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PEAK Grantmaking

Top 5 Blog Posts in 2017

In case you missed them, here are the top 5 blogs posts from PEAK Grantmaking in 2017.

Grants Managers: How to Think Like a Data Scientist by Aaron Lester

Chances are, if you began your career as a grants manager 10 or 15 years ago, you didn’t consider yourself a tech pro, or a data wizard. You probably used a computer every day. And you became adept at office applications like Excel and Word. But still, there probably was a whole lot of paper in your life. How times have changed.

Grants Management Software is a Dinosaur. Bring on the Jetpacks. by Sam Caplan

Most grant management software performs admirably. The applications handle dozens of functions, are often customizable (for a cost), and generally meet the basic needs of users. Here’s the problem.

The (R)evolution of Grants Management by Michelle Greanias

When I started in the grants management profession 25 years ago, learning about the work was on the job training because it wasn’t recognized as needing specialized knowledge or expertise. My title was so generic I could have been doing anything from cleaning cages at the zoo to ensuring that millions of dollars in grants actually got out the door each year. Little did I know that a group of grantmakers were coming together in New York to define a new profession.

It’s Time to Rethink the Final Report: How to Create a More Meaningful Feedback Loop by Aaron Lester

Change leaders in philanthropy expect great progress from big data, networked learning, and collective impact. Meanwhile, the lines between many job roles and organizations are already becoming blurred. We hear that we can be most effective by aligning grants management with organizational strategy. But who has time to think beyond this week’s to-do list?

5 Reasons Your Applicants Deserve a Submission Portal (And a Few Why You Do, Too.) by Natalie Hirsch

You expect a lot of the individuals and organizations that apply for your grants – because better granting means greater impact. You trust them to come with big ideas and clear vision. You want them armed with budgets, schedules, plans, and actionable objectives. You look to them for ways to invigorate a community, further a cause, inspire a generation.