It’s right in our name—the Grants Managers Network.  The ability to connect to colleagues through GMN volunteerism, at the conference or regional meetings, or even online is one of the things that makes GMN such an exciting, satisfying, and useful organization to its members.

So how do you go about building and maintaining these professional relationships?  

For some people it’s very easy to walk into a room and strike up a conversation or just pick up the phone and call someone.  For many (including me) it’s not.  Devora Zack, author of Networking for People Who Hate Networking, provides some good ideas on how to tackle meeting and building useful relationships with colleagues.  An interview with Zack by the American Society of Association Executives provides more detailed advice.   Ideas include:

• Volunteering at an event (like a GMN regional meeting) that will give you a specific role and something to talk about.
• Do less and go deeper.  Don’t feel like you need to speak with everyone in the room.  Targeting two or three people to have more in-depth conversations with and then following up with them afterwards will help you form a real connection.
• Create an elevator speech about yourself.  We’ve got these for our organizations and programs so why not for who we are and what we do?  Zack suggests staying away from a bio, but instead tell a story or share something you care about.  This is a great conversation opener and will really show the other person what you are passionate about.

One approach I take is to think about a problem I have or something I want to improve in my work and then, after the initial introductions and hellos are done, ask whether my new contact has a possible solution or idea.  It starts a great conversation that actually helps me move forward in my work and often opens the door to follow up with my new contact to get a resource or template or discuss the topic in more detail. 

A better understanding of who makes up the Grants Managers Network will be helpful to developing your networking plan.  Most of GMN’s members are employees of grantmaking organizations of all types—family foundations, independent/private foundations, corporate grantmakers, public charity grantmakers, community foundations, and even government.  GMN focuses on U.S.-based grantmakers, but also welcomes grantmakers from around the world into its membership.

With the new Advanced Search, launching October 1 on the online community, you can identify colleagues by geographic area, asset size, type of organization, and much more.  This will allow you to reach out with specific questions or even to extend a lunch invitation to a colleague you’d like to get to know better.   

The GMN board has recently expanded its membership categories to include the following individuals and organizations who can really add value to GMN, its members, and the field:

• Retirees—We love to have our members stay involved in the field as active members and volunteers, sharing their vast store of knowledge with the profession.
• Members between jobs—During a job search is when our members may need GMN and their colleagues the most.  We will extend membership for 12 months after members leave their organizations to support them in their search.
• Partners—GMN works with regional associations and other funder networks to develop and deliver programs and services to members.  Having these people as part of our membership keeps them informed of what is happening in GMN and helps them gain a better understanding of grants management and the needs and interests of grants managers.
• Consultants*—A variety of individuals and firms support grants managers and even handle outsourcing for grantmaking organizations.  Tapping into this expertise is beneficial to GMN and its members. 

The members in the additional categories above are considered “honorary,” so they are not eligible to vote on member-wide issues or serve on the GMN board.  

So now that you have some ideas on how to network and know who is in your network--get out there and connect!

*This is the only category of membership with required dues.  Consultant members are also required to sign a non-solicitation agreement confirming that they will not solicit business while participating as a GMN member.