How to Stop Caving When Clients Ask for "Just One More Thing"

Now let's get into our podcast episode so you can learn how to win grants and advance impact in the world. Hello. Hello. It's Holly Rustic here with Grant Writing Funding. And today, we are gonna dive into how to stop caving and how to set boundaries as a freelance grant writer.

Now, this has been an interesting topic, especially just like a lot of people in the mentorship and the academy, what they actually say they really enjoy is just getting verbiage on how to talk about something or how to respond to their nonprofit clients because sometimes it can just feel like the first thing that we wanna say, sure. I'll do that for free or no problem. I'll add that in. Right? And I always tell them to take a pause, come to Slack, get some coaching, and then go back with a response.

And this has been really helpful for so many people. So let's talk about how to set boundaries. And this is good for you nonprofits too because if you have a clear idea of what those boundaries are for grant writers or the writing consultants that you hire, it also makes your job easier because a lot of times you forgot what you signed in your contract. You forgot all the right. You're busy running, a mission.

You're busy running a nonprofit. You have things going on. And sometimes or the conversation, you just assume that instead of really, like, looking through and reading the scope of work or it wasn't very clear. Right? So this is good for clarity and setting expectations on both sides on both sides of the freelance grant writer and also the nonprofit or organization who hired you.

So let's go ahead and talk about that little twinge of guilt that sneaks in when a client says, hey, can you just do this one extra thing? And I also want you nonprofits out there, organizations that hire consultants, I want you to hear this. Because I want you to hear, like, the level of stress it can create or it can create a lot of bitter resentment even if the people are like, sure. No problem. And then on the back end, they're like, why did I just say sure.

No problem and just blurt that out of my mouth right away? It's because we're programmed to do that. Okay? So we have to really, like I said, you have to pause sometimes and be like, let me get back to you on that. And that can be the most powerful thing that you say as a consultant and it's the most powerful thing a nonprofit can hear.

So maybe it's a board member who tugs on your heartstrings, or maybe you just genuinely want to help. And that's the other thing nonprofits out there. If a freelance grant writer says, hey, let me get back to you on that, and then says, no, they cannot do the extra thing for free or at no cost, it doesn't mean that they don't wanna support you. Right? It just means that they have to set boundaries and that's okay.

Alright? Because if they say, okay, let me let me know. If somebody's asking and then they feel kinda guilted to do that, before you know it, you're spending your weekend writing a federal grant that was never in your original scope of work and for free, or writing a grant report, or all of that. And that's taking away the time that you could be recovering or spending with your family and then writing a better grant when you go back to the office, or like your office in your house because now you're feeling refreshed and you're feeling valued. Alright.

So today's episode is about how to stop caving and start setting boundaries like the pro that you are without sounding rude, cold, or inflexible. We can still genuinely care about the causes and still have a good relationship with our nonprofit people, but we don't have to cave. Alright. So let's talk about why we cave. Alright.

Freelance grant writers are helpers at heart. We care about missions. We care about impact, and we care about people. So when a client says, can you just write this one more grant? Or can you just sit on on this board meeting?

Our first instinct is of course to say, yes, no problem. But here's the hard truth. When you say yes to something that's outside of your scope of work, you're actually saying no to your own time, your other clients, and even your profitability. Boundaries aren't just about being inflexible, they're about being sustainable. Right?

Sustainable. So it really is giving your yourself the favor. And a lot of times in nonprofits when I say, no, that's not actually in the scope of work, but this is, you know, what we have. This is how we still support you. They're like, cool. No problem. Cool. No problem. Right? You also don't have to worry about being too nice or people thinking you're mean because you say no and you have boundaries.

That's actually very healthy. And thank you to Grant EZ Management Software for sponsoring today's podcast episode. We love GEMS, Grant EZ because GEMS is a software tool that organizes all of your grants. It also gives you an opportunity to invite your nonprofit clients into the software and you can put every single grant you've submitted. You can also put every single note with funding sources that you've connected to.

At a click of a button, you can see everything that's pending, everything that's been secured, everything that's been denied, and your clients can see that as well. We love that GEMS actually says, hey, bring GEMS into your meeting with your nonprofit clients so you can show them exactly where you're at with all of the grant writing strategy as you are working with them. And there's even a time tracker inside of GEMS so you can track your time with all of your clients. Never miss a deadline again. Never miss a document again.

Go ahead and join GEMS Grant Easy Management Software. Sign up for a free demo today, and you can also get a $50 off coupon code when you mention g w f, Holly, h o l l y. Go to grantwritingandfunding.com/gemsgems. How to actually respond them professionally. So what do you say when they ask, can you do this? Here's a line that works beautifully. Okay. Now I wanna give you some options. Here's an option that you could actually say, yes. Oh, this is spicy, Holly.

Alright. Listen to this. Sure. We can absolutely do that. It does fall outside our contract. So would be x amount of money. Would you like me to go ahead and bill you so we can get started within and then time frame. Please let me know by specific date. This keeps the tone warm, clear, and professional. And it gives the client control and sets a clear boundary.

So I love that if you actually have time to take on additional work, this is what I love to do is I love love love love to give the client options. No problem. We can absolutely do that. It does fall outside our scope of work in the deliverables though, so it will be x amount and we can get it done by x date. Would you like us to move forward and go ahead and send you the bill so we can move forward on that right away, or would you not like to include it?

That way, you're you're putting the power back into their hands as well by keeping your boundaries. But, however, sometimes you just don't have time. It is like, oh, by the way, can you just throw this in this weekend and your weekend's booked and you don't wanna work on the weekend or whatever that is. Here's another way you can respond. Unfortunately, that falls outside of our scope of work and we're at full capacity right now.

In the future, if we do have room and you'd like us to take on additional work, we'll just send over the invoice and can get started on it once it's settled. But usually, we need at least x number of lead time if we have that lead time in our schedule. So that way you're showing your capacity, you're also showing your professionalism. It reinforces that your time is valuable, but it also, like, sets them up so they're not throwing that at you again. Or if they do, now actually knowledgeable to know that, oh, if I ask them to do something, they are gonna charge for it.

So instead of just them saying, hey, can you do this? They'll probably say, hey, can you do this and how much will it cost? Right? So that's a different conversation completely. One of my favorite things for for you all to do as freelance grant writers, grant professionals, right, is to understand how much things cost then.

So when people come to you, you don't wanna spend all weekend, like, trying to, like, create a budget for this, if they're just gonna say no to it. So I would like you to think about outside of your scope of work, like, what a foundation grant would cost you. Writing a state grant, how much that would cost you? Writing a federal grant, how much that would cost as a standalone? So think of these all as standalones.

Writing a grant report, attending a meeting, putting together a corporate solicitation. So think of the common things that are asked or just, like, in that field of work. You know, you might have a range because they might come to you and say, hey. But, know, you're great at writing. Can you just write up this thing?

So you could absolutely just have that cheat sheet all ready for you to go to understand, like, what that would be if they came at you. And if especially if it's due in, like, fast, like, I also tell people in the academy and the mentorship, like, it's so important to have lead time and you can have those as policies. Like, we need at least three to four weeks before a foundation grant is due that, you know, we'll we'll start working on it. If it's due in two days, let's say, because it's not in the policy of three to four weeks, then you can either, a, not do it and just say, no. It doesn't fix our lead time, so we're not able to do that, but we'll put it on deck for next time.

Or if you do have the time to work on it, you could say that you could have an additional I've actually have people have additional costs like emergency grant because you have to, like, change up your schedule or maybe have other clients. You have a lot of due dates, someone just throws something on your lap two days before it's due. And you wanna write it, but at the same time, you don't have the capacity. Like, you're gonna need to charge a little more because you might have to bring on extra grant writer support to help you with your overall just with everything you're doing, or you might have to get a babysitter. Like, let's just face it because you didn't you know, now you're gonna be working through the night or something for two days to get all the grants done.

So you're gonna have to hire a babysitter. So if you do decide to take it on, you will wanna charge more. So you could think about, like, what are the regular rates if I have time to write these and it's, like, still in my lead time or what it would be a rush job cost as well, and what I take that on. What's beautiful about this cheat sheet is it does two things. One, it prevents awkward boundary conversations because it's already documented.

Like, didn't be like, sure. Here's my sheet. Right? This is what it costs. And it also creates upsell opportunities. You're showing clients what else you can offer that they might even know about. So you can even attach this to your contract or send it as a follow-up after those can you do this to emails. Right? Alright. So now let's also talk about reframing the mindset because a lot of this is just as well.

So here's the mindset shift. You're not being mean by charging for your time. You're being fair both to yourself and to your client. When you respect your own boundaries, you actually deliver better work, meet deadlines, and stay in your zone of genius. Your client hired you for your expertise, not for free favors.

They hired you and agreed to a certain scope of work, and to pay you for a certain scope of work, and all of that. Right? And that's what we agreed to. Going over and above that doesn't give you any brownie points, it doesn't give you anything, it's just it creates weirdness. Okay?

So next time that email pops in or that that ask comes in on the phone or over Zoom, remember you can respond kindly and professionally while protecting your time and your business. Alright, grant professionals. Let's recap. When clients ask for more, don't cave out of guilt, use clear confident language, very neutral, offer paid solutions with a smile and give them that option. Don't just bill them for it either y'all.

Oh, I've seen that too where you're already bidder and you're like, okay, I agreed to do this and then I sent a bill after and they never paid for it. It's because they that no. They thought you were gonna do it for free. It's the whole that's why I like coming and say, here's the option. Sure. I can do that but it's gonna cost this. Or no, I cannot. Right? Because I have no capacity right now. And then keep that cheat sheet ready.

You've built a business that keeps helping amazing organizations and you deserve to be compensated for your expertise. Remember, boundaries are not walls. They're guardrails that keep your business running strong and sustainably. Alright. I hope you enjoyed this episode because this is like one of my favorite topics because I know what it feels like.

I've experienced all the things on the other end. I still work through these things myself, and I always love it when you're working through and creating empowerment for yourself and for the nonprofits that you serve by having neutral boundaries that work for both parties. Alright. If you found this episode helpful and useful, please do share it other people and make sure you subscribe. Thanks for listening.

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