Thanks to the donors of the Dr. Bev Brown and Dr. Bernard Turner African American Professional scholarship, this was my 2nd year attending the GPA conference. I tuned into the conference virtually which was as fulfilling as I imagine being in person would have been. I applaud the GPA team for creating such a streamlined online experience with a custom conference app to coordinate sessions, sponsors, and networking. Through this experience, I gained a deeper understanding of best practices as a grant professional, as well as affirmation that I am headed in the right direction as a business owner.

Working from home as a freelancer can be incredibly isolating. Attending the GPA Conference was a reminder that although no one is in the room with me while I work, I am never alone. A friendly colleague is only one email, one GrantZone post, or one GPA Conference away, waiting to teach me new things and learn from me in return.

For a few months before attending the GPA conference, I experienced bouts of doubt and overwhelm, and I was slowly creeping toward burnout. However, because of hearing presentations from other experienced grant professionals, I ended the conference feeling more empowered to keep going. I am closing out 2022 with peace and heading into 2023 with eagerness to apply new knowledge, incorporate positive changes in my business, and continue building connections with my colleagues.

While I deeply enjoyed each session I attended, there were 3 sessions in particular that really stood out to me. The first session that stood out was “Success Starts at Square One – Leading Successful Initial Grant Meetings”. This session was great because it inspired me to be more confident when conducting meetings with clients so I can lead meetings well, get the necessary information to streamline my writing process, and set appropriate expectations with clients. Early on in my grant writing business, I struggled with asking the right questions and leading effective meetings. However, I overcame this over time and began to guide my clients through a more effective initial meeting to make our working relationship stronger. This session provided the affirmation I needed to continue leading meetings with boldness, expertise, and confidence. I also gained effective tips on how to navigate difficult conversations when they arise.

The second session that impacted me was titled “Grant Writing as Activism: Funding Movements for Social Change”. I enjoyed this session because it inspired attendees to support systemic change and address deep injustices in our society. The presenters did a great job giving practical and actionable techniques to use each grant proposal as an opportunity to challenge broken systems and call out inequitable practices, not only in the world at large but within our own profession directly. Sometimes, when people speak about creating change, the audience leaves feeling inspired and motivated, but they aren’t given steps they can truly implement. This session went beyond that. Not only did this session give practical tips on using grant writing as activism, but it also gave an honest snapshot of the challenges one could face by taking this approach. While introducing those challenges, the presenters also gave additional encouragement on how to overcome them and press forward in the fight for change. I left this session feeling introspective to consider how I can better implement their advice and use the additional resources provided.  

Lastly, the 3^rd session that stood out to me during the conference was “Planning for Life: Building A Consulting Business That Stands the Test of Time”. I loved this session because the panel of presenters was very vulnerable when speaking about their real lives outside of their work as grant consultants. It can be tempting to wear a mask and ignore the hard realities of our lives when we are around our work colleagues. However, these presenters leaned into the difficulties of being a full-time self-employed consultant or freelancer when tough times hit. It led me to believe that no consulting business is the same, and no one’s progress in this profession will be the same. Listening to the presenters tell their stories encouraged me to think more deeply about how flexible I want my business to be so it can accommodate me, instead of control me, when I need more space to be present with my family, take care of my own health, and face trials in life. This session caused me to have an honest conversation with myself about why I decided to become a freelance grant writer, what I want from my career, and also decide what I do not want.

These are just three sessions that I found invaluable, but there are many more which I do not have the space to write about here.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to sit, although virtually, among my colleagues and glean from the expertise of others in this industry.

Thank you, GPF and donors, for this kind contribution to my development as a grant professional. Your investment in my career will definitely pay off and produce lasting results in the years to come!

“Let me live, love and say it well in good sentences.”–Sylvia Plath

I don’t think there’s a better quote that sums up my entire career—first in print journalism and now as a grants professional for a local government. I have deeply loved words and I have cursed words (using real curse words, ironically). After 25 years in community print journalism, I knew I needed a “Second Act,” and the locality where I worked and lived approved a grant writing professional in its fiscal year 2022 budget. I leapt for the opportunity to remain in the community where I had raised and educated my children and fought—sometimes with blood, sweat, and tears—to bring about positive change.

I started this journey in December 2021 and joining Grant Professionals Association almost immediately was one of the smartest things I did. I also joined my local chapter in Central Virginia, and while meetings have been virtual to date, I have learned so much. It was through that group that I learned about the GPA Conference Scholarship, which was perfect because we hadn’t planned for conference expenses during the previous budget season. I spent the 2022 conference attending the educational seminars virtually and even after three years of virtual meetings I still had a little trepidation about it. I’m still very new and there is so much to know regarding grants that I worried whether I would select the correct seminars and if information could translate well virtually. I’m thrilled to say I need not have worried. Every course I attended was incredibly beneficial and in the past two months I’ve utilized them often.

This is the first time this locality has utilized a full-time grants professional and we’re all learning together. While I’m a department of one, I know I’m not a team of one. I have received support from every department and Constitutional office in my locality. I gained greater understanding how to harness that participation through “Lead, Follow, Or Get Out of the Way” and “How to Manage a One-Person Grant Office.” Prior to the conference, I was not as forthcoming with what I needed from people and would not always ask until I received it. Some of that is a newbie way of thinking, and as I gain more experience that is changing.

As a local government, we apply mainly for Federal and State grant funds, so I learned the most from the courses that highlighted that. However, I do work with community nonprofits, the school system, volunteer fire departments, and others in search of grant funding to make a difference in our community. I already focused a lot on First Responder grant opportunities, but the course on public safety funding was invaluable. Congressional Appropriation funding is something that this locality has never worked toward and I found that information game-changing us.

I already knew that we would never receive every grant we applied for but hearing from other participants at the conference that it happens to them, too, helps heal any confidence bruising. Learning how to better develop grant proposals and evaluation plans will benefit every opportunity we seek. I want to thank the committee for honoring me with this scholarship opportunity. I cannot wait to learn more as I grow in this profession.

“Ask and you shall receive.” The words my boss said after I took her advice about my GPF scholarship, and indeed, a theme that was central my experience at the GPA 2022 Annual Conference.

In fact, attending the Annual Conference began with an ask. My scholarship application was an ask for support to grow professionally, and in return to help promote excellence in the grant professionals’ field.

I was thrilled and honored to be awarded the New England Chapter Chuck Howard Conference Scholarship – until I saw that it was for the in-person conference. I thought I had applied for virtual. Would the award be rescinded if I asked to make the change? My boss told me not to worry and to simply explain the situation. Of course, GPF was happy to make the change, and when, relieved, I told my boss, she said, “See, ask and you shall receive.”

Relatively new to the field, I have hesitated to “bother” others with my questions. How naïve I was to think only emerging grant professionals or those not working “in-house” have questions.

Turns out, as I learned in more than one conference session, chasing down answers and information isn’t something unique to consulting; it’s industry wide. It’s exactly this type of information that one gleans from a GPA conference that makes attendance so valuable. The lessons and topic-specific education are enriched by the collective experience, connection, and organic discussions. I heard about topics and scenarios that I would never encounter otherwise at this stage in my career. The answers and insightful contributions came from experts in the field.

I continuously pursue all professional development that is free or affordable because I intend to be a grant writer for the rest of my career. This year, the scholarship allowed me to attend the conference at no cost. The GPA Annual Conference offered many sessions of live instruction that were highly beneficial to my growth as a grant professional. It increased my confidence as a writer, my well-roundness as a grant professional, and gave me up-to-date information.

Sessions I found particularly interesting and helpful were, “Design Thinking a Dynamic Grants Manual for You, Your Team, and Your Successor,” “Success Starts at Square One: Leading Successful Initial Grant Meetings,” “Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way: Leadership methods for building collaborative grants processes,” “Become a Grants Management Master…or a Master Cat Herder,” “The Cost of Doing Business: Does Your Budget Tell Funders the Whole Story?,” “Opening Pandora’s Box: 10 Phases of Grant Management,” and “Is the Form Flawed? Grant Reviewer Perceptions of Narrative vs. Form Applications.”  

So, what was the impact of the generous scholarship I received by the GPF? It was a new confidence in my work and a broader knowledge base. November was an especially busy month for me, but after the conference I felt emboldened to ask questions…of the clients I am becoming more visible to, of my colleagues, and to follow up more, expressing urgency to the clients I know well. This is a benefit to the community and the consulting firm for which I work. More competitive grants lead to an increased ability for our clients to do their important work and it advances the grant profession.

I had been told that the annual conferences are energizing. I think we all need to periodically reenergize in our profession. The workload can be intense and difficult, especially amidst the long, drawn-out pandemic and potential recession. Being in touch with our community of grant professionals, learning from each other, and reenergizing from the shared experience benefits us all. We return to work with a positive outlook and a reminder of why we love our work. I found this all to be true.

The wise words of another attendee who shared, “I’m a professional nag,” can be a reminder that everyone, from the less experienced to the most seasoned of us needs to ask questions.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to GPF, and all the grant professionals who contribute to allow for conference scholarships. I was the grateful beneficiary this year, and I loved every minute of being at the GPA annual conference in Louisville. This was my 2nd GPA conference, having previously attended in Chicago in 2018 when I was younger and, presumably, dumber. This year, I was resolved to engage in the opportunity every way I could, and to grow from the experience – and I’m happy to report only positive results. This one involved a good amount of traveling to get there, as I reside in Fredericton, New Brunswick these days, and there are no flights requiring less than 2 connections. So to make it happen, you really have to want to go, and the help along the way from GPF made the journey possible.

It was a special homecoming personally; as one of a handful of Canadian grant pros in attendance, and as a former Louisvillian, it was so terrific to connect with colleagues both familiar and new, including faces or names I knew from trainings or online who I have never actually met. I was fortunate to learn about all manner of post-award grants management especially; and how to master technology to write/organize better, more competitive proposals – including federal appropriations earmarks. I came for the information on technical aspects of the craft, but in between all that was something else: the professional pride associated with being part of a larger community. And in one sense I do mean geographic and being a member of the chapter that hosted the conference, but in the bigger picture what I am referring to is the comfort in the knowledge that you all are out there – all the grant pros who do what you do every day.

I have been a member for a few years, and I am so grateful to each of you for a thousand different things – the mentoring, the friendly advice, the modelling of how to be a consultant and a pro. I learn something new every day from the interactions on Grant Zone and the exposure to you all in-person and in real life was absolutely invaluable. I bring back with me not only sharper skills and a sense of purpose from having participated, and am left with the promise that I can and will return the favour to the profession any way I can. Thank you for providing the inspiration. Season’s greetings to all and a happy 2023.