Tag Archive for: scholar

GPA Member Benefits are Endless

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By DeaRonda Harrison

Taking the leap and sharing with my peers to work with nonprofits I could see the stare and gaze of concern in their eyes. In 2013, I attended my first GPA conference where I had never even written 1 grant, yet. I wanted to make sure I was making the right decision. This conference sealed the deal, and I knew this was what I wanted to do. The 2013 GPA national conference was my first BIG date with GPA, and I knew it was time to make a career transition and do more purposeful work. I desired to have a greater impact on people and just because you desire to do good doesn’t mean that it won’t come with challenges and I had to at least create a plan.

I joined GPA to surround myself with professionals that were experts in the field of grant writing. I knew it was a skill I wanted to pursue further as someone who was thrust into the industry; I thought it would be most advantageous to be around people that knew what they were doing and took their craft seriously. I desired to learn from those proficient in the field and little did I know it would be because of the GPA membership that I would acquire 90% of my clients as a consultant.

I get often asked where I get the majority of my clients, and I typically say through word-of-mouth, but through some shape, form, or fashion they have come from a GPA contact. It was not my intent to become a member to attract clients, but it has become a beautiful residue of my membership.

The GPA member benefits are endless. My membership has allowed me to create relationships with business professionals in the community to include other nonprofit associations and businesses. I have had the opportunity to work with successful grant writing firms as an independent consultant by making connections at both the national and regional GPA conferences.

GPA membership provides professional development. As the grant space shifts, I don’t want to get caught up in the way I’ve always been doing things but change and improve with the industry. The membership provides up to date training and webinars and addresses the concerns with solutions from professionals. I take full advantage of research tools offered to members through GrantStation and GPA’s own active Facebook-like community, GrantZone. In this forum, participants ask questions and provide suggestions to help each other and simply make new connections. Associating with other members who are willing to share their business practices and solutions is my top reason for being a member.

I am thankful that the association is ever evolving and comes up with new ideas and new ways to include and support their members. As a former regional board member, I enjoyed the opportunity to connect with other chapter leaders that share their successes with other regions. As a former chapter leader, I was able to garner new relationships with others that understand each other’s expertise to be able to serve nonprofits best because not one grant writer can be everything to everybody. I am grateful for the benefit the GPA membership provides with support from GPA staff, chapter leaders, and members.

Telling my peers that I was transitioning from government to solely work with nonprofits would usually lead the reaction “oh um that’s rewarding.” All I know is that I enjoy grant writing and even though it has its challenges and is not for the faint of heart I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. But with the change in culture and the direct impact of philanthropic efforts especially with the popularity of TED talk videos, it finally makes sense why someone would be interested in changing the world today. Ultimately, it resulted in a more positive reaction from peers of “what a rewarding and purposeful career.”

 

Skeptical to Enlightened

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By Matthew Fornoff; Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona

2016 Conference Scholar

I don’t like to label myself as a grant writer. Until I took my current position just over two years ago, I had only assisted writing a couple grants. So of course, the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona (CFB) – an organization I’d been trying to get back into since I left my graduate school internship with them – hired me as the full-time, lead grant writer with a goal of bringing in $5 million in grant funding.

Actually, that timeline excludes a few steps, as you probably expected. A better starting point to explain is February 2007, when the U.S. Peace Corps flew me and a few others to Malawi for a two-year attempt at saving the world. Most Peace Corps volunteers are full of a noble, sacrificial energy and belief that they can truly make the world a better place. (And they often do, but usually not in the way they expect.) Generally speaking, Peace Corps volunteers implement ambitious, effective projects that make for heartwarming stories in their hometown newspapers. After two years, the volunteer leaves the tiny rural village in which they’ve been living – a community that faces deep systemic poverty, limited resources, and usually widespread chronic illnesses. Then the borehole that the volunteer helped fix breaks again. Or the school text books the volunteer acquired fail to find their way back to the school. Or the small business the volunteer helped a single mother establish doesn’t flourish. Even when you implement a successful project, you will experience some of this. And it begged the question: how can one person go into a community and truly contribute to improving the lives of the people who live there without fear of working in vain?

At least partly this is the question that led me to pursue a Master of Public Health degree. I wanted to plan and implement programs that could change behavior and systems in a lasting way. I wanted to know how to work with individuals or small groups or big groups to identify needs, resources, and solutions, and then how to put together the jigsaw puzzle of variables that would make their lives and the world a better place. During two years in academia, I studied the core tenets of public health, supplemented by focused classes in behavior change theory and program planning and implementation. After graduation, someone hired me to develop programming around local food systems in a town on the U.S.-Mexico border. This was the experience that the CFB saw and that they apparently desired in a grant writer.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: The grant writer does 90% of the steps in the proposal development process, including all the writing, drafting the outputs and outcomes, and pulling together the budget. When the grant is awarded, program staff have limited, if any, familiarity with the information in the proposal because they had limited, if any, involvement in the process, including discussing with the grant writer how many trainings or participants should be included or where or how often activities would happen. Of course, none of us enlightened GPA members do this. We’ve either learned differently from the beginning or been reformed. For me, it was the former.

In graduate school, I learned to plan programs based on a proven behavior change theory and framework using a needs assessment that I conducted with direct input from the community. During my time in the border town, I put this into action, learning to distinguish the safe and structured academic experience from the messy, protracted real world. When I was hired as the Grants Program Manager, I could not imagine planning a program without close collaboration with at least one program staff (and usually more) and at least one finance staff (usually more). Often that team consisted of 6-8 people. The CFB has dozens of programs and subprograms and a budget in the tens of millions. In no dream world could I craft a grant proposal in a silo. Even though I had the title, I wasn’t a grant writer. I was a critical thinker, a problem-solver, an evidence-based program planner, interested in figuring out how we can solve the root causes of hunger, food insecurity, and poverty.

I was skeptical of the development team – this group of people who (in my mind) said what they needed to say or shook the hand they needed to shake to get the money in unrestricted dollars in the door. Maybe the cared about the cause; maybe they only cared about the size of the check. But did they really know what our program staff was doing each day? Did they know how to teach a Spanish-speaking single mother how to install drip irrigation in her potted tomato plants? Did they understand the struggles local farmers face just trying to make a living and, even so, how difficult it is for them to change their habits in order to make their operation more productive?

On top of that, I’m skeptical about professional associations and national conferences. I’ve been to a few that are pretty good, but usually, they’re an opportunity to get out of the office for a few days and reenergize, and maybe to visit a new city and socialize with coworkers in a different setting.

The GPA has changed my views on both these points. I’ve learned that most of us enlightened grant writers are critical thinkers and problem solvers. That winning grant awards is fun and what keeps us in business, but that the merit of the program and whether it works is almost as valuable, if not more. I’ve learned that my development team colleagues value me as a link to deeper information about our programs, and they are making stronger efforts to interact and learn directly from program staff. Further, at the risk of sounding like an advertisement, the GPA conference is the best national conference I’ve been to. Every breakout session is informative and applicable, the networking at the conference is outstanding, and the continued connections afterward help to keep that energy fresh throughout the year. Receiving the GPF conference scholarship definitely eased the burden when I went to persuade my supervisor to pay for my membership and conference expenses.

I told my supervisor recently that I have no interest in becoming a fundraiser. I understand why grant writing is part of development, but I have no desire to sell proverbial candy bars door-to-door. With grant writing, I have to really understand the problem and the need, and I get to really think about how that problem can be fixed and who can do it, and we get to come up with a concrete action plan with measurable outcomes, so we can see if we’re actually doing it. Only in the past year or so have I begun to self-identify as a grant writer now that I understand my role more clearly. And, even though my office has no windows to the outdoors, I can’t do this job in a silo. The cross-sector team that makes me an effective grant writer includes several people in my organization, and now it includes the GPA and the network I’m building through my involvement with the association.

A Little Snow Didn’t Stop This Test Taker

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By Dale Braden, GPC; Gethsemane Grant Consulting Service and Oregon Health & Science University

2016 GPC Scholar

A short version of my background…I’ve worked at Oregon Health & Science University a total of 20 years. Over the last 11 years, I have helped a total of 63 investigators process over 300 different grant applications. I’ve processed small foundation applications to multi-project federal NIH P01 applications. I manage the entire grant process…I read and interpret the RFA, let investigators know the submission timeline, what sections are needed for the application, help prepare the budget, assemble the entire application, route for institutional approvals and ensure the application is complete and submitted on time. Until a year ago, I also managed the post-award processes including financial projections for funded projects.

My goal is to start a part-time consulting service for now eventually growing to full-time consulting. I have been a GPA member since May 2015. I attended the national conference in St. Louis in November 2015 and went to the session explaining about the GPC. I learned that the GPC is a valuable credential for an independent consultant.

It seemed like studying for the exam was the next step to take after the conference. I spent most of 2016 preparing to take the exam. It made sense to me to study for the exam. I enrolled in the “Blueprints for the GPC” course through SmartEGrants. Some of the material was review; some of the material was new to me. For me, the time spent studying was valuable.

I learned about the scholarship opportunity from the GPA website and was excited to apply. I was very happy and honored to be selected to receive the scholarship. The scholarship added inspiration for me to study and pass the exam.

It has been many years since I have taken any kind of exam so I was pretty nervous about it. The day before I was scheduled to take the exam, Portland was shut down by snow! The Portland State University testing center was closed. The day of the exam, it was not snowing, but the roads were still bad. The news said there were no closures though which was a relief. I made it in to the testing center without any incident.

I felt like the multiple-choice section went pretty well. I was nervous about the written section. The applications I process are for medical research. I’m not a scientist and lack the knowledge to help write the grants. The class I took included a practice writing prompt, and I received excellent feedback on my practice attempt. When I finally sat down and read the exam writing prompt, initially, I didn’t really understand the scenario I was presented. I had a fleeting thought that I should just skip the written part!! I think it was brief anxiety induced writer’s block! I was determined to pass and knew that I had to complete the writing section in order to pass. So, I pressed on.

I was relieved to have the exam in my past instead of my future. The next day, the testing center was closed again due to snow!! During the month before I received the notification that I had passed, I waivered back and forth between thinking I should start preparing to retake the written part to having confidence that I had done well enough to pass. I was elated when I read the email and found out I had passed!

Passing the exam has given me renewed confidence I can become a successful grant consultant. My current next step is taking the SmartEGrants “Grant Consulting Essentials” course. The class is providing information, inspiration and resources to help me figure out how to transition into grant consulting.

One of the opportunities I’m considering pursing is to find a consultant who is willing to sub-contract with other consultants. I believe the credential will be valuable in helping other consultants and potential clients know that I am a skilled and qualified grant professional. I believe the GPC will be instrumental in helping me reach my goal of becoming a successful grant consultant. I am grateful for the scholarship which afforded me the opportunity to take the exam.

A Very Fortunate Series of Events

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By Liz Ratchford; Keystone College, Director of Grants
2016 Susan Kemp Conference Scholarship Recipient

Like many of my fellow grant professionals, I did not start off my career in the grant world. I don’t think any of us when asked as a child what we wanted to be when we grew up answered: “grant professional!” But through what I consider a very fortunate series of events, I was asked by the small community I live in, with my husband and two daughters, if I could write a grant to help rebuild a park that had been destroyed by a winter flood. I had some experience as a technical writer before becoming a stay-at-home mom so I thought sure, I would like to help rebuild the park where my children play.

So now 21 years later, I am honored to work in this profession that is responsible for so many great projects and programs coming to fruition through the work we do every day. That park grant and the completion of the project to rebuild that park led to me becoming a full-time grant professional for a government organization.

I am now at a nonprofit, private college in the northeastern tier of Pennsylvania. Keystone College is a small, rural college, in the heart of the Endless Mountains region. I love the work I do, I love that every day I learn something new, I tackle a new challenge, and I get to work with professionals that have a passion for the work we can do together.

Being the director of grants at an educational institution afforded me the opportunity to become a member of the Grant Professionals Association. The college believes in education and life-long learning, so even though financial resources are limited, our president believed it was important for me to be a member of this professional organization.

The college faculty, staff, and administration are committed to educating our students and keeping the cost of a post-secondary education affordable for the students we serve. This vision is something I truly believe in and so I work to obtain grant funding to serve our students, staff, and faculty. I am so fortunate to have found that I have skills and talents that allow me to be a successful grant professional.

My next goal after becoming a member of the GPA was to attend an annual conference and improve my professional skill set (because we are always about articulating our goals and objectives). Since the college’s resources are limited I decided I would apply for a Grant Professionals Foundation (GPF) Conference Scholarship.

I submitted the scholarship request and hoped I had made a convincing argument for my need and my institution’s need for the support. I was so honored to receive the Susan B. Kemp Scholarship.

I had a wonderful experience at the conference in Atlanta! The networking, educational sessions, workshops, grant vendors, and especially volunteering at the auction were professionally enriching experiences.

I came back to Keystone energized and ready to take on any new grant challenge that came my way to serve the college and our students! My attendance at the conference was only possible because of the GPF scholarship. For the first time in my grant career I was in a room of professionals that understood the joys, challenges, and disappointments we encounter as part of our work. It was a pleasure to spend a few days with you in Atlanta, and I hope to see you all again very soon.

Leap of Faith

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By Amy Knudsen, MA, GPC; Planned Parenthood of the Heartland

2016 GPC Scholar

During my senior year in college, I assisted in writing my first federal grant for an education program I developed while working at a homeless shelter. I could not have predicted that experience would have led me to where I am today, with 25 years of grants writing and 10 years of grants management behind me. I am grateful grant writing gives me an opportunity to use my knowledge and skills to contribute to organizations I am passionate about and to the wider community. As my career progressed, I have long wanted to become more involved with the local grants community. I am fortunate to have found a home with GPA, which provides me opportunities to network with other grant professionals and engage in active learning with chapter meetings, webinars and conferences. Most importantly, I love connecting with people who understand jokes about logic models and character limits and supports grants as a profession.

In addition to networking, joining GPA was also the kick I needed to sit for the GPCI exam. Despite being out of school for MANY years and swearing off exams for the rest of my life, I wanted to take the exam to show my dedication to my profession AND for validation of my chosen profession. However, I kept putting it off until the time was right. After joining GPA two years ago and with the encouragement of my peers, I took the leap of faith last year and decided to apply for a scholarship for the exam. To my surprise, my application was approved. I submitted my packet in September and there was no more procrastination. I took the exam in January 2017 and am happy to report that as of February 1, 2017, I am now a certified grant professional.

I am ready for the next chapter in my professional career and am grateful to GPA for the opportunity to provide a standard of excellence for the grant profession.

 

Long-Distance Trail Running and Grants Management– It All Depends on Community

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by Lucien Darjeun Meadows, Fort Collins Museum of Discovery
2016 Membership Scholar

As I write this blog post today, on a much warmer-than-average morning in Northern Colorado (52 degrees!), I am in the midst of training for the Quad Rock 25/50 Trail Race in Fort Collins, in May. I am also in the midst of finalizing a major foundation proposal, revising several letters of introduction, preparing a few corporate grants, and beginning to draft a major federal grant for my organization: Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, the only discovery museum in our region.

Today, I will research, read, and write for several hours, then go for a sunny 7-mile lunchtime run, then return to my grant writing projects. And while I sit at a computer for grants and prance down the trails for running, I realize, through the education I have gained as a recent GPF membership scholar, success in grants management parallels success in long-distance trail running*—it all depends on community.

Grants management is usually an independent process (since a keyboard generally works best for only two hands at a time), as is long-distance trail running (even for a group run, you have to decide to lace up your shoes and power them down the trail). Still, I find that above all, it is the community that gives each of us the greatest chance of success.

Though 95% of my running occurs alone, with just me and the trail, I rely on my local running community for inspiration, advice, and support—even consolation. Last year, I was just three weeks away from a race that had been on my to-do list for two years when I had an injury that kept me from running for two months. While going from rigorous training (that had been building for months) to zero was hard, my fellow runners helped me keep this setback in perspective. Through them, there were opportunities to stay involved, successes to celebrate, others to support, and, always, future races and group runs to look forward to. And when I ran the Black Squirrel Trail Half-Marathon that September, this race-day community watched out for each other throughout the technical course, encouraged each other when the hills became steep, and celebrated each other as each crossed the finish line, from the sub-1:30 winner to the 4:00+ final finisher (who received rousing applause from everyone).

In a similar way, I am blessed with the support of my museum’s team, who willingly brainstorm, read drafts, provide feedback, and celebrate all results, whether the grant is gained or declined—since fundraising is, like long-distance trail running, a long-term process.

But of special thanks over the last year is GPF, and the community they granted me access to through a GPA Membership Scholarship. While grants management connects to many of my prior interests (10+ years of library experience, grant-seeking as a researcher and graduate student, ongoing fascination with nonprofits), GPA gave me the tools I needed for high success in my first year as an official grants professional. Because of GPF’s scholarship, I have been able to enroll in GPA webinars, share thoughts with grant professionals nationwide, and learn from this incredible network of knowledgeable, inspiring, and, above all, supportive professionals.

Because of the GPA community, I exceeded grant-funding goals for my organization in my first year as a grants professional. Because of your support, I realize a declination is no reason to be sad, because it means someone, somewhere, read this proposal—and as a result, there is now more awareness of my organization in the world. Thank you, GPA. Thank you, GPF for the gift of a membership scholarship.

Happy trails—er, drafts—everyone!

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*Of course, I am far from the first grants professional to see similarities between this profession and running! Diane Leonard, GPC shares how grant writing is like training for a half-marathon, Scott Herr, Ph.D. explores what running marathons have taught him about grant writing, and Dawn Newcomb, Ph.D. discusses the overlap between marathon running and “marathon” research. From them, we learn successful grant writers, like successful long-distance runners, prepare for inevitable setbacks (Leonard); avoid being greedy in asking for more than is reasonable, in budget or pace goals (Herr); and take time to relax and refresh between challenges (Newcomb). Absolutely!

How My GPA Membership Scholarship Advanced My Professional Development Goals

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By Carolyn Caldwell, GPC; Raising Awareness, Raising Funds, LLC
2016 Membership Scholar

We all write proposals and complete applications as part of our daily work, so what makes applying for a scholarship from the Grant Professionals Foundation different from the rest? In my case, completing the application for a membership scholarship from GPF required me to think hard about my time with GPA, back to the beginning. It forced me to take stock of what GPA has meant to me in the past.

When I first joined GPA in 2010, my career path wasn’t so certain. I started in grant writing with enthusiasm, but success wasn’t a foregone conclusion, or sudden, by any stretch. I needed experience, I needed a mentor, and I needed to learn the “hard and fast,” as well as “soft,” rules of the road. I have a tenacious nature, and I can say I’m glad I stuck with it. GPA was with me the entire way.

Being a GPA member opened doors for me that otherwise would have stayed closed. When I think about my time in GPA, I think about the colleagues and friends I have made along the way, I think about the advice they have given me, and the chances they have taken with me. It has all paid off. I feel like a knowledgeable professional, I can offer my clients sound advice, and I can genuinely call myself a grant professional.

Answering the scholarship application questions required me to write about my commitment to the grants field, which made me think back through all the years I have been with GPA. I felt like I could finally answer that question, not just with the naive enthusiasm I had back in 2010, but truly as a grants professional who has committed to the profession. I recalled all the frustration and doubt I felt in the early years, when it wasn’t completely certain I would succeed. What a difference my involvement in GPA has made! I have not only gained in knowledge, and understanding of best practices, but I now have a highly-tuned radar for ethical land mines.

Every day in our work, we ask for money, and tell our prospective funders how deserving our organizations are. I had to think about what my story was, what was unique about my circumstances, and what about my application was compelling. But it was difficult to tell why I should receive a scholarship because it meant remembering a time when there were more questions than answers. I thought back to the missteps I made, and to all the things I did to advance my career that didn’t pay off. What did pay off was my membership in GPA.

If you took all the monthly sessions my chapter offers, the GPA webinars, and sessions at the 2011-2016 conferences I attended,  and laid them end to end, I am SURE there’s a master’s degree in there (or at least a bachelor’s). Between all the educational opportunities GPA affords me, I can say that I have an advanced degree in grantsmanship! Add to that the mentor I met through GPA, and we may be able to say I have a PhD!

This past year was even more fruitful because I studied for, and took, my GPC exam. Testament to how much I’ve learned over the years is the fact that I passed! To me, that was proof positive that I’ve absorbed everything I’ve been exposed to through GPA.

I have so much to be thankful for through the years with GPA. I appreciate the Grant Professional Foundation awarding me this membership scholarship. It guarantees another year of professional advancement for me, and another year of growth as a grants professional.

After the Exam

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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.

Thank you GPF!

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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.

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!