Grant writers and managers are often tasked with organizing vast amounts and types of information with the goal of creating a program package that is attractive to funders and future partners. To obtain this information, it is necessary to coordinate people. It is in this process that grant writers frequently disempower themselves. This session will explore how stepping into and maintaining a leadership role throughout the grants process leads to more efficient, effective cross-department communication and collaboration.

The session will begin with an overview of the relationship between power and change and how it relates to the pervasive yet misinformed view among non-grants personnel that grant writing is a supplementary development task. Discussion of the various ways in which grant writers disempower themselves during the grants process, as well as how changing behaviors can facilitate stronger grants leadership will follow.

The second part will focus on effective strategies and will offer tangible tools for preventing and addressing the tension that can occur between grant writers and supervisors, colleagues, or co-applicants. Attendees will learn to use presented tools (which can be used in a virtual or in-person environment) to assess how they themselves approach to power, change, and conflict. Attendees will gain a better understanding of what they and others bring to the grants process which can inform any changes to be made to their grants leadership approach and help to set and manage expectations for people, timelines, and scopes of work.  

Presenter:

Laura's commitment to empowering others to achieve their goals led her to a career in nonprofit fundraising and marketing. Backed by nine years' experience in nonprofit development and 13 in communications, she founded Granted Fundraising Consultants in 2014. As a highly experienced grant writer and content strategist, Laura has successfully contributed her communications expertise to numerous national companies and philanthropic organizations.

Katy's inherent drive for community change led her to a career in grant writing and management in 2014. With professional experiences managing grants with a variety of nonprofits in different sectors, Katy has successfully raised more than $35mm in her career. She is the current President of the Utah Chapter of the Grant Professionals Association, is the President of a local animal rescue group (CAWS), and travels throughout the state of Utah, presenting on grant related topics.

 
Skill Level:
Mid-Career

Learning Path: 
Evaluation/Collaboration

GPC Competencies:
Strategies for effective program and project design and development Organizational development as it pertains to grant seeking

Organizational development as it pertains to grant seeking

Post-award grant management practices sufficient to inform effective grant design and development

Practices and services that raise the level of professionalism of grant developers