I am pleased to announce that I am now a GPA Approved Trainer!
Grant Professionals Association awards the designation to grant pros who are “well-prepared, credible, and skilled in helping people build their grants knowledge base” and abide by the GPA Code of Ethics.
Over time, I have developed presentations on so many topics and have taught formally in so many national and local settings — and informally at more venues than I can count — that I realized I had enough hours of teaching under my belt and the confidence to apply to be a GPA Approved Trainer.
I have numerous topics I can present on at a moment’s notice – everything from Consulting, Budgets, Case Statements, and the Logic Model, to Prospect Research, Grant Readiness, Time-Saving Tips for the Grants Office, and Grant Writing Basics. And I can tailor a customized training to suit a particular need an agency or group may have.
When I first started as a grant consultant, I was struck by how much coaching/ educating/ teaching/ training/ advising was involved with the job. Most every time I spoke to a prospect or client, I was either informing them of best practices, or correcting misinformation about the world of grants and what to expect from a consultant relationship.
Fortunately, I take to the role of educator pretty easily. But it was a surprise to me to discover how little is understood about grant writing, and grant consulting specifically. Now, teaching and training is one of the three pillars of my business!
And it is why I take the opportunity to share real-world hard facts about the world of grant so often with my blogs. Most of my blogs are offshoots of conversations I have had with colleagues, or casual observers, or clients, or people just curious about the profession. An opportunity to clear up a misunderstanding presents itself, and I take it! I love to share what I know, and I use the blog platform to clear up any preconceived misconceptions.
Some common topics I come across are:
- Can a consultant work on commission (the short answer is ‘no,’ it’s unethical)
- Do I really need to submit my application by the deadline? (short answer is ‘most definitely!’)
- Now that I have my 501c3, I can just count on grants to keep me afloat, right? (short answer – nope)
But I have spoken to many people about other issues with grants that they have come across, and I add my thoughts on them to my blog articles. A presentation is an chance to build out what I can only touch on briefly in a blog. I look forward to the deep dive that presenting on a topic allows. And sharing Best Practices and spreading the word about the right way and the wrong way to handle an issue is a golden opportunity to better the profession of grant writing.
Do you have any topics I should consider turning into a presentation for your team?
For more on this and other grant topics, visit Carolyn’s website.
