Making the Pitch, Why you should attend the GMN conference!

Hello all,

I thought we should share this email of our own efforts of internally promoting the GMN conference in Seattle to give others idea's as we only have a few weeks before it is here.

Thanks to Jana Fry and Karen Johnson for collaborating on this one.

Hi BLANK et al,

I wanted to let you know about the Grants Managers Network’s annual conference that is coming up on March 21-23, just around the corner.  It promises to be a great conference, and I hope you will think about attending since it ties directly into your work and provides a substantial opportunity for training on best practices in making and managing grants.  Another reason to take advantage of it now is because it is literally happening in our backyard – Seattle.  This likely will not happen again for a long time.  Budgets are always tight, but with the location being here there is no reason for you not to attend if you’re interested.  

Here is why you should attend:

·         Bill Sr. will be the plenary speaker, need I say more?

·         Awesome training – here are just few samples of the sessions being provided:

o   Beyond PowerPoint: New Ideas for Presenting Your Grant Data

o   Working With Your Foundation Team: Redefining the Boundaries of Grants Management

o   How to Prepare for an Audit

o   Grant Coding: Developing or Upgrading Your Foundation’s Coding

o   Demystifying the IRS: A window into the Exempt Organization Division

o   Expenditure Responsibility: A Step-by-Step Guide

o   Anatomy of Grant Letter: Dissecting and Analyzing Clauses

o   Accepting and Reviewing Proposals: Best Practices in the Field

o   The Tale of Two Sectors: Private and Public

·        Network, network, network!  This event will be packed with staff from many, many foundations both big and small covering a wide range of philanthropic interests

·         Meet the Pacific Northwest Chapter of GMN (It is a collection of folks from foundations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska that come together to exchange best practices and have a good time.  We’re currently forming committees if you would like to get involved.)

·         And, most importantly your fantastic GD GM team will be there . . . to welcome you and help introduce you to others

So check it out here http://www.gmnetwork.org/annual-conference/2011/home and read below for more information about GMN.  Even if you’re not able to attend the conference, please feel free to join GMN (membership is free!) to take advantage of online resources as well as the local chapter meetings.

Thanks,

BLANK

P.S.  Do you need help making the case to your manager or are not sure if you have a strong business case?   Please see the helpful sample letter here.

More Background info:The Grants Managers Network (GMN) is a national organization that seeks to improve grantmaking by advancing the knowledge, skills, and abilities of grants management professionals and by leading grantmakers to adopt and incorporate effective practices that benefit the philanthropic community.  GMN has 1,700 members from 1,000 grantmaking organizations including small family foundations, prominent national foundations, grantmaking public charities, and socially responsible corporations.  These individuals serve their organizations in many roles and are identified by a variety of titles including grants administrators, grants managers, directors of grants management, financial officers, and program officers/associates.  GMN is based in Washington, D.C. and has 13 regional chapters that connect members in local settings for professional and leadership development opportunities.  The Pacific Northwest regional group will meet two or three times this year in addition to the national annual conference.