I've heard from several bid writers who are interested about becoming assessors so I thought it might be helpful to explore some of the key differences between the two roles to understand how a bid writers' skills can easily transfer to assessing.
When I first started freelancing I did some bid writing alongside my assessor work. I wanted to see whether I could do it and if I could make a difference to the charities I worked with.
I enjoyed the writing side of the role and learning about the charities I was helping, but I also found it challenging because securing grants is so competitive. I know there are many excellent bid writers out there who work very hard in spite of this, and achieve great results for their clients.
Whilst both roles influence the grantmaking process, they vary in which part they support. Bid writers work from the applicant's side to secure funding, presenting the strongest possible case for support, while an assessor works on behalf of the funder to review and evaluate proposals, often providing support to applicants too.
Bid writers research funding opportunities, so have a good understanding of the grants available, and are excellent at gathering information from different sources to present strong proposals for funding. This builds skills in persuasive writing, storytelling, and research methods as well as relationship building and communication skills with their clients.
Assessors on the other hand tend to use analytical skills to critically analyse applications. They have to identify strengths and weaknesses of a bid, assess risk and the project's fit with the funder's aims. Having a strong eye for detail can also be helpful, as is being able to work at an efficient pace. Having strong communication skills helps too, as assessors are often the link between the applicant and funder.
When you are a bid writer, you are championing a project, however as assessors you have to review projects objectively.
However, having bid writing experience can give assessors a useful set of transferable skills. Empathy and compassion for charitable causes is one major advantage that is often developed significantly as a bid writer. Having these skills as an assessor is essential in providing a positive applicant funder experience and in writing assessments that are equitable and fair.
Bid writers are also adept at building strong, well evidenced cases which helps in an assessor role in reading applications and understanding what a project wants to achieve. Being able to read between the lines and build the bigger picture contributes to a robust assessment.
Furthermore, bid writers have a breadth of understanding of the funding landscape. They know what funds are on offer and what their criteria is. This helps in assessing because it gives a strong foundation in how the sector works and what is required to progress an application through the grantmaking process.
There are further transferable skills too. Bid writers understand how valuable good feedback can be so are more likely to incorporate this in an assessment process. They also understand the components of a project and what is proportionate and value for money and how to communicate clearly and fairly with charities. These factors all contribute to high quality, concise and fair assessing.
Assessing and bid writing are both rewarding career choices with lots of crossover in skills between the two. Whichever role or mix of roles you choose, all give valuable opportunities to contribute to making a difference within the charity sector.
Interested in how to find work as a freelance grant assessor? View my ABC Method for finding and building assessor work for the long term.
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Note: I used AI tools to help draft and refine parts of this article. The ideas and experiences shared are my own, but AI supported the writing process by helping structure the content and improve clarity.
