2018 Heart of America GPA Regional Conference

JUNE 15, 2018, 8:30-4:30

ADAMS POINTE CONFERENCE CENTER
1400 NE Coronado Drive, Blue Springs, MO 64014

72 attendees from six states participated in the 2018 Regional Conference.

---

Thank you to our generous sponsors!

[singlepic id=51 w= h= float=none]

[singlepic id=49 w= h= float=none]

[singlepic id=48 w= h= float=none]

[singlepic id=50 w= h= float=none]

[singlepic id=52 w= h= float=none]

[singlepic id=55 w= h= float=none]

[singlepic id=47 w= h= float=none]

[singlepic id=54 w= h= float=none]

[singlepic id=53 w= h= float=none]

[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”5″ display=”basic_slideshow”]

MORE ABOUT OUR KEYNOTE, LAURA PACKER:  Registration includes a breakfast buffet, morning & afternoon snacks, and lunch

Laura Packer is the sole proprietor of thinkstory llc, one of the leading organizational storytelling groups in the United States. She has helped for- and non-profit organizations around the world identify, hone, capitalize upon and celebrate their stories. Previous clients include NASA, The Society for Information Management, Quest Diagnostics, iRobot Corporation, Dreamfar, Unbound, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and others.

Laura Packer has been telling stories her whole life – her mother reports she was born talking. The daughter of a children’s librarian and a writer, it seems inevitable that she become a storyteller and writer herself, since her childhood was steeped in narrative. By second grade, Laura was telling stories to her classmates, creating her own magazines and writing letters to the editor of her hometown newspaper; her deep love of fairytales and mythology eventually led her to obtain a degree in Folklore and Mythology from Boston University. Imagine her surprise when she discovered, upon graduating, that there isn’t a crying need for folklorists!

Undaunted by the lack of job openings for folklorists, Laura has built a career helping people and organizations find their own story, performing original and traditional tales around the world, and creating written narrative that draws the reader into new possibilities.

Conference Schedule

7:30 to 8:45:      Registration

7:45 to 8:45:      Breakfast Buffet

8:30 to 8:45:      Opening Remarks

8:45 to 10:05:    A1: Data-Driven Research

                             B1: Strong Sustainability Statements

10:05 to 10:15:  Break

10:15 to 11:35:  A2: Concise Writing

                             B2: Advanced Data-Driven Research

11:45 to 1:20:    Lunch/Keynote: Storytelling in Grants

1:30 to 2:50:      A3: Special Interest Groups

                             B3.1: Pursuing Federal Grants

                             B3.2: Capital Campaign Grants

2:50 to 3:00:      Break

3:00 to 4:25:      A4/B4: Funders Forum

4:30:                    Go Home

[embeddoc url=”http://www.kcgrantprofessionals.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2018-GPA-HoA-Conference-Flyer.pdf” width=”0px” height=”0px” download=”all” text=”1-Page Downloadable Flyer”]

CONFERENCE EDUCATION SESSION DESCRIPTIONS (based on GPC Competencies)

Capital Campaigns and Grants

Building the Emerald City

Presenter:         Kelly Willoughby, Good Works KC

If you want to build the Emerald City, you have to start with creative gems! Grants always offer the opportunity to tell your story and build relationships. Capital Campaign grants require strategy, coordination, and integration to create the infrastructure of a beautiful habitation.

Concise Writing

Tugging at the Tin Man’s Heart in 200 Characters or Less

Presenter:         Mark Hall Dunlap, GPC, Dunlap Grantworks

During this session, you will learn how to tighten up your writing to reduce your character and word counts so you can get more stuff in your online applications. You can also use this information in “regular” grant applications. We’ll cover the passive voice, prepositional phrases, eliminating filler words; weasel words; and do-nothing words, and other villains. We might even have some grammar fun and you might get some swag in the process.

Data-Driven Research – Basic

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Presenter:         Toni Pitchford, US Census

In this “beginner” session, you will learn the basics of Census surveys and how to maneuver the Census Bureau website. This session will show you how you can better utilize some of the available tools on the Census website to find data that will strengthen your grant proposals. You will learn about Census tools such as “Quick Facts,” “American FactFinder,” “Stats for Stories,” and “Facts for Features.”

Data-Driven Research – Advanced

Follow the Yellow Brick Road Farther

Presenter:         Toni Pitchford, US Census

This is an extension of the “beginner” data session. In the more “advanced” data session, you will learn the difference between Census surveys and the Decennial Census, the purpose of American Community Surveys, and the Census Bureau’s impact on economic growth. You will also be introduced to more available tools on the Census website that can help you gather information for grants, such as the “Business Builder,” and how to access historical data as well as infographics.

Funders Forum

The Great and Powerful Oz

Presenters:       Jean-Paul Chaurand, Marion & Henry Bloch Family Fdn. and H & R Block Fdn.

Andres Dominguez, Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City

Rebecca Hall, Hall Family Foundation

                        Marya Schott, United Community Services of Johnson County

                        Gwen Wurst, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation

Keynote: The Heart of the Story, Storytelling for Grant Professionals

Presenter:         Laura Packer, ThinkStory

Storytelling is arguably our oldest art form; it is also a deeply powerful communications tool that taps into our neurology to create empathy, connection, and change. Professional storyteller and communications consultant Laura Packer will tell the story of why grant professionals need to be effective storytellers and will help you strengthen your storytelling skills to appeal to every funding audience. She will review the five critical organizational stories with examples; share specific ways you can develop and use them; lay out a path to combine narrative and data; lead you through finding your own most effective stories; and inspire you to become better storytellers in your work and your life.

Pursuing Federal Grants

We’re Not in Kansas Anymore

Presenter:         Julie Assel, GPC, Assel Grant Services

This session will examine major trends in federal funding and how to find appropriate grant opportunities for your organization, as an awardee or as a partner agency. The session will examine key similarities and differences between foundation and federal grants, including how to read RFP guidelines; how your planning approach and writing style may be different; what factors impact how your budget should be written; and whether federal grants are really more difficult to manage.

Special Interest Groups

We Represent the Lollipop Guild

Presenter:         Roxane Johnson

Join grant professional facilitators as they guide roundtable discussions that provide feedback on your most pressing “how to” questions, difficult situations, or grant and career aspirations. The two special interest groups are education and arts/culture.

Strong Sustainability Statements

Getting Past the Flying Monkeys

Presenter:         Donna Busher, Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City

Peskier than flying monkeys, why do funders always ask the sustainability question? What do they really want to learn? You will learn good ways to calm those flying monkeys with strong answers.