How to conduct an effective grant management seminar

RI Convention 2017 Breakout Session13 June 2017

Moderator

Panelists

• Learn tips for organizing and running a successful grant management seminar.

Learning objective

What is a grant management seminar?

• Helps clubs understand grants

• Teaches clubs how to develop effective, sustainable projects

• Opportunity to inspire grant committee members and other Rotarians

Grant management seminar

• In-person conference or online course/webinar series

• Takes place any time of year

• Stand-along meeting or in conjunction with another meeting

Grant management seminar

• Governor-elect

• Governor

• Training committee

• Rotary Foundation committee chair

• Grants and stewardship subcommittee chairs

• International service committee chair

District leader involvement

• Clubs must send at least one member

• Recommend the following attend:• Secretary

• Treasurer

• Rotary Foundation committee chair

• Members who are planning potential global grant projects

• President

• Complete seminar before year of service begins

Participants

• Participants should review materials before event• Guide to Global Grants

• Club qualification MOU

• Terms and conditions

• Building a Global Grant course in the Learning Center

Materials

• General sessions• Topics relevant to a large audience

• Details on breakout sessions

• Discussion of district business

• Multimedia presentations

• Breakout sessions• Learn more detailed information

• Ask questions

• Engage in discussion

• Participate in activities

Sessions

In-person seminars

Rotary D6420 …Northern 1/3 of Illinois(excludes Chicago)

• One of 100 Pilot Districts for new grant model (2010-13)

• Saw increase in TRF giving during pilot

• Reduced AF total giving last 3 years

• Large losses in membership numbers since 2010

• History of individuals carrying grants and many clubs suffering silently from isolation

• Club involvement is stronger on all grants since participating in GMS/pilot

GMS fun and success

We can!” “We will!!” “We are!!!”

• The new grant model has changed what’s possible…

• Increased TRF District energy results in more clubs wanting to participate in grants.

• Project collaboration has brought increase in small club grant activity. Small clubs more involved in AF giving…

• Relationships that have developed through grants and disasters(floods/tornadoes) have resulted in quick and effective Rotary help between clubs previously detached.

• It is now part of our grant culture to collaborate on grants where it benefits the clubs or the recipients.

Define success… collaboration!

• Promote collaboration of participants

• Teach needed resources on RI Website and why important

• Participants use their laptops to find them

• Teach about SHARE, financial transparency of grants

• Discuss stewardship and strength of TRF

• Teach about Club MOU and District MOU and Addendum(online)

• Discuss club accountability

• KEEP IT MOVING, ENERGETIC, & ORGANIZED WITH AGENDA

• Encourage helping each other, with email list of participants provided

Role of GMS

Small groups…

• Each group develops a needs assessment that reflects an actual problem of a community represented in the group.

• Each group develops a project that includes the budget, the funding and the sustainability of the project.

• Each group reports their project to all the attendees as though they were presenting to the District Community Grants Committee.

The last hour… of 3

Most Rotary members have a story; either from their own direct humanitarian work or one they’ve heard and have strong feelings about because they could picture it.

We miss an important opportunity to help members strengthen their passion for Rotary’s humanitarian service if we don’t give GMS participants the chance to tell their story…

Why TRF? Developing your story

• Improvements in the RI website making it more inviting and less wordy and complicated

• “TIME”… six years of continuing to improve our approach while staying consistent in our vision for all clubs to be grant knowledgeable through grant training

• Increased communication in district newsletter, during district conference, on social media, etc. about what the grants are, what they do and how to get involved

Key factors facilitating GMS success

• Work to increase the enthusiasm and strong support of the DG and DGE

• Develop consistent TRF key messages to support the club and district talks of the DGE and DG

• Create a two part jump drive presentation to be given to every club with recommendation for use in new member orientation and club programs

What now?

Online seminars

• Geographically small District of 1650 Rotarians and 40 clubs in southern Maine and coastal New Hampshire. (Takes 3 hours to drive from one end of District to other.)

• Foundation giving has been increasing incrementally over past half-dozen years. (AF = $130 per capita last two years.)

• Historically, we had had a reasonably strong Matching Grants and DSG program.

• Membership numbers have stabilized after years of downward trend.

• Two new clubs in past two years replaced two that we lost.

District 7780: Who we are

• Traditional grants seminars (generally three each spring, taking place in locations throughout district) were well-regarded.

BUT:

• Majority of global grant applications since onset of new Foundation rules were disallowed by TRF.

• 30% of district grant applications were disqualified by our own District’s Screening Committee.

… and no one knew why

Our situation in 2015

• Created detailed curriculum to be used for in person grants seminars so that we were sure that all participants received the same training.

• Created paper “Grants Folder” with all info needed to apply for, manage and close out grant. Also made sure identical info was available on the district website.

• Global grants: Conferred with Zone leaders and Cadre to understand why our GGs were being turned down and how our training needed to be upgraded.

• District grants: Insisted that District Screening Committee follow the requirements set forth in the “Grants Folder.”

Solution: 2015-16

• District grant approval rates topped well over 90% in 2015-16 (and have stayed there).

• Global grants began to successfully work their way through TRF.

But … Rotarians asked for on-line seminars!

And … they asked for seminars to be free of cost.

Results: Remarkably satisfying

Pluses:

• Convenient to Rotarian– Can take anywhere.

• Convenient to committee – already have written curriculum so relatively easy to transfer to PPT slides.

Concerns:

• Webinars do not solve the time problem (still take place at a specific hour that may/may not be convenient to learner).

• No way to know if Rotarians are engaged.

What is Corporate America using for training?

Possible solution: Webinars

What is an LMS?

• Combines video, PPT, voiceover, photos

• Is available to user with logon 24/7

• May include diagnostics/testing

• Used by state governments, corporate training departments

All we needed was a platform!

Solution 2016-17: Learning Management Systems

Solution #1: “Borrow” platform from a member’s corporation.

• No corporation would let us inside their intranet.

Solution #2: See what we could find online.

• Everything we found was expensive, and with more bells and whistles than we needed.

Search for a platform

Our Training hosted on Rotary’s Learning Center:

• Easy to navigate: learn.rotary.org

• No cost to district or to users.

• Even had a spot-check for content/accuracy from Rotary staff!

• Course would be available throughout the year for review (when club got involved in global grant, for example).

Eureka! Rotary’s Learning Center!

District Rotarians lent their expertise in the following ways:

• Curriculum expert created curriculum and testing components, wrote PPT slides.

• IT expert videoed the openings and voiceover and put modules together.

What we provided

• Three modules• Overview

• District Grants

• Global Grants

• Each module consists of a video introduction, followed by PPT presentation w/voiceover and assessment component.

• Each module requires about 20 minutes to complete.

• No grading

What our training program comprises

• Go to learn.rotary.org (requires logon to myrotary)

• Scroll down to course labeled “D-7780 Grants Management”

• Click to “register.”

• When all three modules and all assessments are completed, email generated to District’s Club Qualification Steward and DRFC.

What learner needs to do

Example: Module #2 video

How is the Rotary Foundation funded?

a) From Rotary International dues.

b) From Rotarians’ individual donations.

c) From both dues and donations.

Which of the following is NOT a Rotary Foundation Area of Focus?

a) Clean water and sanitation

b) Education and literacy

c) Economic and Community Development

d) Climate change and environment

e) Peace and conflict resolution

Who decides how Rotary Foundation grant money is spent?

a) The Rotary Foundation Trustees

b) The District Foundation Committee

c) The Clubs

d) All of the above

Example: Module #1 assessment

• Communication, communication, communication!

• In the transition year, an in person seminar was scheduled. (Rotarians could attend either in person seminar or take the online Modules.)

• During transition year, “Grants Folder” was available via download from the district website or at $15 cost via snail-mail. The following year, we send Grants Folder to first Rotarian in each club to complete the training.

How we made the transition

• “Thank you! I just completed the online course. Writing was excellent. Videos were excellent. Quizzes were very good. Without a doubt, it is the best online course I have ever taken.

• “I was planning to break it into modules, but found I wanted to hear the whole thing at the same time.

• “It has changed my impression of online training for Rotary.

• “Thanks so much!”

How was the online training received?

• High success rate of Global and District Grant applications has continued in 2016 and 2017.

• Fewer Rotarians complete online modules than came out for in person seminars. (112 participants in 2015 fell to 80 in 2016)

• Same percentage of clubs complete “Qualification” process.

• Rotarians wait until last minute to take self-scheduled training (resulted in moving up deadline for training in 2017)

• Recognized need to budget at District level for “Grants Folders.” (Each folder costs $15 for binder, tabs, paper/ printing and mailing.)

• Rotarians from other Districts know all about D-7780 grant procedures!

Results/learnings?

• Updates. It’s comparatively easy to update PPT each year; more complicated to update videos with words from new Governor-elect, new Foundation Committee members. This is something we are still working through.

• Calendar. Our goal was to get the Modules up-and-running in February. In 2016, the Trustees made changes to the Grants process in their April meeting. These were not incorporated into the Module until the following year.

• Participation. Why didn’t more Rotarians take the online modules?

• Expertise. Continued need for Rotarian to film videos/voiceovers.

• Bandwidth. “Spooling” can affect video (Learning Center is getting upgrade!).

Ongoing concerns

• We will look for ways to simplify annual development process (less video).

• We look forward to the Learning Center’s upgrade (less spooling).

District 7780 is firmly committed to Learning Center and LMS for Grants Management training.

Where do we go from here?

Questions?

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