Why I love freelance grant assessing and what I've learned so far.

As the Grant Assessor Network continues to grow, I wanted to share what led me into freelance grant assessing, why I love it, and talk about some of the progress I've made so far.

There has been a lot of change in the charity and public sectors over the last few years, which has impacted people's roles and created several challenges. Funding cuts, pressure to do more with less, closures, redundancies and burnout are just some of the issues individuals are facing, and ones that I have experienced first hand too.

Before becoming freelance, I worked for a national charity and later in local government. Both roles had their merits. I had a regular salary, supportive colleagues, and learned a huge amount during those years. Without those experiences, I doubt I would have realised that assessing was one of my strengths.

However, I was never that happy. I found the politics of working for big organisations confusing, and I often struggled to feel that I truly fit in. There were times where I'd produce a piece of work only for the goalposts to change and I'd have to start over again. Over time, this left me feeling exhausted and at the mercy of the organisations I worked for.

So, when the stars aligned and I saw an opportunity to go freelance, I realised this could be a good solution to traditional employment. I wanted greater control over my working life and to be the one making the key decisions. I also wanted space for both my work and my family, rather than feeling as though one constantly came at the expense of the other.

Five years on, I'm so pleased to be able to look back with the knowledge that I made the right choice. I enjoy greater flexibility in my day, can be more picky over who I work with, and can make room for various commitments. While it can be hard work, it is a powerful antidote to the pressures of working for others.

Also, the nature of assessing is that it has a clear beginning and end. I know what needs to be done and can plan my time accordingly. It allows me to contribute to the charity sector using my skills without demanding all of my time. It also means I'm not subjected to unrealistic targets that create pressures I can't always meet.

However, as I've become more established, I realised that freelance grant assessing isn't a very visible profession. Yet it is both valuable and valued by many grantmakers.

Every year, UK funders distribute billions of pounds in grants, and countless applications are assessed in the process. I often found myself wondering: where are all the assessors, and why isn't there a stronger presence for those of us who are freelance?

I knew other assessors were out there, and I knew funders needed us too but there was no-where we could find each other, there seemed to be a significant gap when it came to bringing people together and making life easier for everyone involved. I wanted to create something that would strengthen our profession and make finding opportunities more straightforward.

Which brings us to where we are today, with this wonderful community of assessors.

There are now almost 150 members in the Grant Assessor Network, which is incredible considering I created the network just over a year ago. It is home to such a wide range of skills and experience, much of it borne from employment in the charity sector. I'm genuinely so pleased to be able to offer a home to bring assessors together and to shout about it to funders.

Letting them know who is in the Network and how they access this talented pool of people is key and is what I'm working on next. I'm excited to continue developing this and building something genuinely valuable for everyone involved. Here's to embarking on this next chapter 🙌🍾.

If you want to share your own story of how you came to freelance assessing, I'd love to hear it! Please feel free to email me or comment below, thanks.