Grant Professionals Impact Survey closes October 8th

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The GPF seeks the feedback of grant professionals in the U.S. and around the work, as the results of this survey will be used to define the significant impact grant professionals make in our world every year. The Grant Professionals Association, its affiliate organizations (GPF and the Grant Professionals Certification Institute), and the public may use the results to make a case for support to grant makers and donors.

The Grant Professionals Impact Survey will close on October 8, 2016. All responses will remain strictly confidential, and the survey takes 10 minutes or less to complete. Please go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2016GPAImpactSurvey and complete the survey today. All survey participants can choose to enter a drawing for a $100 Visa gift card.

Visit us online www.grantprofessionalsfoundation.org for more information about the GPF, other grant research projects, or our scholarship programs. Support your grants profession by giving to the GPF. Please Donate Now!

 

 

 

GRANT PROFESSIONALS FOUNDATION AWARDS 2 CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIPS

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It is our great pleasure to announce two additional winners of scholarships to attend the 2016 GPA National Conference in Atlanta. We send our deepest appreciation to all of our deserving scholarship applicants.

· Laura Scott
· Matthew Fornoff

Previously announced 2016 conference scholars include:

· Liz Ratchford
· Debra Burns
· Nancy Ellis
· Karen Watkins-Watts
· Rachel Smoka-Richardson
· Lisa Yalkut
· Linda Maddox
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Congratulations one and all!

The GPF is grateful to our donors, and volunteers who make all our scholarships possible! We can’t wait to see all of you in Atlanta.

Our Chance to have a Big Time Impact

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Susan CaldwellEvery Chapter Challenge

By Susan Caldwell, CFRE, CGW

One thing I have learned about grant writing – there is always something new to learn. The world of grant writing is not a place that we want to walk alone. From government grants to corporations to foundations, developing a grant proposal can be complicated, labor-intensive and full of twists and turns. It can also be a lonely profession. I need other grant professionals to network with and learn from.

Unfortunately, many of us don’t always have the financial means to afford the type of learning experiences and networking that is so important to developing our grant skills. The Grant Professionals Foundation was formed specifically to provide opportunities for GPA members who need the additional resources to pursue professional development, the GPC credential, or simply to pay membership dues.

The annual Every Chapter Challenge plays a big part in making that happen. GPF is calling on all GPA chapters across the country to step up and support the campaign. Our challenge goal for each chapter is $250. Many chapters are also competing to become this year’s Star Chapter, a distinction awarded to the chapter who gives the most to the campaign.

Funds raised by the campaign will be used to award scholarships for the GPA Conference, the GPC Credentialing Program, GPA Membership, and Regional Conference Sponsorships. Chapters have the distinct opportunity to invest in growing the grant profession and helping their fellow grant writers improve their skills.

But it’s not just about growing the profession and supporting individual grant professionals. It is also about the critical work that the agencies, organizations, and institutions would not be able to do without their grant writers in the trenches, sweating over deadlines, trying to make sense of the latest curveball thrown in an application. Every time we help another grant writer become better at their profession, we are also helping the myriad of nonprofits that are able to do good works because of the expertise of their grant writers.

I recently had the opportunity to review applications for the 2016 GPA Conference Scholarships. GPF has awarded the scholarships every year since 2007. One common bond between all the applicants was a sincere desire to get better at their job.

One particular applicant put it this way, “It is easy to get bogged down in our day-to-day reporting and sustainability sections, which leaves little mental room for growth and new ways of thinking. However, putting away my computer and research for four days so I can focus on thinking about the grant process and the grant world will, I hope, open me up for aha! moments and fresh perspectives.”

Reading those applications reinforced my commitment to the important work of the Grant Professionals Foundation. We hope every GPA chapter will join us in raising funds that directly support individual grant professionals, the grant profession and most of all, the nonprofits that are positively impacting lives every day throughout our nation and the world.

ECC

GPC Scholarship Changed My Career and Life

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Kim JoyceBy Kim Joyce, GPC of Kim Joyce & Associates, LLC

2013 GPC Scholar

Nearly six years ago, I went out on my own as an independent grant professional. In the span of two short weeks, I landed my first two clients, quit my full-time job, became self-employed, and never looked back. At the time, I didn’t know what I was doing. But I quickly came across a professional organization with people just like me – the Grant Professionals Association – Arizona Founding Chapter. It was a myriad of personalities and job titles, but we all had one thing in common – we were all grant professionals. In an instant, I belonged to a professional group, and this sea of unknown faces became friends who were there to help.

As I navigated my way through the consulting world, I learned something very quickly. While interviewing with new potential clients (and often the first 6 months of having a new client where they instantly wanted to know what their “ROI” was going to be), I was constantly trying to prove my worth.

At GPA chapter meetings, our President would talk about becoming certified and the benefits of becoming a GPC (gypsy). What did that mean? Why did I need to do that? Would I pass the test? If I didn’t pass the test, would I be able to show my face again?

I thought about it and thought about it, and wanted to take the test. But as a consultant, it is sometimes feast or famine, and it was quite expensive. Could I afford it, and what if I didn’t pass? I desperately wanted to join the ranks of the many colleagues I admired. I too, wanted those three little, yet powerful, letters behind my name (GPC).

After months of perusing the GPCI website, studying the timelines, and figuring out what I thought I should study, I completed my application to see if I was eligible to sit for the exam. Success! Now what? Since I was self-employed and the test was costly, I decided to fill out the application for a scholarship. This application, and becoming a scholarship recipient, changed my career and my life.

I found out at the GPA National conference in Baltimore that I had received the scholarship! I took the test several months later and passed. That was all I had originally wanted – to pass the test. However, looking back, I see how this has changed the path of my career and I am even more grateful now, than I was on that day when I received the scholarship (the same day that Michael Phelps’ mom was a speaker at the conference!).

Since then, amazing things have happened as a result of my certification. I can say that I am among an elite group of 19 in Arizona who are GPCs; I can negotiate contracts at a higher rate; I have been able to secure clients over other grant writers who are not certified; I can explain to others “my worth” and why I am not “just another grant writer”; and most of all, I can mentor others who want to take the test but are afraid – I can give them the push they need to do it (as others did for me), encourage them to apply for the scholarship, and let them know the benefits it can have on their career.  I am so grateful for the opportunities that have come as a result of the scholarship I received from the Grant Professionals Foundation. My consulting business has grown by leaps and bounds, and it is my hope that all scholarship recipients are able to use their strengths, talents, and their certification to advance in, and elevate this profession. Thank you GPF – I am forever grateful!