We thank May & Stanley Smith Charitable Trust and The Grove Foundation for sponsoring this learning series!
Interested in purchasing a recording of a PEAK Second Line session? Reach out to info@peakgrantmaking.org.
Sessions
Writing Standard Operating Procedures
Wednesday, June 25, 12:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m. ET
Are you struggling to document your organization’s complex processes and keep them up-to-date? In this interactive session, five foundations of various sizes will share their approaches to documentation and offer practical tools and tips, and then lead an exercise aimed at developing your process documentation skills. Then, participants will have the opportunity to apply these next-level practices by starting to draft process standard operating procedures. You’ll leave with a practical roadmap for creating a process document tailored to your organization’s grantmaking procedures.
By attending this session, participants will deepen their knowledge in the following areas:
- Awareness of different types of documentation and tools to support each type
- Process mapping and how to create detailed, step-by-step documentation
Speakers
Aaliya Ahmed, Quadrature Climate Foundation
Mary Kadzielski, Philanthropy.io
Jen Ruffner, Summit Foundation
Astrik Tenney, Strada Education Foundation
M.J. Thorne, The Goizueta Foundation
Driving Equity Through Data by Rethinking Grant Applications
Wednesday, July 9, 12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. ET
Through case study examples and practice activities, this session will explore how to transform grant applications into tools for strategic learning. Attendees will create a sample learning agenda, translate it into meaningful grant application domains, and then dive into approaches for visualizing those data to summarize insights about grant partner relationships.
Recent trends advocate for concise, targeted reporting to enhance learning and engagement, making data more accessible for decision-makers. By focusing on purposeful data collection and analysis, attendees will discover how grant applications can support organizational learning, real-time course corrections, and long-term strategy refinement.
By attending this session, participants will deepen their knowledge in the following areas:
- The value of a learning agenda to guide data collection in grant applications and begin creating one
- The skills to design application questions that align with their organization’s strategic learning goals
- How to build capacity to translate grantee data into visual reports that inform decision-making
Speakers
Jennifer Marsack, Pivot Data Design
Martena Reed, Reflect Evaluation
Ten Ways New Managers Can Build Engagement, Trust, and Productivity
Wednesday, July 16, 12:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m. ET
High performers frequently get tasked with managing direct reports without formal leadership training or guidance. While rising stars excel at the art of grantmaking, the art of managing people requires additional skills.
Join this workshop to learn 10 management tips that I’ve learned in the last 10 years of facilitating manager training. We’ll cover everything from the mechanics of effective one-on-one meetings to building psychological safety. You’ll walk away with practical resources, templates, and articles to continue building your leadership skills.
By attending this session, participants will deepen their knowledge in the following areas:
- Actionable tips and resources to build influential management skills in their day-to-day work, including psychological safety, trust, goal setting, addressing bias, performance management, giving and receiving feedback, and delegation
Speakers
Christopher Percopo, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
Sarah Sprott, Candid
Changemaking, Change Management, and Changing the Narrative
Wednesday, July 30, 12:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m. ET
This interactive workshop will explore the role of narratives in grantmaking spaces through a case study, small group discussions, and reflective prompts. We will introduce a framework that situates diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) principles and practices within a narrative landscape, and walk through a case study that documents how an organization-wide DEIB-focused initiative on change ultimately led the leader of the design—a well-liked and widely respected employee—to resign.
By attending this session, participants will deepen their knowledge in the following areas:
- How harmful narratives show up in the philanthropic sector and how to apply a narrative lens to identify, question, and disrupt harmful narratives within ourselves and our organizations
- The tools, strategies, and tactics that can help inform healthy and effective change management through a narrative lens
- How to initiate conversations with peers, managers, and leadership on how narratives shape grantmaking decisions
Speakers
Maya Faulstich-Hon, ideas42
Eva Matos, ideas42
Ursula Stewart, Salesforce
Aligning Values and Reporting at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Wednesday, August 6, 12:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m. ET
Rarely read and often submitted too late to inform strategy, written reports have long been a source of frustration for both foundation staff and grantees. In 2023, RWJF instead asked whether and how reporting could better align with its organizational values and launched the Written Reporting Alternatives Project (WRAP) to investigate and potentially reimagine its approach to narrative reporting to make it more purpose-driven and grantee-centered. This session will explore the development of WRAP and share preliminary findings and reflections.
By attending this session, participants will deepen their knowledge in the following areas:
- How to align reporting practices with values
- Grounding practice change in participatory research
- The barriers and rewards of changing reporting practices across the field
Speakers
Jessica Bearman, Bearman Consulting
Indya Hartley, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Jamae Morris, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Registration
Cost per person for each session
- Organization Members: $25 per session
- Consultant Members: $25 per session
- Individual Members: $50 per session
- Nonmembers: $50 per session
Not yet a part of the PEAK community? We invite all grantmaking professionals to sign up for a complimentary Individual Membership.
PEAK Staff Support
For more information on registration, please contact Senior Membership Manager Clare Larson at clare@peakgrantmaking.org. For questions related to training content and materials, please contact Senior Knowledge and Learning Manager Vanessa Elkan at vanessa@peakgrantmaking.org.