News from the Grant Professionals Foundations

An amazing Silent Auction!

/by

Simply amazing! Our annual Silent Auction in Atlanta was without a doubt a wonderful success. Thank you to the entire grant professional community. We hope you are enjoying your books, wine, jewelry, gift card/certificate, or other item you took home. If you won a trip to Costa Rica, South Africa, or some other exotic destination, think of us at GPF as you are relaxing on a beach or exploring some other fabulous destination.

The financial gifts you made help us provide even more scholarships in 2017 for your fellow grant professionals to attend #GPAConf17 in San Diego, earn GPC status, join GPA, and hold regional GPA chapter conferences.

We hope to see you in the NEW YEAR and at the GPA National Conference November 8-11, 2017 in San Diego!

Happy Holidays!

The Grant Professionals Foundation Silent Auction Team

Keeping in Touch with Your Foundation Donors

/by

Teri BlandonBy Teri S. Blandon, GPC, CFRE; Vice President for External Relations, PAI

The 2016 election caused massive disruptions to many people, personally and professionally. As I work for a women’s reproductive rights advocacy organization, the election results caused us to pivot quickly. Immediately, we had to pull back our annual appeal letter (which was at the printer) and completely rewrite it to reflect the new reality. On an organizational level, we have had to significantly revise our 2017 program plan, which will impact our upcoming foundation proposals and reports.

The election may have caused similar disruptions in your nonprofits. While there are a lot of unknowns about what the future brings, there are concrete things you can and should be doing to maintain positive relationships with your institutional donors.

  • Talk with the community you serve. The campaigns were extraordinarily acrimonious, and stirred up a lot of negative feelings and uncovered deep schisms in our country at many levels. How has this played out in your community (however you define “community”)? Whether you operate locally, state-wide, nationally or internationally, no one has been left unaffected by the campaigns and election. Your nonprofit is on the frontline — what are you learning about the people you serve that could be useful to your funders?
  • Check in with your program colleagues. What worries the program experts about the incoming Congress and Administration? How are your programs and community likely to be affected by policies at the state and national levels? Perhaps there was some good news in your state elections — for example, some jurisdictions increased the minimum wage which will positively impact many of the groups we serve. Make sure you are aware of any discussions going on about how your nonprofit may have to change or adapt your programming in the coming months.
  • Talk to your foundation donors. Almost all of our foundations are now talking internally about how their strategy will shift in light of the Trump-Pence administration. While these discussions will likely take some time, you have a golden opportunity to position your organization as a provider of important and useful intelligence. Thinking back to my first bullet point — what do you know about how the community is feeling/reacting? What is happening within your community to address the issues churned up by the election? And pulling in the information referenced in my second bullet point — what is your nonprofit doing about it? In the case of my organization, we were able to pull together an analysis of the probable funding cuts and policy changes that will happen after the inauguration, and distributed it to our top funders. (The best part is that this was the idea of our Programs staff!) We intend to keep them updated as new information becomes available. We received several emails in response expressing how much the program officers appreciated the information. This wasn’t about asking for money (that will come later); it was about making sure our funders had accurate and timely information they can use when discussing their own strategy.

You are not powerless — you have important information about how upcoming policies and funding decisions affect real people. Use it to advocate for the people you serve by sharing it with your donors. It will position your organization as a provider of services and intelligence.

After the Exam

/by

BethanyBy Bethany Turner, GPC of bmtconsulting
GPC Scholar

When I first learned about the Grant Professional Certification (GPC) through a #GrantChat, I knew I wanted to become a GPC. About a year ago I earnestly started preparing to sit for the GPC exam. I was fortunate to receive a scholarship from the Grant Professionals Foundation. This gave me a definite timeline to sit for the exam. I knew I had to take it by September 30, 2016, and that really gave me a lot of motivation.

To be able to sit for the exam, I had to take the eligibility quiz, submit my eligibility packet, and then once it was approved, schedule my exam. The GPCI outlines all the steps and the timeline you need to complete them on their website. Since I had to take the test by September 30, 2016, I scheduled my test at a Kryterion Testing Center near me. The hardest part of scheduling my exam was deciding when I wanted to take it. Kryterion Testing Centers have options all day long. I took both the multiple choice and writing prompt on the same day.

I thought I would feel a huge relief after the test was over, but I more felt anxious and extremely tired. I took the exam on a Thursday, and it took me the whole weekend to feel energy again.

But after taking the exam, I still celebrated with Starbucks and a steak dinner cooked by my husband.

When I received the email to let me know I had passed the GPC exam and become a GPC, we celebrated even more. I sent texts to my family and a few close friends and then made the announcement on my favorite social media sites. I spent part of the day updating my professional profiles, resume, email signatures to include the GPC. My husband brought me flowers. That evening we went out to dinner, GPC’s choice, and got dessert. During that day when I would think about passing the exam, I would just smile to myself. It still brings a smile to my face. I felt a huge sense of relief and accomplishment after I received the official email.

I had lots of people cheering me on through the process, and I appreciated all of their support! Many are GPCs. Knowing that these grant professionals who have gone before me and become GPCs were encouraging me on made such an impact.

Sitting for the GPC exam does take a great deal of preparation. I had to dedicate a lot of time to studying and preparing. The preparation alone to sit for the exam has made me a much better grant professional. It gave me the tools and specifically confidence I needed to feel like a true professional.

Bio: Bethany Turner is a Grant Professional Certified (GPC) and owner of bmtconsulting – funding your future. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Studies from Ball State University, Bethany got her start in the grant professional as an AmeriCorps VISTA member in 2011.Since becoming a grant professional, Bethany has worked with many different organizations securing more than a million dollars in federal, state, and private foundation funds. These grant monies have been awarded for disaster response and rebuilding, humanitarian aid, grief counseling, arts and culture, arts education, drama therapy, historic preservation, and higher education. In 2015, Bethany earned a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Administration from Western Kentucky University. Bethany loves reading, traveling (anywhere and everywhere), and cheering on The Ohio State Buckeyes and Denver Broncos.

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

/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.

 

GPF Silent Auction: See Your Name in Lights

/by
See Your Name in Lights!
The GPF Silent Auction is just around the corner! You can bid on some fantastic items to grow your craft, enjoy a night out, find adventure, and satisfy your taste buds.

  • Baskets and selections of food and wine, chocolates, and cheeses, jewelry, sports memorabilia, photography, and handcrafted items
  • Trips far and wide – to the beaches of North Carolina, California wine country, cabins in the Smokey Mountains, a condo in Cabo, a villa in France, an African safari, and more
  • Step up your grant game with GPA conference registrations, memberships, GPCI exam credits, books, webinars, and other grant resources to help you grow your skills as a grants professional beyond the conference

There are items perfect for gifting and things you’ll want to keep for yourself. Take a sneak peek at all your favorite items. Then, get ready to bid, bid, bid!

The Grant Professionals Foundation looks forward to seeing you in Atlanta!

Thank you GPF!

/by

The Grant Professionals Foundation Board received the following thank you letter. The author preferred to remain anonymous, but agreed to let us share it on our blog.

Dear Kimberly and the Board of the Grant Professionals Foundation,

After 15 months of working as the full-time grant writer for my organization, I am only just beginning to self-identify as a grant writer. To me – and I expect many others – grant writing is about developing and designing programs, which I’ve studied and done professionally. I’m learning that grant writers are an eclectic group with a wide variety of background stories and entry points into the profession.

My organization has a strong history of successful grant funding from public and private entities. This has provided an excellent learning opportunity that I expect will continue with my membership in the Grant Professionals Association. I love learning and improving my craft, especially when I can apply those skills in an organization and for a cause I truly believe in.

This is all my way of saying that I’m extremely excited to rub shoulders with other new and experienced grant writers and program planners, and I offer my sincerest thanks to the Grant Professionals Foundation for offering and awarding a scholarship to attend the upcoming annual conference in November.

Giving Back and the Ultimate Transaction

/by

Nancy BBy Nancy Battersby

2015 Leadership Member Scholar, St. Louis Chapter

Early in my career, a mentor surprised me by referring to our agency’s work with our clients as the “ultimate transaction”. As employees, many of us thought we were performing selfless work that benefited others. My mentor pointed out that we were receiving unsuspected rewards from our work, probably in greater quantity than what we had given. Our participants were teaching us and enriching our lives.

After that conversation I began seeing such transactions in other parts of my life: my service club, volunteer projects and in my professional associations. In these I received much more than I gave. GPA is one of these.

Throughout my years as a member I have been continually grateful for the ways GPA has fostered my professional development through training events, conferences, advice from colleagues, publications, and resources that are constantly useful. More importantly, however, I realized that each time I invested my time or talents, value came back to me.

I “retired” from non-profit work a few years ago, intending to be a consultant and write grants part-time. However, as they say, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Shortly after beginning this new chapter in my life, my husband’s company unexpectedly closed, dramatically reducing our household income. Fortunately though, my grant business began to take off. While my business was building, watching our budget was crucial. When I heard about the availability of scholarships to renew my GPA membership, I gratefully applied.

I was pleased and relieved to have a membership scholarship awarded to me. I was also even more committed to giving back and to helping build the field.

I serve on our chapter’s board, as a chapter officer and a committee chair. I provide communications and newsletters to our chapter members and act as registrar for our events. Recently I also presented one of our chapter’s monthly program seminars.

In good “ultimate transaction” fashion though, the Grant Professionals Association provided much more in return. It has given me mentors and guides, inspiration, heights to aspire to, training, information, and a network of support.

Through studying for the GPC exam and the certification process, GPA increased my confidence in my abilities and helped me see the value of my skills. It has urged me on and motivated me to resist my insecurities (like fear of public speaking) and provided new friends.

I owe a great deal of my success and my satisfaction in my work to my relationship with GPA. I encourage others to think about their own GPA relationship and recognize both sides of this transaction in our professional lives. Whatever we invest in our organization comes back to us many times over.

Grant Professionals Impact Survey closes October 8th

/by

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

/by

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
·
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

/by

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