Best Of
Re: Developing your grant and fundraising staff
@ElsieThomson - Awesome! I wish all states would do that!
Re: Developing your grant and fundraising staff
@AlyseBraaten - Ooo, I really like this idea! I'm definitely incorporating it into our professional development plans here!
Re: Developing your grant and fundraising staff
I believe the most important step I took (and now incorporate into professional growth for those that report to me) is understanding your community. Even staff that grew up in the community they are serving will hold biases and lenses based on their experiences. Mapping the data of your community and spending time with it can greatly broaden the perspective and effectiveness of staff. It is also a very friendly way to introduce people to using data in decision making, storytelling, and a host of other ways. Somehow it's less intimidating when the data is about the community you love and care about.
![[Deleted User]](https://wa.vanillicon.com/v2/a9bca99ef8bf9bbc51dde0d0fb64c068.svg)
Re: Your Pathway to Grants
I have a BA in Communications. I spent my early career in college access work, running education programs for students and parents. I wrote my first grant to fund a FAFSA completion incentive program where we rewarded students with breakfast burritos for completing their FAFSA. The second grant I wrote was for scholarship funding for my community. This was both a fundee space (with reporting and accounting due to the funder) as well as acting as funder for students (writing, collecting, and evaluating applications and working with schools as payees). My scholarship expertise, nonprofit collaboration, and grant writing experience is was landed me the role as Manager of Grants and Scholarships at the Community Foundation.
