Tag Archive for: GPA National Conference

At GPA, We Seem to Get Each Other

/by

by Catherine High, GPC; Rosemary West Scholar

This was my first time at the GPA National Conference, and my scholarship from GPF was certainly a great help in persuading my agency to let me go. I don’t think that will be a problem in the future! I came back with so much information, and so much renewed enthusiasm for my job, that I am certain to be a regular attendee.

As a one-person grants office, I do it all, and my duties are expanding as we receive more grants from differing sources. So, I attended break-out sessions on all sorts of topics, from managing federal grants to fine-tuning my role within the organization. I even managed to attend a session on improving my writing skills. I only wish I could have learned more, but often, the sessions I wanted to attend were running concurrently.

I was very reassured that, although I am quite an anomaly within my organization, there are many people just like me in the grants field! Sometimes I feel a bit of a freak at work, but at GPA, we seem to get each other. My only real complaint was that the weather was not as warm as I would have liked – I did make it to the beach, but it was definitely not sunbathing weather.

I most certainly recommend the conference to anyone who is considering attending next year. I plan to be there. Within a few years, I hope to have built our grants office to the point where I can bring a colleague with me.

By the way, I have put my favorite ribbons outside my office, and people love them. I like them because they help me look more social, which isn’t always easy.

I Was With My People

/by

by Lauren Petersen, 2017 Pamela Van Pelt Scholar

As the holidays quickly approach, and many nonprofit professionals reflect on the year past, it is the 2017 Annual Grant Professional Conference that comes to my mind first. It isn’t very often you get to spend days on end devoted solely to learning to perfect your craft, reflecting on your own habits, and sharing stories of the good, the bad and the ugly, with like-mined peers from around the country. But at the Grant Professionals Conference, that’s what it’s all about!

As a new-comer to GPA and a first-timer to the Conference, I cannot thank the Grant Professionals Foundation enough for awarding me the 2017 Pamela Van Pelt Scholarship. Each day was jam-packed from pre-conference leadership workshops and networking receptions, to countless top-notch learning sessions with grant experts who I wouldn’t have met otherwise.

Like many other attendees, I focused on attending sessions to fill my knowledge gaps and refuel my grant writing passion-tank. But choosing which session to attend was like being a kid in a candy shop – How could I possibly pick just one?  It wasn’t until after Tom Ahern’s Keynote, that it all clicked. It didn’t matter what sessions I attended, I was with my people, and every single offering was relevant to my day-to-day career.

Over the course of five days, 10+ sessions, and 18 pages of notes, the Grant Professional Association Conference in San Diego re-energized, renewed and got me ready to rock 2018.

I met peers from around the country who are dedicated to making the world a better place one grant at a time, just like me. (Crazy huh?) As the only grant writer in my organization, like many others I met, it’s often difficult to find local peers to reach out to for advice or just bounce an idea off of.  This conference provided opportunities to network and connect with other like-minded professionals, enabling me to take the pulse of what is trending amongst grant writers for tools, resources, technologies and best practices.

I picked-up countless new ways to describe my role: “Grant writers do more than collate information. We connect dots. We forge meaning.” or, “Grant writers are organizations legal and ethical hound dogs…”, and “We are professional scavenger hunters of past content”.

I identified and recommitted myself to my professional SMIT (Single Most Important Thing) – Balance. Because life is all about balance, both personally and professionally. It sounds simple, but especially in the world of grant writing, reality and theory are not always the same. Despite the externally perceived can-do spirit, flexibility and determination, balance requires fancy-footwork and an ability to know your own boundaries.

But most importantly, I was reminded why I continue to pine through pages of RFPs, scribble red ink on drafts for weeks on end and guzzle gallons of coffee (and wine): The world of a nonprofit grant professional is exciting; no two workdays are ever alike, and I love that about my career.  (And of course, I will never hear Sir Mix-A-Lot’s iconic song “Baby got Back” the same, thanks to a little grant writer magic! #BabygotGrants)

Turning Your Conference Experience into a GPC Study Group

/by

by Fielding Jezreel, St. Louis Chapter Scholar

First, a huge thank you to GPF for providing a conference scholarship that enabled me to attend the 2017 GPA Conference. As a second-time conference participant, I had the luxury of knowing what to expect and how to plan out my schedule to maximize professional development and networking opportunities. For the 2017 conference, that plan primarily centered on two aspects for growth. The first is that I recently started consulting full time and know that I still have a lot to learn from my colleagues across the country. I attended sessions on determining consultant rates and dealing with the ebb and flow of work. Individual conversations with other consultants revealed tips and tricks of the trade that will strengthen my business. To the many GPA members who shared insights with me, thank you.

The second area for growth centered around my goal of sitting for the GPC during the spring of 2018. With several years of experience, and after taking full advantage of the professional development opportunities provided through the St. Louis Chapter, I feel prepared in many of the competency areas. In advance of the conference, I identified that my weakest competency area was around post-award management, particularly as it relates to federal grants. Using the conference app, I chose sessions that provided insight and skill building in this area. I left the conference feeling confident in post-award competencies and am on track to take the GPC exam in the spring.

The conference inspired me to return to St. Louis with a renewed desire to support other GPA members in obtaining their GPC credential. The conference reinforced that learning as a group holds more value than learning alone, with group members sharing diverse experiences that enrich conversations and understanding of the material. A group of five St. Louis Chapter members met for the first time in early December and are scheduled to continue meeting through early February. As a group, we will be prepared for the GPC exam, will have strengthened relationships with one another, and will have built the capacity of our chapter.

The scholarship from GPF jump-started this process, igniting the drive within to get serious about studying for the GPC exam and to learn through group processing and sharing.

What are your goals? How can the GPA conference jump start your next big idea?

My Conference Reflection

/by

by Laura Horochowski, AZ Founding Chapter Scholar

As I think of the Grant Professionals Association’s conference from my work office, I cannot help but think of all the Uber rides that were a part of the trip to San Diego. I was fascinated by the variety of drivers and passengers that were a part of the trip. There were the immigrants from Ethiopia, Venezuela, and Argentina. The young man from Haiti who was just finishing his work shift, studying law, and considering joining the Marines. The gentleman that pointed out all the party features of his SUV, black lights, and speakers, as he told us he usually drives celebrities. The young driver that complained of passengers who had dragged sand into his car, but who then remembered his surprise when a 16-year-old offered to put a towel down so she wouldn’t get sand in the car.

I found a similarly fascinating variety of people at the conference. As a new member of the profession and very much a part of the meandering that gets most of us into grant writing, I really enjoyed hearing about the different life paths and educational backgrounds that landed people in the grant writing profession. There were PhDs, scientists, social workers, Navy veterans, art historians, former business executives, and much, much more. I found the creativity to reinvent oneself, the ability to learn along the way, and the adaptability represented among attendees to be inspiring. The variety also gave me a hopeful outlook for the future. It showed me that being a grant professional can be creative, can lead to new opportunities, can evolve, and it can open doors.

Along with the great people, there was also plenty of interesting conference presentations and speakers. I particularly liked the idea of setting up a content library, analyzing where the gaps are in my professional knowledge and using that to plan for career development. The conference gave me a better perspective about my organization, my current position, where I can go, and plenty of topics from the presentations to digest, explore, and possibly implement.

Also, as people shared about how their agencies incorporated grant writing into their processes or for that matter, didn’t, I realized I work for a great organization – Child Crisis Arizona. I feel very fortunate to be a part of a very cohesive development department that truly works as a team, to have program staff that participate in creating proposals and feed us data and stories for reports, to have the support of management for professional development and a good work environment, and overall, an organization that works hard to implement best practices for programs and staff.

I highly recommend the conference. It is a great place to meet interesting people, and to learn about yourself and the grants professional’s world, plus an opportunity to experience the outside world.

A Completely Different Conference Experience

/by

by Wendy Strain – Chuck Howard Scholar

When I was first hired into a grants office, having little to no idea what I was doing (how many of us have been there?), I was sent to a different organization’s grant writing conference. It was my only true initiation into this new world I was entering.

It was a learning experience, and I did come home with some helpful information, but hadn’t made any significant new connections or felt I’d received any profound insights into this profession in any way. What I learned about grant writing had to be done on the job and through my efforts.

Going into the consulting space several years later, I knew joining an organization of grant writers would be important for my continued growth and development, so I purposely sought out something different from what I had been led to in the past. I was looking for something more engaged, more devoted to furthering the profession, and more supportive of its members.

Because of my experience with GPA membership so far this year (through my local chapter and the online portal), I felt certain my conference experience would be completely different from that other one and boy, was it ever!

I honestly can’t tell you if I learned more from the sessions I attended or from the individual conversations I had with other attendees. I believe I made some connections that will blossom into potential collaborations, frequent associations, and maybe even long-term friendships.

Truthfully, I had trouble deciding which of the sessions to go to in any given time slot. Often, there were two or three I was thinking of. It says a lot about a conference and the involvement of its members when so much value is being placed on the table.

Something I really appreciated was the availability of the conference app. I promptly lost the printed schedule I was given some time on the first day, but I was able to keep track of the several sessions that looked interesting to me by favoriting them in the app and checking them often on my phone. Plus, I could always download the handouts from the sessions I couldn’t attend and at least have access to the main points offered.

Being able to access the map to each meeting room was a huge bonus as well. I confess I failed to enter session evaluations after each one – too busy talking with people I’d met during the session or at other sessions, then rushing off to the next event – but I did remember to check in for many of them by the second day.

It was also wonderful to know the handouts for each session could be downloaded right from the app. Rather than trying to scribble down everything on the slides as well as catching any additional insight the speaker had to offer, I was able to relax and really pay attention to their knowledge, only making notes when I wanted to highlight something said that didn’t appear on the slides.

I know this helped others relax as well because every session I attended was full of interested and engaged audience members asking intelligent questions and contributing to a broader or more focused discussion, depending on the case in question. That the speakers were all open to this and even encouraged, it was another welcome and significant indicator of the quality of this organization and the people who are members.

As surprised as I was to receive my scholarship to attend the conference, I expected quality and engagement, expectations set in place by my local chapter leaders. Yet the conference still managed to exceed all those expectations. I returned home with much to think about, much to do, re-energized and excited about the next steps on my journey toward serving my community and my profession.

A Scholarship of Exponential Value and Impact

/by

by Jackie Beyer – Tracey Potter Doe Memorial Scholar

“View yourselves as the product.” Attending the National Grant Professionals Association Conference in San Diego, California definitely changed my way of thinking about myself. I had never viewed myself in this way before. I learned I am responsible for the success of my career by taking mindful, careful steps. Attending this conference was my first big step towards a successful career. The value I received and impact of the scholarship were exponential.

My attendance at the conference could not have come at a better time. I have been in the Grants field for a little over two years and sometimes feel like I am still getting my feet wet. Attending the conference provided me with exposure to the grant field, time to network with other professionals, access to products and services that I had no idea even existed, and ideas on how I can grow professionally. Being surrounded by like-minded people was encouraging and helpful, because I now know I have an army of people behind me, supporting me, and willing to share their knowledge with me. The first day, when I was volunteering at the Wine Pull, I realized I was with people like me who were thrilled that I was a “First-timer.” People kept telling me I was lucky to be so young in the field because I had more time to learn and hone my craft. I had never looked at my current status in that way and appreciated the encouraging statements.

The value of the conference, to me as a Grant Professional, was more than I expected! I had anticipated gaining some new ideas, maybe meeting a few people, and learning a couple of tricks and tips. I received all of that, times ten. I connected with many Grant Professionals in some of my sessions and even stayed after a few sessions to talk and swap stories. Beyond the professional connections I made, I was also offered tools that I can use going forward in the field. In addition to useful tools, I discovered there is so much more I can be doing to further my career. Something I did not anticipate receiving was a nice, long list of book recommendations offering excellent career advice, stress relief, and problem-solving ideas.

Workshops I attended added the most value to my experience at the conference. “Crafting Great Grant Budgets,” lead by Cheryl Kester was an excellent session. Being a person who is more English-major orientated, budgets are often a foreign language for me. Ms. Kester provided an excellent breakdown on how to simplify big budgets into an easier to use summary. I also appreciated her many different examples from different kinds of businesses, as well as her budget checklist. I plan to use the checklist every time I have a budget come across my desk.

The most beneficial session to me was the workshop titled, “Be Your Own Career CEO-How to Develop Your Grant Professional Portfolio.” Scott Scala led this workshop and made me realize that I was going about my professional development in a way that may not necessarily produce results I want. I thought that working my 9-5 job, attending Grant Professional Association (GPA) chapter meetings regularly, and various training offered through work would be enough. Mr. Scala opened my eyes to other avenues of professional development that I had not considered before. He stated that an online presence is very important for career development because it assists with cultivating recognition, resources, and networking that may be needed in the future. I had never considered using social media for my career before this workshop. Another point that stuck with me was Mr. Scala’s PowerPoint quote, “If you want others to care about you, care about others.” In this field, competitiveness with fellow writers is easy, but doing so inhibits you as a professional, your colleagues, and the profession, as a whole. Grant Professionals should be willing to help others, teach others, and share resources in order to grow to our fullest. Following this session, I am determined to be known as the professional that is willing to help and connect people with what they need.

Another workshop I enjoyed was the “Ignite the Grant Profession-8 Topics from 8 Successful Grant Pros.” The style of presentation was altogether new to me. Five minutes per four people and then a break for questions and then five minutes for another four people with questions at the end. Excellent way to hold attention and present on many different topics in one sitting. I loved learning how each Grant Professional had completed very different things in each of their careers from the other. This presentation highlighted the fact that a Grant Writer does not have just one set definition of what they do; rather, the field is fluid, and the opportunities are endless. Topics that were covered ranged from phone apps as grant writing tools, getting out of your comfort zone in order to grow, is consulting for you?, and standing in a reviewer’s shoes.

The last workshop I attended at the GPA Conference was “Why Grant Professionals Really ARE Superheros” by Amy Shankland. The presentation discussed all the crazy turns Ms. Shankland’s professional career took and how sometimes she had to take a chance in order to get where she is today. I feel like this session was enlightening because it demonstrates anything is possible in this field and in order to grow professionally, you have to be willing to adapt to changes. Ms. Shankland also allowed time for each person to tell their own story about a time when they were a superhero in this field. I loved hearing about all the different agencies in the U.S., the good things they are doing, and the people who are behind all the good work.

This memorable experience would not have been possible without the financial assistance the Tracey Potter Doe Memorial Scholarship had offered me. The impact of the Tracey Potter Doe Memorial Scholarship is tri-fold. The scholarship helped me, but it also helped my agency, and therefore our clients we serve. By applying for this scholarship, I reminded my agency that I care about the cost of my professional development and want to save the agency money when I can. I understand that professional development is necessary to learn and grow in the field, but I don’t want to be a financial burden to my agency who does so much good in our community. This scholarship helped me feel less guilty about going to the conference because I knew that the cost would be mostly taken care of. I was able to relax and enjoy myself and focus on the information I was provided, rather than how much the conference was costing my agency. The money saved can be used towards our homeless, domestic violence victims, or low-to-moderate income earning clients we serve who need it the most.

Overall, attending the National Grant Professionals Association Conference in San Diego, California was worth the days out of the office, the money spent, and the time it took to drive there. I walked away with a new mindset about what it means to be a Grant Professional, I learned I am in charge of my career and my growth, and I took away information from each workshop I attended. Although the experience is over, the training I received will follow me throughout my career and impact many. None of this would have been possible without the assistance offered through the Tracey Potter Doe Memorial Scholarship. Thank you to the Grant Professionals Foundation for considering me and for investing in my future.

San Diego and “Baby Got Grants”

/by

By TJ Hansell – Arizona Founding Chapter Scholarship

I know what you’re thinking…San Diego is pretty awesome, but “Baby Got Grants” is even awesomer. Yes, awesomer is not a word, but can any word really describe how awesome of an intro that was? I am sure a few of you are looking through your thesauruses and/or scrabble word list as I type this. Speaking of Scrabble, my grandmother was a spelling machine and would repeatedly laugh when she schooled me in Scrabble. I digress, but sometimes you just got to write what comes to mind.

Getting back on track. “Baby Got Grants” was the perfect introduction for a first timer to the GPA National Conference. That experience alone made the trip worth it in many respects, but the rest of the conference was amazing as well. Not only did I get to meet new people; I ran into quite a few familiar faces there. Arizona was certainly represented well in San Diego.

As a first timer, it was great to see so many grant professionals in one area. The wealth of knowledge, experience, and talent was unbelievable at times. When you look at some of the presenters and individuals presenting (Lucy Morgan, Bev Browning, Sharon Skinner, and others) anyone, even a seasoned grant professional, could pick up something to help them in the future. I know I definitely soaked in as much as I could over the conference schedule. The sharing of information was one of the best aspects of the conference. As a seasoned grant professional, I tend to think I know a couple things about grants, but I also know I really don’t know that much at times. The conference proved that and got me really excited about talking to many of you who attended.

I would not have been able to participate without the generous support of the GPF scholarship. Before I knew I was a scholarship recipient, it was a decision between attending myself or sending my team. Luckily, I didn’t have to make that decision, and all of us were able to attend. The scholarship not only helped me, but it helped two others gain valuable knowledge and relationships that will help for years into the future.

Now back to that amazing intro. I would love to see GPA encourage more of their members to come up with ingenious ways to make the grant world fun. I’m thinking “Grants, Grants, Baby” could be a sequel to “Baby Got Grants.” Just throwing that out there.

Helping a Beginner Get Off to a Good Start!

/by

By Jana Gowan – 2017 Nora Stombaugh Memorial Scholarship

Thanks to a scholarship from the Grant Professionals Foundation, I was able to attend the annual Grant Professionals Association Conference in San Diego this year (November 2017).

I accepted a position as a full-time grant writer at a public university in December 2016 with a beginner’s awareness of grants. I had years of experience in development, fundraising, and education, mostly at a small nonprofit with a mission very close to my heart and only about a dozen colleagues. Transitioning to a larger institution with over 600 employees and thousands of students while navigating federal grant applications for the first time has stretched me. Thankfully, my predecessor was a member of the GPA, so I was able to plug into this invaluable resource from the beginning.

The GPF scholarship made it possible for me to attend the annual conference. From the first event, I appreciated the sense of community encouraged by the association. Working as the only grants professional at my organization can be isolating, so one of my favorite parts of the conference was simply getting to meet fellow grants professionals and ask questions. I learned the most from these casual conversations during meals or mixers.

Of course, the conference sessions were beneficial too. In fact, there were so many offerings relevant to my work, that I am very grateful for the shared handouts on the Google Drive folder. From the sessions I was able to attend, I learned how to offer more effective training for my non-grants colleagues, build better relationships with the development team, and craft a stronger evaluation plan as just a few examples.

Thank you to the Grant Professionals Foundation for the scholarship and the opportunity to attend this conference. It was the perfect ending to my first year as a grants professional as it will help me start the second year on the right foot with sharper focus and a network of support.

Conference Experience as a Scholarship Recipient

/by

by Karen Watkins-Watts, GPC

First, my sincere gratitude to the Grant Professionals Foundation (GPF) for the scholarship enabling me to attend the 18th Annual GPA National Conference in Atlanta in 2016! Defraying the cost of conference registration (and other travel expenses) made the 2016 conference possible for me.

I had the privilege of attending several past conferences, however, with a district-wide budget deficit and year-end reduction-in-force in 2016, my organization set a policy prohibiting district funding for out-of-state travel. Notwithstanding, district leadership understood the tremendous benefit of this important professional development opportunity for me as Grants Manager. With the GPF award, they provided me the professional development days and some travel expense reimbursement.

The annual GPA conference has been and continues to be greatly valued by my organization’s (Brockton Public Schools in Brockton, MA) leadership and myself as a key grants professional development opportunity. Attending the national conferences has been pivotal to my growth as a grants professional! The workshops and dialogue with grant professionals from across the country have increased my knowledge and skills of best practices in the profession, has produced better quality proposals, and increased public and private grant resources for our large, urban district. Serving a diverse population of nearly 18,000 students, many of whom face poverty and myriad of socio-economic barriers, this work is especially critical, compounded by an increasingly challenging funding environment in the public education sector.

I also credit the GPA conference for elevating my professional status in the profession as GPC in 2009. I learned about the GPC credential at a prior conference, then subsequently studied with a cohort of fellow members from across the country and took the exam at the annual conference in Long Beach, CA.

Since joining GPA and the GPA Massachusetts Chapter in 2007, I have served in a leadership capacity including responsibilities as Secretary, Vice President, and President. Then Immediate Past President, it was important that I attend the 2016 conference (and the Chapter Leadership session), to represent our chapter and to gain and share ideas from other chapters and chapter leaders. We had successfully convened our first New England Regional Conference in June of 2015 and had begun discussion on our next conference. We were eager to build on our success and learn from other chapters. The regional event is vital to the growth of our chapter and its presence throughout New England (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, and Connecticut).

I am extremely grateful for the work of the GPF to advance our profession and privileged to be an awardee of the 2016 GPF scholarship!

Most Useful and Pertinent Conference Ever

/by

By Polly Bates; St Rose Dominican Health Foundation

2016 Pamela Van Pelt Conference Scholar

Receiving the Pamela Van Pelt Scholarship last year allowed me to attend the Grant Professionals Association conference for the first time. After a 25-year career spent writing and editing a wide variety of communications, I found myself in a new position that was focused solely on grants. As the grant officer for the St. Rose Dominican Health Foundation, I am responsible for conducting grant funding research, preparing and submitting grant proposals, working with program staff to ensure contract compliance, attending program audits, reconciling grant payments, and developing an annual program plan. A year ago, most of these duties were still new to me. Attending the GPA conference greatly sped up my learning curve and deepened my understanding of the overall grant process. By far, this was the most useful and pertinent professional conference I have ever attended. Whether it was a keynote speech, a workshop, or a reception, I learned so much from the varied experience and perspectives of accomplished practitioners.

Each day was packed with relevant information—on program design and evaluation, persuasive writing, the sustainability question, and ethical considerations. A panel of local funders provided a wealth of guidance: get local employees to engage in what you do; build connections because “relationships determine results”; don’t ask questions that are answered on the organization’s website; leverage collaborations to solve big problems; put your request succinctly and clearly outline the problem to solve; remember that “people don’t give to you, they give through you,” and no one wants to be treated like an ATM. All the speakers were generous with their knowledge and advice. In fact, the atmosphere of the conference was so friendly and congenial that it was easy to meet new people and have interesting conversations. I also enjoyed meeting other grant professionals from my state of Nevada and going out to dinner with them. I was so inspired by the conference and the people I met there that I have decided to pursue the Grant Professionals Certification. It’s wonderful to embark on a rewarding new career, and I’m grateful for the scholarship that helped jumpstart my interest.