As part of its goal to achieve the national Baldrige Award, the nonprofit organization a large nonprofit clinic began to implement the Lean process as part of its quality improvement strategy. In 2020, 100% of the 200+ staff had earned Lean Green-Belt Certification. Many departments and units of the organization used Lean to identify pain points, create workflows, and improve patient care. 

Although the 50-year-old organization has won dozens of grants, bringing well over $10 million annually; the Lean process had never been applied to the grant-seeking process. As a result, there was often confusion about the grant process; departments sometimes submitted competing applications; and grants were awarded without departments first understanding the requirements and reporting they were obligating themselves to. 

In late 2020, after several multi-million dollar, emergency grants were awarded; the staff at the clinic and their grant seeking consultant, Dana Schuler Drummond, determined that applying the Lean process to grant seeking had become an urgent priority.

This session will introduce the Lean philosophy to participants and explain how the process helped this organization - and the consultant - make the grant seeking/management process more effective, more efficient, and less painful. 

Presenter:

Dana Schuler Drummond, MA, CFRE, GPC has more than 30 years' experience in nonprofits - including 14 years as a fulltime grants consultant. She's already made nearly every mistake possible and is committed to sharing her experiences to help other grant professionals. Dana is a popular presenter and uses a variety of teaching techniques (including chocolate) to keep presentations both informative and engaging.

 
Skill Level:
Mid-Career

Learning Path: 
Grants Management & Budgets

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 developer