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Including DEI efforts in grants
Has anyone found a great, short way to make a strong statement about your agency's DEI efforts? We're going through intensive training across our whole agency and I want to share that. If funders don't ask, I'm inclined to include under org capacity but wondered what strategies folks have been using. thanks in advance!…
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DEI Training and Resources
I highly recommend the DEI training certificate program from USF. The certificate program is FREE but right now there’s a waitlist because it’s become so popular. However, USF has made all of the module recordings available to the public here:…
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Grant Due Diligence Policy
Dear colleagues, DCCF is updating our Grant Due Diligence Policy. If your foundation has recently updated it's policy and you do not mind sharing, please respond to this post or email me directly at loritrenholm@dccfoundation.org. Many thanks!
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New Search Features!
Looking for discussions on a certain topic? Want to see if your colleagues are Compass members? Check out the new-and-improved search page! Simply enter a keyword to search, or don't type anything yet and just click "Go" to access the search page: On the search page, you can now filter by keyword, discussion title, author,…
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New Search Page!
Looking for discussions on a certain topic? Want to see if your colleagues are Compass members? Check out the new-and-improved search page! Simply enter a keyword to search, or don't type anything yet and just click "Go" to access the search page: On the search page, you can now filter by keyword, discussion title, author,…
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Templates for in memory of / in honor of
Does anyone have a template to share for their "in memory of / in honor of" tributes? Thank you!
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Congratulations to the April Top 10!
Congratulations @RhondaReichert, @JesikaEllis, @SaraChiabai, @HeidiFindlay, @KristinRaack, @SidneySuttles, @BradMWard, @LoriMartini, @TramKieu and @JosephineMorrison! As a thank you for your contributions to our Compass community this past month, you will be entered into a random drawing for a little pick-me-up. The winner…
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Research on Burnout in the Grants Profession
Hello All! Many of you may already be familiar w/ the incredible work on burnout in the grants profession by Trish Bachman, GPC, Bethany Planton, GPC, and Johna Rodgers, GPC. I'm Pat Duboise, GPC, and am pleased to join this amazing team as we continue studying burnout in the face of the the COVID-19 pandemic. As such,…
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Hello from Minnesota!
Hey everyone! My name is Raelene Rueber and I am one of the new Team Members here at Foundant Technologies in Bozeman, Montana! I live in Apple Valley, Minnesota and my background is in working with Fund Accounting and Community Foundations. When I am not working, I enjoy working with animals and various fiber arts. I look…
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Grant Writer working for two orgs with same email address
Hi there. I'm trying to figure out how to best help one of our grant writers. She is doing contract work for two different organizations (with no conflict of interest). She is registered with Organization A but is also working on a different grant / different grant process for Organization B. I cannot change her…
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Resilient Philanthropy: #FixtheForm and Application Streamline
We had a fantastic webinar today where @KariAanestad shared the work of #FixtheForm and 100 Forms in 100 Days. After talking through the initiatives, Traci R. Johnson, Program Officer at the Poise Foundation, shared the experience of streamlining their forms and partnering with grantees through Critical Needs Funding…
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#TuesdayTip: Asking Questions and Accepting Answers
Did you know...you can do more than just start a new discussion here in Compass! You also have the option to create a poll or ask a question! When a new question is posted, and while it remains unanswered, it will appear in the Unanswered Questions list (there are currently no unanswered questions in the Grantseekers…
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#TuesdayTip: What does it mean when an answer is marked "accepted"?
As you may know, you can do more than just start a new discussion here in Compass! You also have the option to create a poll or ask a question! When a new question is posted, and while it remains unanswered, it will appear in the Unanswered Questions list: You can help your peers by reviewing these questions and replying…
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Sharing information when working with Fundraisers for Fiscal Sponsorships and Designated Funds
Hello! Can you tell me how your community foundation handles sharing donation information for designated fund holders (e.g. outside giving to funds for designated organizations) and fiscal sponsor fundraising specialists? Do you allow fundraisers and designated beneficiary organizations write thank-you's for gifts made to…
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DAF policy / can you share your daf policy? Also, do you allow DAF holders to request grant reports?
Hi! we are looking to possibly make some changes in our DAF policy and I am hoping you all could share your DAF policy with us! ☺️ We are especially interested in any policy with regards to the amount of activity in a daf, international grant requests via a US intermediary, DAF holders who request refunds, DAF holders…
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Critical Needs Grants
Hello! My community foundation is planning to implement a critical needs grant process. We are currently working on creating the parameters around this process and what our definition of a critical need will be. Can anyone share information about your critical needs grant process? Do you have a maximum amount the grantees…
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General Operating Support Application Examples
Good morning, Our Foundation, the Pallottine Foundation of Huntington, is opening a new initiative that focuses solely on providing general operating support. If anyone has an application specifically designed for general operating support requests and would be willing to share it, we would be so appreciative. Thanks so…
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Desktop Scanner
Planning to purchase a desktop scanner. Wanting it to auto feed multiple-sized paper and receipts also wanting double sided scans. What brand and model have you found that works the best for your office?
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Alternatives to final reports
Are you doing typical final reports (asking for outcomes, measurables, future plans etc.) or does your foundation have a different take on it? During the pandemic we created a new rapid response cycle for our grantees which streamlined our grant process. This included making calls instead of using our typical LOI form, we…
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Annual Reports vs. Community Reports
We're on a calendar year and typically do not have our audit completed until August. Therefore, our Annual Report isn't published until September, but we would like to move the publication to earlier in the year. Is anyone transitioning to publishing a Community Report (instead of calling it an annual report) and not…
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Hello from a new Foundant Team Member!
Hi all! I'm Mike deHilster, and I'm a new team member here at Foundant Technologies. I'm a Client Success Manager for community foundation clients and I currently live in Southern California. I've worked at non-profits, a private foundation and most recently at a community foundation where I managed grants cycles. I really…
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Hello from Bozeman, MT
Hi everyone! I'm Rachel Caldwell, a new Client Success Manager - Strategic Advancement with Foundant and am based here in Bozeman, MT. I have a background in nonprofit development, program management, and communications (specifically with conservation NGOs), as well as facilitation and conflict resolution. I'm excited to…
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Hello from Iowa!
Hello! My name is Katie Decker and I am joining the team today as a CSM - GLM/SLM. My background is in nonprofit/grant management and I served as a grant manager at a community foundation for about 7 years. I live in a beautiful area in Eastern Iowa right along the Mississippi river. In my free time you will find my…
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Community Rooted in Philanthropy: Compass Community Story, Blog Parts 1 and 2
Read our latest blog posts for some insight into Foundant and what inspired this community! Part 1: Part 2:
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What does Spring look like where you live?
We highlighted Oklahoma City Community Foundation’s #RebloomOklahoma initiative in this month’s newsletter and want to share a few more photos of this amazing project with you… Special thanks to @ashleyelkins , Special Projects Coordinator at OCCF for sharing these photos. Please feel free to chat Ashley in this discussion…
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Shifting grant agreement process to electronic signatures, Collaborator and integrity
Our foundation recently adapted our grant agreement process to verify and submit signatures electronically as we all shift to working remotely. We require 2 signatures: one from a board officer and the second from the CEO. We are utilizing the Collaborator function to invite board members to complete this action item. We…
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Could you share your scholarship evaluation form?
We are starting to work on creating a new evaluation form for scholarship reviews. We want the evaluation to be numerical, but what we have right now is outdated since we no longer ask for SAT/ACT scores, essays, or letters of recommendation. I have attached our current form but would love to see how others set up their…
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Student Recommended for Multiple Scholarship Awards
I am currently reviewing committee selections, and we have one applicant who is being recommended for five scholarships! She is clearly a stellar candidate, but I am concerned that she will have scholarships exceeding her total cost of education. We do not have a scholarship policy addressing this, and I was wondering if…
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Awarding postsecondary scholarships to middle schoolers?
We have a donor interested in awarding scholarships to middle schoolers as an incentive when they graduate from high school. Has anyone ever attempted this? Thank you in advance for any suggestions about how that would work.
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Defending your decisions: How to stand up to those who claim you're not granting correctly
I'm curious if any funder has a protocol, practice, or tool to use when a community member says, "Hey, I don't think you're granting the way you should!" We know that not everyone is going to be pleased with your grant award decisions. And many people express disappointment. But every so often someone with privilege and/or…
