Lucas: Speaking of reframing — if you're listening and you've found this conversation helpful, we just want to say that we keep this show ad-free on purpose. We think that makes the advice more honest and more useful. If you'd like to support that choice, you can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to keep this resource available for everyone. And we really appreciate it. Lucas: Okay, back to grant writing. One thing Maria emphasized is that the interview for a grant writing role is often very practical. They might ask you to review a real grant guideline and tell them how you'd approach it. Luna: So you need to be familiar with the common formats. Federal grants, foundation grants, corporate sponsorships. Lucas: Right. And the good news is that most foundation guidelines are publicly available online. You can practice by downloading a few and writing a one-page outline for each. That's exactly what Maria did before her interview. Luna: And what about the emotional side? A lot of returners worry they've lost their professional edge. Lucas: Maria said the first grant she wrote as a volunteer, she was terrified. But once she got the positive feedback — 'we got the grant' — that confidence came rushing back. She said it was like riding a bike. Luna: And now she's teaching other returners at her nonprofit. Lucas: Actually, she started a monthly workshop for parents returning to work. She calls it 'Grant Writing for Second Acts.' It's been so popular that the nonprofit she works for is considering making it a formal program. Luna: That's the kind of ripple effect we love to see. Lucas: So if you're sitting at home wondering if you have anything to offer, remember Maria. She turned seven years of parenting and a marketing background into a career that feeds people — literally. Luna: And she gets to work from home in her sage cardigan. Lucas: Hey, comfort matters. Alright, that's it for today. Next time we'll talk about returning as a data analyst — and the surprising shortcut that one listener used. Luna: Looking forward to it.