Welcome, members!
Below you will find videos of meeting replays, downloads of meeting resources, and more. Enjoy!
2026
May 20, 2026 – Update on Regional and Census Data Sets for Grant Writing (Michael Outrich, OKI)
This virtual meeting discussed local data sets for grant writing.
March 2026 – Are You Ready? Conducting the Grant Feasibility Study (Valerie A. Grant)
This virtual meeting discussed grant feasibility studies.
January 2026 – Mission, Metrics, and Momentum: The Value of Strategic Planning (Kristin Raack)
This virtual meeting discussed strategic planning.
2025
November 2025 – Annual Chapter Meeting
At this meeting, we discussed achievements and challenges from 2025 as well as what’s ahead for the chapter in 2026. We will also heard from those who attended the 2025 GPA National Conference.
September 2025 – How to Ensure Your Grantseeking Adheres to the GPA Code of Ethics (Diane Leonard)
This virtual meeting discussed ethics related to grantseeking.
June 2025 – Building Better Partnerships with Funders (Amanda Sorensen)
This virtual meeting discussed strategies for building strong relationships with private and federal funders.
May 2025 – Funder Research: Finding the Diamonds in the rough (Kim Joyce, Kim Joyce & Associates)
This virtual meeting discussed strategies for researching funders.
April 2025 – Grant Deep Dive & Peer Review Workshop: Program Design (Madeline Anderson)
This in-in person presentation and grant workshop detailed approaches to program design.
March 2025 – Regional and Census Data Sets for Grant Writing (Michael Outrich, OKI)
This virtual meeting discussed regional and national datasets that can be utilized in grant writing and research.
January 2025 – Growing as a Grant Professional while Maintaining a Personal Life (Stacy Fitzsimmons, SNF Writing Solutions)
This virtual meeting discussed Stacy Fitzsimmon’s top five lessons and mantras for attempting a personal life while growing a career.
2024
November 20, 2024 – Annual Meeting and Grant Summit Share Out
This virtual meeting covered the installation of new board members and attendees of the 2024 GPA National Grant Summit shared information about the conference.
September 18, 2024 – Storytelling in Grant Writing (Madeline Anderson)
This virtual presentation covered how grant professionals can effectively and ethically share our clients’ and organizations’ stories to win grants and advance our missions.
August 21, 2024 – Tool or Task? Navigating the Use of Evaluation and Data in Grantee-Funder Relationships (Jennifer Zimmerman and Zohar Perla, Bi3)
This in-person presentation reviewed elements of a strong evaluation approach, highlighted some ways to think about equity in data and evaluation, and ideated on how grantees and funders can create shared understanding and expectations of evaluation and outcomes.
May 15, 2024 – Ethics & Artificial Intelligence for Grants Professionals (Cyndie MacKenzie)
This virtual presentation helped participants understand what AI/Large Language Models are; hear about the ways other grant professionals are finding its use helpful; examine what to be cautious of when using these tools in our day-to-day work, and discover how they can reduce risk when using AI.
April 17, 2024 – Grant Review Workshop on Needs Statements (Nicole Spooner and Liza Tuchfarber)
This in-person presentation and grant workshop detailed approaches to foundation and federal grant need statements.
March 13, 2024 – Confessions of a Federal Grant Reviewer (Shavonn Richardson)
January 17, 2024 – Trust-Based Philanthropy & Stewardship (Kara Schirmer)
Trust is the cornerstone of any successful relationship. In this presentation, we explored strategies to earn and maintain the trust of our charitable partners. We also looked at the entire life cycle of a relationship between grant seekers and grant makers through a trust lens – beginning with outreach and engagement all the way through stewardship and ultimately the evolution of a mutually beneficial long-term partnership.
2023
September 20, 2023 – Consulting: Three Perspectives (Ashley Cain, Coral Dill, Bruce Ripley)
This presentation explored three very different approaches to consulting from three successful Cincinnati-based consultants. Presenters included Ashley Cain (Cain Nonprofit Solutions), Bruce Ripley (Ripley Communications), and Coral Dill (Grant Writer Etc.).
June 21, 2023 – Regional and Census Data Sets for Grant Writing, with Michael Outrich (Senior Planner / Demographer at OKI Regional Council of Governments)
Michael Outrich of OKI explores data sets and explains how to extract the information you need from census data and online tools.
April 19, 2023 – Jack of All Trades: Skills that Strengthen Grants Work, with Ami Brown, Ashley Cain, Lindsey Jarvis, and Rick Wilson
A panel of grant writers explains how skill sets they’ve gained outside of grant writing have strengthened the work that they do with grants. Some of these might be skills you wouldn’t think of!
January 18, 2023 – Breakdown Dead Ahead: How to Deal with Burnout and Keep it From Taking Over Your Life, with Bruce Ripley
Bruce Ripley (Grant writer at Easterseals Redwood, owner of Ripley Communications, and co-owner of Painted Post Publications) talks about the causes and cures for burnout in the grant writing profession.
2022 GPA National Conference (Louisville, KY and Virtual)
Tonia R. Brown – “Speaking the Same Language: Aligning Your Story with Funder Philosophies and Approaches”
This session will help participants learn how to differentiate between various types of funders, their purpose, funding approaches to philanthropic gift-giving and defining funding priorities, and how to align your proposals with this information so that it resonates and gets you to the top of the pile.
Ericka Harney – “You Walk Away Without a Rose: Why You Get Turned Down for a Grant and What to Do”
There are many reasons why an organization would get turned down for a grant. As frustrating as it is, this session will look at the top 10 reasons, why they occur, and what you can do next time to improve your application.
Linda & Ron Wastyn – “The Pandemic is Over: Now What? Relationship Building and Communication Implications for Grant Work”
The COVID-19 pandemic os over so what happens after the now? What concerns should we have for re-engaging employees and partners? This presentation uses the concept of social capital to help inform us of the opportunities and challenges that make cooperative work possible.
Stephanie Skryzowski – “Business Finances for the Grant Writing Business Owner”
This session will help leaders understand their financial statements, budget revenue and expenses effectively, and manage the ups and downs of cash flow. These tools are essential to growing your business AND having an impact, and will improve your decision-making, multi-year planning, and goal setting.
Amanda Day and Kimberly Hays de Muga – “The Power of Sustainability: Continuing Your Org’s Good Works”
Almost every grant application includes this question: How will your organization sustain this program when the grant is complete? The real answers to the sustainability question start long before keying in the first word on a grant application.
Lisa McAloney and Lisa Stofan – “Lead or Follow: The Delicate Dance Between Consultant and Client”
In a client/consultant relationship, figuring out each person’s role is critical to success. Speakers explain the keys to a strong partnership, preparation, handling common challenges, measuring success, and more.
2022
November 16, 2022 – Annual Chapter Meeting
GCGPA leaders review 2022, chapter achievements and opportunities, sessions from the 2022 national conference in Louisville, and talk about what’s up next for the chapter in 2023.
August 17, 2022 – Program Evaluation Tips That Will Increase Your Grant Competitiveness, with Andrea Hoff, MPA, GPC, OCPC, ICPS
Andrea Hoff (GPA member, GPC, and GPA Approved Trainer) discusses program evaluations including foundational elements of effective evaluations, the different types of evaluation processes, and evaluation terminology.
June 15, 2022 – Mentoring: A Push in the Right Direction, with Susan Mospens
GCGPA member Susan Mospens discusses the GPA mentorship program, benefits of being a mentor or mentee, and how to get involved with the mentorship program.
May 18, 2022 – GPC Certification, with Kara Schirmer and Kathy Hatfield
GPA members Kara Schirmer and Kathy Hatfield, both of whom are GPC certified, break down the process of getting your certification as well as it’s benefits.
April 20, 2022 – Project Management Tools, with GCGPA Leadership
GCGPA Leaders Nicole Moran and Terry Davis discuss how to create order from chaos by improved their processes by designing and implementing web-based grants and contract management systems.
March 16, 2022 – “Learning From Your Grant Rejections” with DH Leonard
There are lessons to be learned from each grant rejection even when a grantmaker said “there were just more good proposals than there were dollars available.” In this session, we covered the key lessons that you should take away from each grant rejection to strengthen your next application.
February 16, 2022 – Funder Panel
For February’s panel, we welcomed:
• Michael Bailey from the U.S. Bank Foundation, on behalf of the Maxwell C. Weaver Foundation
• Jennifer Hurd from the Bank of America Foundation
• Renee Villanueva from the Truist Foundation
January 19, 2022 – Project Management Tools, with GCGPA Leadership
GCGPA Leaders Ami Brown, Ashley Cain, Lindsey Jarvis, and Nicole Moran present project management tools and how they can level up your work with grants.
2021 GPA National Conference (Seattle, WA and Virtual)
Kimberly Richardson – “Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Your Grant Proposal”
Leading foundations and grant-makers across the nation are affirming a renewed commitment to (DEI) as they carry out their missions and serve their intended populations. With this in mind, this session will offer concrete strategies for more effectively addressing DEI.
Hannah Cortez and Breanna Polacik – “Using Creative Writing Techniques to Spice up Your Grant Narrative”
In this session, we will explore how to use creative writing techniques to spice up your grant narrative using: language, tone, rhythm, and so much more to create compelling stories that answer the funders’ questions with style.
Johna Rodgers, Patricia Duboise, Bethany Planton, and Trish Bachman- “I am BIGGER Than Burnout: Strategies for Winning the Silent Battle”
In our work in 2020, we were able to identify that burnout is prevalent in the grants profession affecting 3 out of 4 grant professionals. For the 2021 annual conference, we will present resources, tools, and strategies to empower grant professionals to identify and address burnout.
Kristi Crawford – “Grant Support from the Top Down”
In less than 10 years, I have grown the grant office from a staff of one to a staff of 18. This wasn’t an easy task but with the support of metrics, dashboards and leadership support this became a reality. This session will help support grant professionals grown their team and/or identify ways to increase support from the executive leadership team at their organization.
Jason Adkins – “How’d You Find that Funder? Grant Prospecting that will Blow Your Boss’s Mind”
Grant prospecting is an essential skill to the grant profession. While it’s the first skill listed in the Grant Professional Certified competencies, it’s one that is never truly mastered. High-performing grant professionals acquire new strategies throughout their careers. In “How’d You Find that Funder?” I will share 6 strategies I’ve used to raise $120 million in grants and donations.
Carson Bennett, Madi Haas, and Maren Stockhoff- “Grant Writing with the Infinity Gauntlet: Pro Writing Tips and the Reality Stone”
In the Marvel Universe comic books and movies, 6 “Infinity Stones” represent 6 different aspects of the universe and endow the person who wields the stones with immense powers. The “Reality Stone” gives the user the ability to warp reality at will. Instead of searching the universe for the Reality Stone, this session will provide professional writing tips that allow Grant Pros to shape the reality of their proposals.
2021
November, 2021 – Annual Chapter Meeting & Conference Panel
At this annual meeting chapter leaders review accomplishments and important events in 2021 as well as what’s coming up in 2022. Members who attended the 2021 GPA National Conference in Seattle will give an overview of some of their favorite conference sessions. The meeting ends with a breakout for socializing.
October, 2021 – Funder’s Panel Virtual Meeting
For October’s panel, we welcomed the following funders and representatives:
- Mike Baker (Chief Impact Strategy Officer) from the United Way of Greater Cincinnati
- Casey Ruschman (Manager of Community Giving) from the Scripps Howard Foundation
- Kim Vogelsang (Stakeholder Philanthrophy Manager) from the Duke Energy Foundation
September, 2021 – Stop Reinventing the Wheel: Create Boilerplate Materials & Processes Instead
Ashley Cain presents a workshop on how to create boilerplate materials and processes to save you time and help you work smarter and more effectively. She also provides templates for several areas of grants work to help you accelerate your work.
August, 2021 – Processes & Order in an Unordered World
Ami Brown presents a workshop that reviewing tracking systems, process flowcharts and standards of work to manage grant funded projects in a large (or small) organization.
June 16, 2021 – Common Regional Data Sets.
The GCGPA Leadership Team presents data, statistics, research, and all of their favorite resources across nonprofit sectors to give you a one-stop shop you can use in your grants work all year long.
May 12, 2021 – Maryn Boess – “Power Writing for Grants & More”.
(Note that this is a 2-part presentation. You can register for Maryn’s Grants Magic U video course called ‘Power Writing for Grants and More” to watch part 1 of the video course by enrolling for free here)
April 21 – 2021 – Ashley Cain – “Creating a Winning Annual Grants Strategy: Steps, Tips, & Tools”
A systematic approach to creating a strategy for winning grants that actually works.
March 17, 2021 – Josh Neumeyer – “Tips to Tame the Budget Beast: Grant Budgets Made Easier”
Tips for making grant budgets less of a beast.
February 17, 2021 – Funder’s Panel Virtual Meeting
CareSource Foundation and KeyBank. You can also download the CareSource Foundation Strategic Framework.
January 20, 2021 Rick Wilson- “Brevity: The Essential 21st Century Communication
Keep it short and sweet and your funders will thank you!
2020
January 2020 – Robyn Gibboney – “Crafting Strong Needs Statements”
Your average needs statement focuses on driving home how dire things are or how disadvantaged a particular population or community is. In this presentation we will look at how you can create positive, empowering needs statements that are more compelling, uplifting, and effective than what you might have created in the past.
May 2020 – Kent Mulcahy – “The Foundation Directory Online: Win More Grants, Make a Bigger Difference”
To win grants, you need the most up-to-date, complete information you can get about grantmakers and the grants they’ve made. How can you get that? Only from the comprehensive database and powerful search tools Foundation Directory Online (FDO) offers.
June 2020 – Ericka Harney – “A MUST Do: Be a Grant Reviewer”
Grant professionals are always looking for ways to improve proposals. Serving as a peer reviewer is an eye-opening experience into the grant process, as well as a particular agency, new ideas and programs, and network with other professionals.
August 2020 – Quincy Brown – “Diversity & Inclusion in Non-Profits”
The presentation covers:
- Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) in Non-Profits
- Steps to begin a Diversity Committee within your organization and
- How to create a culture of D&I.
September 2020 – Ashley Cain & Bruce Ripley – “Freelance Freedom: Making the Leap to Consulting”
This is an in-depth discussion on becoming a grants consultant. If you’ve ever been curious about consulting and wondered if you have what it takes, what you would need to know, how to build a client roster, and the nitty-gritty of how to make it all happen – then this meeting is just for you.
October 2020 – Panel Discussion – “Digging Deeper Into Racial Equity”
With Tracy Wells from Cincinnati YWCA, Woody Keown from the Cincinnati Freedom Center, Zohar Perla from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, and Kate Kennedy from ArtsWave
2020 GPA National Conference (Virtual)
Cyndi MacKenzie – “No Matter How Complex the Grant Budget, Creating it First Makes Total Cents!”
While reviewing three different grant budget types, attendees will learn why the strategy of building your budget first will save time and is a more efficient way to streamline your proposal process.
Michelle Molina & K. Scott Nelson – “Marginalized Communities Need Data Too: How to Get it and What To do When You Don’t Have It”
Nonprofits working with marginalized communities often face challenges with collecting and framing data effectively. As grant writers, how do we tell an effective story with flawed or missing data?
Amanda Day- “Fake it Til You Make It Taken Too Far: A Case Study of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos”
Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of Stanford at 19 and created Theranos, a $9 BILLION healthcare technology company, but it was all built on lies. Examine how lessons learned apply to grant professionals.
Tara Gohr & Erin Hielkama – “From Owning a Job to Owning a Business: How to Take Your Consulting Practice to the Next Level”
Presenters discuss growth strategies; profitability; building a team and culture; managing a slate of clients, projects, and writers; office/virtual set-up; and lessons learned along the way.
Diane Leonard – “Agile Leadership in Nonprofit Teams (Especially Grant Teams!)”
Agile leadership in nonprofits focuses on empowering nonprofit professionals, regardless of their title, to embrace the role they can play as a leader within their teams (especially grant teams!).
Maryn Boess – “The “Total Value” Proposal Budget: Why It Matters – and How to Build One, from the Inside Up!”
A mission-centered budget provides an honest, complete, clear picture of the total value of everything it takes to do the proposed work successfully. But what does that mean? And how do we get there?
2019
March 2019 – Ashley Cain – “Grant Project Management Tools”
This is a presentation on the different types of project management tools available for grant writing work as well as the uses, pros, and cons of each.
April 2019 – Anne Maxfield – “Managing Up & Managing Expectations”
This is a presentation on the best methods for managing grant projects, managing “up”, and making sure that the expectations of colleagues and clients are aligned with reality.
August 2019 – Vicki Dansberry – “Building Collaboration that Makes Grants Work”
This is a presentation on how to build collaboration for grants work, focusing on organizational partners and also effective partnerships within organizations.