Posts

Benefit of Attending Conferences In-Person

/in /by

Konstandina Dulu

2017 Becki Shawver Memorial Scholarship

by Konnie Dulu

Upon award of the 2017 Becki Shawver Memorial Scholarship, I attended the 2017 GPA Annual Conference. This is the first grant professional conference I have ever been able to attend, and I would describe it as very well worth the trip. As a young professional who’s been in the field for 4 years, finding quality education is difficult. Finding quality education my organization will physically send me to is even rarer. In a world of webcasts and digital attendance, attending in-person meetings are all the more important.

The benefits of in-person meetings are the people! There are many aspects to attending in-person starting with Keynote Speakers. This year’s Keynote–Thomas Ahern–was very awe-inspiring. Without being in the grants field himself, he was able to draw you in, make everything relevant, and inspire you to succeed in your own career. Much of what he said directly correlated to working in a grants position within a company that may not fully understand your role. Attending excellent sessions is another very beneficial in-person experience. Some of the topics focused on creating a career development plan, teaching grants to those not in your field, increasing grant capacities, knowing how to manage from the middle, and recognizing your own power as a grant professional. Not only was the content engaging but also I was able to listen to those around me. The collective experience of other professionals in the room was wonderful! In every session are not just expert presenters but others in your field and in your shoes, experiencing many of the same day-to-day difficulties and various personalities types.

Learning from and discussing in a group setting with like-experienced or like-situational individuals is one of the greatest benefits of the GPA National Conference. Quite a few of the impactful takeaways I gained from this year’s meeting are from random one-on-one chats with other attendees and vendors. Everyone is a source of knowledge. Attend meetings, attend in-person, reach out a hand and introduce yourself, take a moment to have interest in others around you and what you may glean from them. It is the in-person interactions that help you grow as a professional and develop network connections in your field.

 

Amy made the leap to attend the 2017 National GPA Conference in San Diego

/2 Comments/in /by

 

2017 Susan Kemp Memorial Scholarship

by Amy Shankland, GPC

Once upon a time there was a grant professional named Amy who loved her career. She joined the Grant Professionals Association in 2007, became active with her chapter, and attended every national GPA conference starting in 2009. Amy even obtained her GPC in 2010. An unexpected job change in 2015, however, brought a halt to her conference attendance. While she still did some grant work, it wasn’t enough to justify attendance to her employer.

Every day she went to work but missed using her grant skills and experience. Amy also missed her grant professional friends. She made do with the occasional webinar and local GPA meeting, but she knew she was missing out on the big picture for her development.

One day, Amy made the leap to become a full-time grant consultant. She had an amazing client and wanted to become the best possible development director for her organization, the Link Observatory Space Science Institute. She applied for a scholarship from the Grant Professionals Foundation in order to attend the 2017 National GPA Conference in San Diego.

Because of that, Amy received the Susan Kemp Memorial Scholarship and was finally able to return to the conference to get the latest information on trends in her field. She flew to San Diego in November and was thrilled to be reunited with her grant “peeps” from all over the country. Amy enjoyed her morning walks from the Hyatt to the conference hotel, Paradise Point, and loved her first ever visit to San Diego. The perfect weather, sunshine, and beautiful surroundings kept her alert and open to learning, despite the three-hour time difference.

Because of that, Amy attended workshops that gave her valuable information she could use right away for her organization; networked with others who worked in the science field; and gave her own workshop showing attendees that grant professionals really are superheroes! Amy discovered she loved healthy California food, right down to her last bites of quinoa, rice porridge, and steel cut oatmeal.

Finally, she returned to Indiana with incredible enthusiasm and is already implementing what she learned to help Link Observatory Space Science Institute become Indiana’s Space Center. Her bosses were quickly impressed with her new knowledge and expertise.

THANK YOU, Grant Professionals Foundation!

#GPAConf16 & Silent Auction in Atlanta Nov. 9-12, 2016

/in /by

Congratulations again to all those who won a scholarship from the Grant Professionals Foundation (GPF) to attend the national Grant Professionals Association (GPA) conference in Atlanta from Nov. 9-12, 2016! Here are some comments from our fabulous #GPAConf16 scholars who are so excited to learn from, network with, and have fun with their fellow grant pros from around the world. All these Scholars will be volunteering at our annual Silent Auction at the conference, so stop by, congratulate them, and bid on some fantastic items and trips: http://bit.ly/2dRpRds. See you soon!

Debra Burns (Waynesboro, VA), Susan Kemp Memorial Scholarship: “Attending the GPA Conference will help me become a stronger grant writer who helps strong programs build even stronger communities.”

Nancy Ellis (Oro Valley, AZ), Arizona Founding Chapter Scholarship: “The GPF scholarship will help expand my education, absorb new ideas and network with other grant professionals in Atlanta!”

Matthew Fornoff (Tucson, AZ), GPF Scholarship: “First GPA Conference. Pumped to meet, network, learn, and improve my grant writing. Couldn’t have done it without a GPF scholarship! Thanks!”

Linda Maddox (Atlanta, GA), Peach State Scholarship: “Looking forward to attending the conference for the first time and actually meeting others who do what I do, which until I joined GPA was a pretty big challenge.”

Liz Ratchford (Factoryville, PA), Susan Kemp Memorial Scholarship: “The Grant Professionals Foundation scholarship will allow me to attend my first-ever grant conference and expand my grant skills! I am so excited to be attending the Grant Professionals Association conference, after 18 years I get to attend my first-ever grant conference!”

Laura Scott (Fargo, ND), GPF Scholarship: “The networking and professional development opportunities at #GPAConf16 are essential for #grantpros – so grateful!”

Rachel Smoka-Richardson (Minneapolis, MN), GPF Scholarship: “So grateful for the scholarship to the annual GPA conference – looking forward to learning some advanced grant writing skills.”

Karen Watkins-Watts (Brockton, MA), Chuck Howard Memorial Scholarship: “The GPF scholarship has a tremendous impact for me – allowing me to attend the conference in a tight budget year for my school district.”

Lisa Yalkut (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), South FL Chapter Scholarship: “Feeling humbled and happy and looking forward to honing skills, helpful discussions, hanging with peers, and having a blast in Atlanta! #Grantchat”

Are you a grant pro interested in applying for one of our scholarships in 2017? Find out more here: https://grantprofessionalsfoundation.org/. Many thanks to our compassionate donors and sponsors who make these scholarships possible.