GMN Examiner
Summer 2010
Are you a new grantmaker starting from scratch? Is your organization’s grantmaking changing or increasing, therefore creating a need for additional or specialized grants administration staff? Does your title accurately reflect the work that you do? These scenarios present a complexity felt by funders old and new – how can grantmakers most effectively staff the grants management function?
As I go around the country and meet members, potential members, and funder network colleagues, three things about GMN operations always amaze people—the high number of volunteers, the low number of staff, and our voluntary dues structure.
As grantmakers continue to explore ways to streamline their processes and effectively measure impact, the move to online systems is a natural evolution. One potential stumbling block has been the inability to verify that the appropriate people have reviewed the content and budget of the proposal and agreed to the terms of a grant. Electronic signatures can be the solution to this dilemma. To discover more about electronic signatures and how to incorporate them into your process.
Missed Maryland? Blew off Baltimore? Learn more about GMN’s 5th Annual Conference and start planning for next year’s trip to Seattle.
A recent series of GMN Examiner articles followed the field-wide discussion on whether and how grantmakers should track and disclose the diversity of their boards, staff, grantees, and vendors. We’d like to continue that discussion by taking a look inward — at GMN membership and leadership. Learn more about the diversity of our profession, the organization that represents it, and how you can become involved in ensuring GMN has representative leadership.
Fundraising – although the word begins with FUN, actually asking others for money can be challenging. But the GMN Fundraising Team is excited to explain how becoming a Contributing Organization Member can help you get the most out of GMN while giving back to this unique membership organization.
New: Online Community Training and Body of Knowledge Discussions
Notable: 2009 GMN Annual Report, GMN Regional Leaders Summit
Coming Soon: New Project Streamline Tool and release of the Beyond the Recycling Bin: Greening Practices of Grantmakers report
The GMN Examiner Editorial Team
The GMN Examiner is published three times a year through the dedicated efforts of GMN members and volunteers.
Editorial Team
Ericka Novotny – Editor
Allison Gister – Associate Editor
Jamie Amagai
Deborah Bloom
Peg Butler
Kim Foster
Bonnie Rivers
Cristina Yoon
Let's Ask Our Members
What did you learn at the conference that you would like to implement in your office?
"The GMN Conference was in all senses a great source of information. Learning about the new applications and tools available for streamlining projects, plus reports and workshops with all necessary considerations to successfully implement such projects in our organization added vital resources to our organizational plans. I hope to develop highly efficient operations that also support the creation of a green and healthy work environment."
Joaquin Labour
Grants & IT Administrator
FB Heron Foundation
"Attending the GMN Conference is the greatest development opportunity my organization could provide. I receive a wealth of information pertaining specifically to my daily work that could only otherwise be accomplished with weeks of online research. Opportunities to network with cohorts that speak my grantmaking language are an added benefit."
Jan Ross
VP Grants Administration
Huey and Angelina Wilson Foundation
"We are currently using some form of dashboards to track our foundation’s progress in various areas. As someone who is relatively new to the concept, I found Roberto Cremonini and Alfred Gracombe’s “Making Sense of Your Foundation Data with Dashboards and Scorecards” presentation to be a great introduction to utilizing these types of tools. Their overview of the value and importance of such tools was very helpful. It was also valuable to learn about their dashboard creation process – from concept, design, and implementation – as well as the key staff that were involved with each stage of the process. I left the presentation with a better understanding and greater appreciation for utilizing and improving our existing dashboards."
Arlene Wilson-Grant
Grants Specialist
The Skoll Foundation
"John Edie’s session on Fiscal Sponsorship and Intermediary Grantmaking inspired us to revise our guidelines around granting to fiscal sponsors. The session on Relieving the Burden of Budgets and Financial Reporting gave us something to think about as we work on refining our reporting guidelines. Lastly, the opening plenary with Bradford Smith of the Foundation Center got us thinking about ways in which data can be used to help inform grantmaking."
Patrick Taylor
Grants Assistant
The Energy Foundation