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It’s officially knee deep into summer. Are you enjoying the popsicles, sparklers, and giggles with the family or are you stuck in the grind? In this article (or feel free to listen to the podcast), I go behind-the-scenes to explain why and how you should take time off your grant writing business or nonprofit.
Maybe July is a super busy month because you have grants due, a nonprofit fundraiser, or more.
Yet. A summer sabbatical, two-week break, or maybe even a year abroad sojourn could be exactly what makes sense for you in your nonprofit or grant writing business right now. Even if you are busy beyond busy because let’s face it, every month becomes the busiest month ever. No light at the end of that tunnel.
I’ve been hearing the term ‘sabbatical’ thrown around in entrepreneur groups. No longer is this term only whispered in the halls of academia.
This actual term of sabbatical is defined according to
Merriam-Webster dictionary as:
noun
- a period of paid leave granted to a university teacher or other worker for study or travel, traditionally one year for every seven years worked.”she’s away on sabbatical“
adjective
- 1.relating to a sabbatical.”sabbatical leave”
- 2.ARCHAICof or appropriate to the sabbath.
So, yes, this is way more of an academia term yet also includes a nod to some thing sacred. Pretty cool, huh?
What is also interesting as most entrepreneurs and grant writers use this term as paid time away. This might mean having saved up funds for this particular time off or maybe they are generating passive income. For nonprofit leaders, the time I am talking about taking off is also paid time away.
Because, let’s face it. Taking time to recharge isn’t so relaxing when you’re not getting paid.
When to Take Time Off Your Grant Writing Business
Well, there are several different ideas of this.
1) Forced to take off time from your grant writing business or nonprofit
The most common is to take off time from your grant writing business or nonprofit when you are so
burned out that you literally can’t function. Usually this type of ‘time off’ includes sleeping for days of end (forget the Konmari you planned on doing with your break this year or trips to the beach) all the way to a possible hospital rest (yes, my first grant writing boss actually had a heart attack in his 30s).
This is a dangerous place to be, however the good ole American work ethic and literally work people to death. Not that good after all, huh?
2) Take Time Off Your Grant Writing Business After a Heavy Workload
The next most common practice is to schedule time off after an intense workload period. So possibly after a huge fundraiser or long grant season. You know you will need a break so you schedule time off in advance for after that intense period of working. Let’s be real, sometimes the intense periods need to be had. But by this time you are so burned out that the two days off (or week off) isn’t nearly enough.
Literally, your schedule time off from your grant writing business or nonprofit could also be like #1 (sleeping for days on end or ending up in the hospital).
3) Take Time Off Your Grant Writing Business Before You Get Burned Out
The least common but most effective. Schedule time off from your grant writing business or nonprofit before you get burned out. Seems pretty simple, but so many people feel guilty for doing this!
Imagine this: You take off time before the crazy intense period so you can feel fresh and 100% during those times and don’t require a 7-day Netflix binge with pizza every night just to feel semi-normal. How much more productive and less intense would those periods feel?
While looking at this in my own life and grant writing business, I realized that I need to be operating on #3 A LOT more. I need to
schedule time off in advance from my grant writing business. I am a very classic A type personality and going, going, going is my game. But I often find myself operating in the #2 (or sometimes #1) phase and it is not a pretty place to be!
What I believe I will start incorporating into my life – at the very least – is taking off three months a year minimum. Let’s face it, around the Christmas holidays and during summer I want to spend time with my daughter as she is out of school. Then I want a month to recalibrate and focus on things
that light me up! I know that by doing this I will be so, so much more present and energetic for my freelance grant writing mentees and course customers.
In this podcast, I go behind the scenes of how I was able to take off my ‘summer sabbatical’ and set up systems where my brand still continues but I get to take off time with my family!
This system can be replicated :)
Think about what phase (1, 2, or 3) you resonate with and how you can start to operate more in #3 to take time off your grant writing business.
ABOUT HOLLY RUSTICK
Grant Writing & Funding (GWF) has a Global Movement to Secure $1 Billion in Grant Funding for Good and $30 Million in Grant Writing Businesses by 2030. Holly Rustick, CEO of GWF, is leading the movement; a world-renowned grant writer with 20+ years of experience, bestselling author, and business coach for new and seasoned grant writers to replace their full-time income writing grants part-time from home through her signature programs: the
Freelance Grant Writer Academy and the
Grant Professional Mentorship.
Rustick is the host of the top grant writing podcast “Grant Writing & Funding” and the author of the Bestselling book, The Beginner’s Guide to Grant Writing. With an MA in International Political Economy, past-president of the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce, serving on numerous boards of directors, Holly is also an unapologetic feminist. She lives on the island of Guam with her beautiful daughter, Isabella.
CONNECT WITH HOLLY RUSTICK
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Warmly,
Holly Rustick
Leading the $1 Billion for Good Movement: By 2030, aspiring and seasoned grant writers inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy & Grant Professional Mentorship will 1) WIN $1 Billion in Grants, and 2) MAKE $30 Million in their Grant Writing Businesses. We are on our way already.
What is Grant Writing & Funding?
Quit your toxic nonprofit job and replace your full-time income while writing grants part-time, from home! Join our students in the Freelance Grant Writer Academy to create Financial Stability and Flexibility through writing grants for causes you are passionate about: https://grantwritingandfunding.com/freelance-grant-writer-academy
World-renowned grant writing expert and Amazon bestselling author Holly Rustick provides coaching that helps new and experienced grant writers replace their full-time income while writing grants part-time from home (or anywhere they want to live or travel in the world).
She coaches changemakers to master grant writing and start to grow 6-figure+ grant writing businesses on part-time hours via her signature group program, “Freelance Grant Writer Academy."
As an unapologetic feminist, Holly’s work in coaching female grant writers to master grant writing, find their cause-area niche, and navigate value-based pricing and nonprofit sales is breaking glass ceilings for women all over the world.
Every week, she coaches thousands of people through the top-ranking podcast, Grant Writing & Funding, books on grant writing, and inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy.
Holly has 20 years of experience in grant writing, and began her freelance grant writing journey back in 2005. While teaching in Kuwait and Indonesia, and then earning a Master’s Degree in International Political Economy in Belgium, Holly saw the light of setting up a virtual-based business in grant writing back in the mid-2000s. Having secured more than $45 million of dollars for nonprofit organizations, and then setting up a multi 6-figure freelance business, Holly has a mission to help female grant writers break out of toxic nonprofit J-O-B-S and create high-level income while freelance grant writing.
Inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy, students have secured more than $225+ million in grant funding and $4+ million in revenue in their grant writing businesses within two years.
To amplify this work, she is past-president of the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce and was appointed to the Guam Business Advisory Task Force as an advisor to the first female governor of Guam. Holly lives on the island of Guam with her beautiful daughter, Isabella.
If you are interested in replacing your full-time income while writing grants part-time from home (or from anywhere in the world!) join the Freelance Grant Writer Academy!
www.grantwritingandfunding.com.