Inventory of Trainings Central Iowa Chapter

November 2015 – Writing an effective needs statement

Almost every grant you write will ask for a needs statement. This is the portion of the grant where paint a picture of the problem that your project will remedy. By using data and other evidence, you will be illustrating your understanding of the community need for your project.

Panelists:

• Lance Noe, Director, Center for Professional Studies, Drake University
• Gary Krob, Coordinator, State Data Center of Iowa
• Matt McGarvey, Grants Director, Telligen Community Initiative
• Lisa Pagel, Grants Manager, Mercy Foundation
• Jim McWeeny, Grant Writer, Science Center of Iowa & Blank IMAX® Dome Theater

January 2016 – Answering the Sustainability Question

Do you find it difficult to answer the question, “How do you plan to sustain this program after grant funding ends?” Join us for a lively discussion on best practices and suggestions, featuring dialogue with the following individuals:

• Suzanne Mineck, Mid-Iowa Health Foundation
• Matt Bruinekool, Drake University

March 2016 – Using Results Based Accountability to Measure Program Effectiveness

Do you know the difference between these words — outcome, benchmark, result, goal, objective, target, measure, indicator? They are often used interchangeably and can be quite confusing.

Results Based Accountability (RBA) is a data driven, decision making process that can help measure the effectiveness of a program. Using RBA to write your grant can clear up confusion and help you develop meaningful program measurements.

Join us for a presentation on RBA and for a hands-on chance to work through the process.

Presenters:

• Corinne Lambert, United Way of Central Iowa
• Mary Schlader, Project Iowa

May 2016 – When the application asks, “How will you evaluate your grant-funded program?”

Jennifer Farley, founder and president of Censeo Solutions, will be presenting information on answering this question in your grants, writing and developing a program evaluation, types of evaluation and methods of data collection. Censeo Solutions is a performance, data and evaluation management consulting company, based in Des Moines. Jennifer has worked with organizations for 13 years to evaluate programs and grants, manage projects, and utilize data to improve performance and increase impact.

July 2016 – A conversation with a local funder

Monica Fischer is a program officer for a private charitable foundation that gives anonymously. The conversation will focus on how she decides if a grant idea is viable or would be worthy to invest in. The format of this session will be a presentation with a lot of time for discussion and Q & A.

September 2016 – Project Management

Once we get the grant, grant writers often play the role of project managers. However, most of us have not had formal training in this area.

George Hollins is a lecturer in the Tippie College of Business and serves as President of On-Track: The Strategic Solutions Company, an Iowa City based business consulting and training company specializing in project management, leadership, innovation and strategic planning. He will share an overview of the basics of project management as well as items to consider as we go through the life of a grant.

• George M. Hollins, University of Iowa, Tippie College of Business

November 2016 – Foundation Directory Online (held at Des Moines Public Library)

Stephanie Fruhling will guide us through a training on the Foundation Directory Online, with specific emphasis on the Grantmakers Database. The Grantmakers Database includes information on over 140,000 grantmakers, including foundations, grant making public charities, and corporate giving programs. The service also allows you to e-mail information to yourself, or save information to a flash drive.

• Stephanie Fruhling, Information Services, Central Library

January 2017 – Federal Grant Management

We will be learning about federal grant management and ISU’s implementation of the federal Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200). Whether you work at a small or large organization, have experience working with federal grants or not, this informative presentation will provide you with valuable information.

Becky Musselman is a Certified Research Administrator (CRA) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA). She holds bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and Management Information Systems, and a master’s degree in Business Administration. Becky’s first position at ISU was in the Internal Audit Office, and she has over 23 years of experience in sponsored programs, including previous ISU positions as a Sponsored Programs Accountant, Business Manager of a research institute, Manager of Sponsored Programs Accounting, and Associate Controller.

• Rebecca (Becky) Musselman, Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration at Iowa State University (ISU)

March 2017 – Networking

We have a wealth of knowledge among our grant membership. During this meeting we will spend time networking. Bring a question or problem that you need help with to discuss with your colleagues. We will spend the remainder of the meeting talking at our tables and working through those issues that you could use some help with.

April 2017 – Regional Conference – How to Write Winning Grants and Smile While Doing It!

Dr. Bev Browning, Author of “Grant Writing for Dummies”

As a high profile grants consultant, Dr. Bev is credited with more than $430 million in contract and grant awards. She is the author of 43 publications and is in high demand for facilitating training programs and delivering keynote speeches nationwide and internationally. Dr. Bev is a 16-year member of the Grants Professional Association and has taught grant writing and consulting courses online for Ed2Go since 2001.

Be the Shining Light in Your Profession (Keynote Speech)

In 2015, Dr. Bev trademarked Bethe Shining Light™, a motivational keynote speech theme that evolved into a journaling workbook and workshops for individuals seeking personal and professional life-changes

Logic Models—What are they and how do you create one?

Dr. Browning will offer an overview of how to develop a logic model and how the logic model can be used in program planning and evaluation. This hands-on session will offer concrete, useful examples which will help you during those deadline-driven times.

Creating a Persuasive Evaluation Plan

This session will dovetail off of the morning’s session on Logic Models. Dr. Browning will demonstrate how grant evaluation plans recapture data and highlight project accomplishments.

Meet the Funders: A Grantmaker Panel Discussion

Want to know more about the future of funding in our community? This moderated panel discussion will feature five grant funders.

• Carrie Clogg, Director of Philanthropy, Kum & Go
• Suzanne Mineck, President, Mid-Iowa Health Foundation
• Sally Dix, Executive Director, Bravo Greater Des Moines
• Anna Nalean, Director of Nonprofit Relations, Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines
• Matt McGarvey, Executive Director, Telligen Community Initiative

Diversity, equity and inclusion: What is it and how to discuss it organizationally and with funders?

(Panel discussion with Amy Knudsen, Manager of Grants and Prospect Research for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland; Izaah Knox, Associate Director of Urban Dreams; and Daniel Hoffman-Zinnel, Executive Director of One Iowa.)

This interactive workshop is designed to assist attendees in examining diversity in their organization, how to ensure they are advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, and communicating these efforts to funders. A panel discussion will focus on examining the topic, how to assess your organization, attracting diverse staff and board members, creating an inclusive environment, and communicating efforts to funders.

Prospecting by Searching for Alignment

(Mike Tramontina, Grant Consultant and Stephanie Fruhling, Information Services, Des Moines Public Library)

Advanced training in using Foundation Directory Online to prospect for funders whose mission, geographic priorities and donation history demonstrate alignment with your organization’s mission. Topics covered will include: identifying words and phrases to search by, setting up Boolean searches, and using actual donation history to target and prioritize prospects.

How to Develop a Strategic Extramural Funding Plan

(Mary Wohlford, Ph.D. & Tracy Bainter, MPA – Drake University)

This presentation will focus on the steps required to develop a strategic extramural funding plan. The basic steps are applicable to just about any organization. The steps begin with processes that focus on how to assess an organization’s funding potential and end with a road map that can be utilized in the development of a strategic funding plan. The presenters will utilize interactive processes during the session to engage participants.

May 2017 – The Future of State and Local Funding

Our guest speakers will discuss the status of funding streams that affect the non-profit sector. As timing would have it, our guests will have just returned from a trip to Washington, D.C. and may be able to impart information that they learn on their travels.

• Chris Kramer, Deputy Director, Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
• Joe Murphy, Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Public Policy, Greater Des Moines Partnership

July 2017 – Advanced Excel Training

Using data properly is an important part of a grant submission. Excel can be your best friend during those critical moments, if you know how to use it properly. Marian Godwin will be sharing some tips and tricks with us. Please feel free to bring your laptop to follow along, if you wish.

• Marian Godwin, Research Associate, United Way of Central Iowa

September 2017 – Writing the Right Grants: Why and How Your Organization Should Create a Proactive Grant Writing Strategy

Finding potential grants that do not fit well your mission is easy, but finding grants that serve your mission and expand your capacity can be a challenge. This session will provide best practices that will assist in the development of a mission-focused, sustainable and successful grant seeking capacity that will serve well your mission and enhance your relationship within the grant making community.

• Lance Noe, Director, Center for Professional Studies, Drake University

November 2017 – Panel Discussion: Dissolving the Mystery Behind Getting Your Grant Noticed by the Media

Panelists:

Perry Beeman, Managing Editor, Des Moines Business Record

Tom Torpy, Managing Editor, KCCI-TV

Phil Roeder, Director of Communications & Public Affairs, Des Moines Public Schools

January 2018 – Using data to support grant proposals

Gary Krob

State Data Center, State Library of Iowa

Gary Krob provided a general overview of the resources and support that the State Library provides, as well as common resources utilized for data searches.

Ryan Murphy & Donna Burkett

Iowa Workforce Development, Labor Market Information Division

Ryan Murphy and Donna Burkett discussed Iowa Workforce Development’s Labor Market Information site (www.iowalmi.gov). Murphy and Burkett also reviewed IWD’s data tool (Tableau) and explained what labor market information is available and how to access it.

March 2018 – Round-table discussions

Round-table discussions – choose two. We spent 30 minutes at one table and then rotated to another table. Table topics were led by GPA members.

• The ins and outs of federal grants (Lance Noe)
• Obtaining your Grant Professional Certification (Moni Gaukel)
• Have you ever considered consulting as a grant professional? (Trace Hoekstra)
• What you need to know about grant ethics (Amy Knudsen)

May 2018 – Networking

Deann Cook & Al Lorenzen

Next Level Nonprofits

They presented an interactive hour on networking to our group, leading us through a discussion where members were able to ask questions and do role-playing.

In the grants world, we all know how important it is to make contact with funders and others in the community. But sometimes it can be hard figuring out just how to reach out. Topics covered –

• Is there a strategy to working a room at a professional function?
• What am I supposed to say when I call a funder?
• Does this ever get easier?!