Last week I attended the Grant Professionals Association Annual Conference in Chicago and was able to learn from and facilitate conversations with grant professionals all over the country. I always learn something new each time I go, and as I reflect on the conference, I wanted to share some key takeaways:

1. Building funder and grantee relationships: During the keynote panel, there were many conversations about bridging the divide between grantees and funders. How can we build sustainable partnerships without an imbalanced power dynamic? One speaker brought up a site that allows grantees to rate funders on a number of different criteria: https://grantadvisor.org/. Check it out for more information.
2. Overcoming inequality barriers: There are more dedicated measures by the nonprofit and philanthropic communities to overcome racial/ethnic and income equalities in our communities. There are more collaborative community-based partnerships taking place to address these systemic inequalities through wraparound service models. Also, funders are more cognizant of these models and holding nonprofits accountable to maintain boards that are more reflective of the constituencies they serve.
3. Strategic Planning: I found out some more tools that we can use during strategic planning processes:
   1. SOAR – Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results (same as the traditional SWOT analysis but with more of a positive spin)
   2. PESTEL – Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal (spreadsheet of various elements that impact the organization)
   3. Boston Matrix – Matrix of profitability and impact (helps us understand what should be a priority
4. Using digital platforms: Through the use of social media, nonprofits and public sector agencies and are able to share their stories and become more connected to the communities they serve. It also allows a baseline level of equity with a common platform to share this information, regardless of the size and scope of the organization or agency.
5. Abundant Resources Available: There are wonderful podcasts, books, newsletters and websites that provide information on best practices and also case studies from the field. Some highly recommended ones (not necessarily just about nonprofits) include:
   1. Newsletters: http://nonprofitaf.com/ and https://www.blueavocado.com/
   2. Podcasts: Successful Nonprofits and Nonprofits are Messy
   3. Books: Thinking, Fast and Slow (Daniel Kahneman), The Art of Gathering (Priya Parker) and The Power of Moments (Chip Heath and Dan Heath)

What will you be able to use today?