Tag Archive for: scholar

Best Learning Opportunity, Ever: GPA National Conference

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By Ashlee Lambert, Development Specialist at Caritas Family Solutions

St. Louis Chapter Scholar

 

The day I received the news that I was a recipient of the St. Louis Chapter – Grant Professionals Association Scholarship, to attend the 2015 GPA National conference, the excitement began! I was excited to gain knowledge from the best in our profession and to network with grant professionals from all levels, from all special interest groups, and from all over the United States. When the conference arrived, I was able to do just that.

 

The first day, I met colleagues from Alaska to Hawaii, to California and New York! The most interesting thing about meeting others from all over the country was that we were experiencing the same difficulties and trying to overcome the same obstacles. We were all trying to do more with less, to solicit funds from foundations that receive hundreds of proposals, to educate program staff on the importance of grants, reporting, and ethics, and to meet deadlines and word count restrictions. Networking allowed me not to feel alone in a profession that is not always understood.

 

The sessions provided some of the most useful knowledge of any workshop I have attended thus far! My favorite was “Answering the Sustainability Question.” It was the favorite of many—several of us even sat on the floor to be able to hear the insightful advice on what sustainability really means to funders!

 

During the SIG sessions I was able to network with other grant professionals in my field and also within my target location. I gained new foundation targets for funding our programs and capital campaign. Without the SIGs I would have never had the opportunity to meet these colleagues.

 

In addition, I volunteered at the Grants Professionals Foundation Silent Auction two different times during the conference. The time volunteering allowed for me to network once again with other grant professionals. It also afforded me the opportunity to see how other organizations create their silent auctions. Much like other grant professionals, I wear many hats in my position and organize my agency’s special events and auctions. Anytime I can learn new tricks of the trade—it’s a great day!

 

The 2015 GPA conference was an amazing learning and networking experience! The conference left me feeling motivated, energized, and understood, and it was fun! We all shared many smiles and laughs, and by the end of the conference it was like we were all old friends. I would encourage any and all grant professionals to attend the 2016 GPA conference in Atlanta!

 

Professional Development That Never Disappoints!

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By Marissa Cassellius, Grants Manager for Youth on Their Own

Susan Kemp Memorial Scholar

 

It’s been a month since I prepared myself for the 17th Annual GPA Conference. Packing those cold weather clothes that have been stuffed in the back of my closest for years (I hail from Wisconsin, but have become a winter wimp since moving to Tucson). Sorting through the conference workshop schedule with multiple highlighters on hand, color coding my top picks. Preparing myself for three full days of learning, networking, more learning, and more networking.

 

This is both my third year in the grants profession and the third GPA conference I have attended. Let me tell you, the conference NEVER disappoints! Despite the ever growing attendance each year, it’s remarkable how many familiar faces I saw strolling through the halls of the Hyatt Regency. But for every recognized face, there are dozens of new faces eager to meet you— to learn about your organization, to comprehend the needs of your clients, to hear why you do what you do, to just say hello.

 

That’s the thing about GPA—everyone is so warm and welcoming. Whether you are brand new to the field or have been a part of the GPA family for years, there is a place for you. There were no “silly questions” in any of the presentations I attended. In fact, I found that many of the questions I had brewing in my mind happened to have been asked by someone else before I got my hand up!

 

One key takeaway for me this year was the well-known notion that success in grants is based on relationships, relationships, relationships. This entails developing relationships with funders prior to proposal submission, as well as after, even if you don’t get the grant that time around. However, what really stuck with me at this year’s conference is how this also pertains to relationships among potential partners for collaboration.

 

Being a young grant writer for a medium-sized nonprofit exploring the possibility of applying for federal funds, I have come to understand how important this truly is. In conversations with other conference attendees on the topic of relationships, we discussed how funders can tell when collaboration seems rushed on paper. While this seems obvious, endless deadlines often get in the middle of imperative (and ongoing) tasks such as this. It is important to begin building those relationships now, before the RFP is out, to avoid this common pitfall.

 

It’s the little tips and tricks such this, heard during workshops, at the lunch table, or among the halls between sessions, that reinforce why I am a part of GPA and attend the annual conferences. How often do you get to immerse yourself for three days among passionate professionals from a variety of tenures and career tracks? The conference scholarship was such a blessing and I am grateful for being able to attend yet again!

 

 

Looking Forward to GPA Annual Conference 2016

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By Fielding Jezreel, Recipient of a 2015 St. Louis Chapter Conference Scholarship

I should start by saying that the GPA Annual Conference left me rejuvenated and excited to return to work with new contacts across the nation and with a long list of to-dos: demo grant management software systems so I can recommend one to my organization, reach out to those new contacts on LinkedIn and by email, get more involved with the local GPA Chapter, and come up with a 12-month plan for pursuing my GPC.

And as I reflect on the overall conference experience, I’m glad I made time to attend and am grateful for the scholarship I received and the donors that made conference scholarships possible.

One of the last sessions I attended surprised me—the session was not at all what I thought it would be, but like most sessions, there was at least one thing to take home to improve my work. The session covered about a dozen tools, each of which could be integrated into my work but for which I would need to do some significant reading to understand and effectively implement.

Working for a young nonprofit with rapidly evolving strategies and big aspirations means I spend more than my fair share of time anguishing over rushed planning processes and last minute programmatic changes. As the organization grows, focuses, and devotes more time to planning, evaluating, and improving processes, the tools discussed during the Saturday session will contribute to those endeavors.

In the meantime, I have a list of tools that I can begin to explore. Relatedly, I have a challenge to presenters of the GPA Conference 2016, pick your favorite tool or method and dive deep. Show participants how you use a tool or method. Engage participants in an activity that you use in developing some aspect of your grants program or process, be that in a leadership capacity, in the production of proposal components, or in the guidance of your professional direction.

On Thursday of the conference, I attended Beckie Murdock’s “Mapping Concepts for Grant Proposals.” She walked a crowded room through a mind mapping exercise that she uses with community groups to bring a diverse set of community stakeholders to the table to discuss a problem and corresponding solutions. Assigned to work in groups on a particular challenge, Beckie engaged us in “doing” instead of spending her hour and fifteen “telling.” Beckie showed us how we could use mind mapping to guide the production of a grant proposal that reflects the needs of a group and streamlines the implementation process post-award. The delivery of the materials made this session the most memorable of the conference for me.

In case you are thinking about presenting in 2016, I’ll close by offering up a number of tools and strategies that I’d love to dive deep into at the GPA Annual Conference 2016: SWOT analyses, GIVES strategies for Fundraising, Porter’s Generic Strategies, crafting values statements, Return on Investment evaluations, Sustainability Matrices, Hedgehog Concepts, Gantt Charts, Strategic Planning Cycles, and Strategy Screens.

See you in Atlanta!

My Top 10 #GPAConf15 Insights

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By Dr. Judy Riffle, Pam Van Pelt Memorial Conference Scholarship Recipient

Santa Cruz Grants & Consulting, LLC

 

Thanks to the Grant Professionals Foundation and generous peers, I was a first timer this year at the annual GPA conference. This experience led to so many ideas about diversifying my consultant offerings, and reinforced my love of the grants world. As a former educator and administrator, I never wanted to feel I was an expert in any area. When I feel there is nothing left to learn or a different way to view something, it will definitely be time to crawl under a rock. Every moment of the conference provided something worthwhile to my career and future.
Grant professional rock stars are just real people like us and have so much to offer. The #HumanLibrary at the conference was a great way to get one on one mentoring. GPA, please bring it back in 2016!

The ethical arena of grants has SO many gray areas. Make it a habit to regularly review and reflect on the GPA Code of Ethics: http://bit.ly/1gqrkDO. Go over it with clients and people in the nonprofit world. Incorporate it into your grant related presentations and workshops. #JustGoogleGPACodeofEthics

Networking, networking, networking. I met so many social media friends in the flesh, made great new friends, and discovered how willing grant pros are to share their expertise and tips. #grantchat

Don’t underestimate the #power of partnerships and mentoring. Dr. Beverly Browning and Kimberly Richardson made it clear how even an informal mentoring relationship started at a GPA annual conference can lead to new endeavors, introductions, and much needed advice. Instead of swimming in isolation as the intense work of grant writing often involves, branch out and collaborate. Nonprofits should form more partnerships as well in order to succeed in the crowded landscape of fundraising. Win more grants by remembering this!

You don’t have to write in a strict Ph.D. style to get articles accepted into GPA publications. Plus GPA will support you along the way! Newsletter submissions can turn into strategy papers, journal articles, books, or future presentations/workshops. #GPANewslettersStrategyPapersJournal

Present at #GPAConf16 in Atlanta and get a significant registration discount. Feel the fear and do it anyway!

The Chapter Leadership Pre-Conference workshop provided useful tips for recruiting, retaining, and making members want to volunteer such as Claim to Fame announcements, hot buttons, and using exciting themes for chapter meetings. #LearnHelpMeet

I learned about excellent digital #productivity tools to check out such as Nozbe, Evernote, Hootsuite, Harvest, Time Master, TimeClock Pro, FreshBooks, Foundation Center maps, Google Scholar, and Natural Reader (text to speech). For example, put an RFP into Natural Reader to listen to while exercising or gardening instead of reading it and trying to stay awake!

Grant Pros are some of the most giving people on earth. We should all feel free to share our knowledge, expertise, and referrals to others in our profession. For instance, international grant writers provided me with tons of tips for my daughter’s new nonprofit, ‎Obwaagazi Children’s Foundation, in Uganda. #It’sNotAboutTheCompetition

Peter F. Drucker: “When you find a unique opportunity to make a real difference, you focus on it and constantly reassess results.” The conference revitalized me to hone my craft and to focus on careful reflection in all areas. #LifeLongLearning

In closing, I cannot wait until #GPAConf16 in the wonderful city of Atlanta. A year seems such a long time to wait………are we there yet?

 

 

An Award that was Really Rewarding!

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By DeaRonda Harrison, MBA – Consultant, June First Firm LLC

GPF Conference Scholar 2015 – Peach State Scholarship

 

The GPA Annual conference is always the highlight of my grant year. The conference kicked off with a hit linking up Special Interest Groups! I always look forward to the SIG session and the Consultants SIG did not disappoint. Those in the group were open and honest in telling us what to do and what not to do. There were members with over 20, 30, and even 40 years of experience in the room and I absorbed it all. The key takeaway for me, partner with others in your field in order to expand your services to help more people. I truly believe in partnerships and this solidified that belief for me.

 

I enjoyed learning about the benefits of earning GPC and pursuing writing in the GPA newsletter, which later could become a contribution to the GPA Journal. What I loved most was learning from other seasoned grant professionals’ experience to avoid difficulties in my own practice. I saw that the role of mentorship highlights that it is really about relationship building and being more than a mentor—being a giver, being an inspiration. I enjoyed networking with like-minded professionals, because unless you do it you don’t understand this work. The GPA conference encouraged me to keep moving forward and taught me who to call when it is time for me to partner with another professional.

 

Tinsear Forrest kept it real in the “Are you Grant Ready,” session and Amanda Day whipped me into shape by putting the GPC on my radar. Heather Stombaugh taught me that I’m not a magician even though my clients may feel this way. And Kimberly Hays de Muga and others showed me that even I could put an article in the newsletter that could be the start of an eventual scholarly article in the GPA journal.

 

I’m glad I was there and didn’t miss this year. As this year’s theme states, “Gateway to Grant Success,” this conference continues to help me achieve success as a grant professional.