I just returned home from attending the Grant Professionals Association Annual Conference (#GPAConf17) in San Diego, California November 8-11. This was the second time I have attended the conference. It is THE conference for anyone who works with grant funding. It is the conference “where the grant people meet.”
The conference is full of great sessions, speakers, networking, and fun. It didn’t hurt that it was in San Diego. This year I attended the following sessions:
- Crafting Great Grant Budgets by Cheryl Kester
- The Narrative Thread in Your Grant Proposal by Sharon Skinner
- Perfecting Cost Estimating by Kristin Cooper Carter
- Minimizing your Business “Ebb” by Maura Harrington
- Partnering with Our Peers for Success by Diane Leonard
- 8 Ignite presentations by Johna Rodgers, Jo Miller, Amanda Day, Sylvia Redic, David Broussard, Ericka Harney, Shelley Loethen, Kimberly Hays de Muga
- Desperado by Johna Rodgers
My takeaways from #GPAConf17:
- #GrantsWork – Just ask any of the 760 grant professionals who attended the conference. Each of us has multiple stories about how grants are making a difference with our clients and in our communities.
- Donors don’t need more information. They need more inspiration.
- If there are no problems to solve, donors have nothing to do.
- It is ok to show a surplus in your budget.
- The protagonist of your grant application should be the population you are serving. The funder and the organization itself should just be supporting cast.
- The client’s success is based on what they bring to the table.
- You can have multiple passions.
- You can’t manage time. You can only manage the tasks in the time.
- Grant Professionals are Readers. My friend Trish and I hosted a discussion called What Does Your Bookshelf Say About You? and the response was overwhelming. My TBR list exploded. (More on this to come.)
- Grant Professionals are my people.
I am excited to implement all the tips, tricks, ideas, and apps I brought home with my clients as well as with bmpconsulting as a business. I am counting down the days until #GPAConf18 in Chicago, Illinois.
