If you’re a grantmaking group, there are extra causes than ever to be enthusiastic about this yr’s bbcon, occurring September 24-26, in Seattle. With devoted to the work you do as grantmakers (twice as many as final yr), plus further networking alternatives to be taught from one another, you received’t need to miss Blackbaud’s annual consumer convention. And did you see? The actor Sheryl Lee Ralph shall be on the primary stage!
This yr’s bbcon has extra classes for grantmaking organizations than ever earlier than, that includes methods to enhance your software course of, strengthen your knowledge administration, and getting ready your group for the longer term. Here’s what you may count on from the 2024 bbcon grantmaking lineup.
Optimize Your Utility Course of: Crafting a Seamless Expertise
You’ve most likely heard that we launched our new fashionable applicant and grantee expertise this yr. Whether or not you’ve been updating your types or ready for the subsequent grant cycle, we’ve got a number of classes that can assist you streamline your software course of, saving time for each you and your candidates.
In his session, Change Up Your Questions: Exploring What You Ask Your Grantees and How, Marshall Ginn of Capital Philanthropy will present you methods to discover a steadiness between realizing sufficient about a company and decreasing the burden on potential grantees. Through the session, he’ll discover tips and filters you need to use to evaluate the questions you’re asking, how these questions are requested, and in what format. He’ll additionally assist you to study parts of your course of, together with website visits, grant reviews, and decision-making conversations, to make sure that grantees are engaged equitably and respectfully.
Need a greater take a look at the brand new applicant expertise? There are two classes with Blackbaud consultants that can assist you dig into the brand new performance. Ryan Turner and Nick Mills will lead Enhance Effectivity with Conditional Logic in Blackbaud Grantmaking.
Utilizing conditional logic will scale back the variety of software types it’s essential handle as a funder, whereas saving time for candidates.
Blackbaud College favorites, Chrissy Haskell and Henry Wiencek, will information attendees via the developments made to the Blackbaud Grantmaking On-line Utility device in 2024 of their session, Suggestions from the Consultants. Henry and Chrissy will exhibit constructing an applicant-friendly type and share strategies to maintain your on-line software administration processes organized.
Knowledge Administration: The Key to Efficient Grantmaking
As a database supervisor, you recognize the significance of correct, well-organized knowledge. You additionally know the way arduous it’s to take care of your correct, well-organized knowledge when you’ve gotten a number of inputs and system roles. If good knowledge governance will get you excited, or if you recognize your group might do higher however you don’t know the place to begin, listed below are a number of classes for you.
Blackbaud’s Rebecca Williams and Brenda Noiseux will lead Knowledge Privateness in Grantmaking: Balancing Assortment and Retention the place they may assist you to apply an information privateness lens to the knowledge you ask from grantees. This added layer of understanding will help you streamline your knowledge assortment, scale back the burden in your grantees, and assist you to be a great steward of their knowledge.
Creating a powerful due diligence course of will help mitigate dangers and potential fraud. In her session Due Diligence in Grantmaking: The best way to Reduce Danger via Robust Inner Controls, Elizabeth Gousse Ballotte from PKF O’Connor Davies explains the very best practices for choosing your grantees and establishing sturdy inside controls. She will even contact on making a whistleblower coverage and key tips about methods to deal with complaints.
It’s arduous to take care of correct knowledge when your fundraising, fund accounting, and grantmaking methods have duplicate knowledge or monitor data in a different way. With so many wants, it may be arduous to know what knowledge ought to be saved the place. Blackbaud Options Consultants Katherine Liles and Lauren Smithman will break down one resolution in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT + Blackbaud Monetary Edge NXT + Blackbaud Grantmaking: The Sum is Better Than the Elements. With these three powerhouse options, you’ve gotten a whole organizational ecosystem. Katherine and Lauren will share how these items work collectively that can assist you increase probably the most cash, make impactful granting and funding choices, and report the complete affect again to your donors.
The Way forward for Grantmaking: An Thrilling Street Forward
It’s an thrilling time to be a grantmaker. Not solely as a result of there are such a lot of methods to make an affect, but in addition as a result of know-how is making it simpler to grasp your neighborhood and meet them the place they’re.
Audrey Kidwell from the Middle for Catastrophe Philanthropy will share her expertise main change administration efforts at her group. In her session, Our Journey to Turn into Higher Grantmakers: Insights from the Middle for Catastrophe Philanthropy,
Audrey with discover how CDP explored constructing trusting relationships with grantee companions, narrowing the facility hole, contemplating fairness, establishing software and reporting necessities that reduce burdens, and supporting native organizations working closest to disaster-affected populations.
It’s extra necessary than ever to middle your grantmaking on equality and do it in an intentional and conscious manner. In Operationalizing DEI in Grantmaking, marketing consultant Lekisha Middleton will lead an impactful session on embedding Variety, Fairness, and Inclusion (DEI) into grant-making practices because the authorized and societal panorama continues to shift globally. You’ll go away with a transparent understanding of DEI rules and sensible steps you may take to operationalize these ideas inside your group.
AI continues to be a sizzling subject throughout philanthropy. Product Managers Brenda Noiseux and Meg Radman will share the developments they’re seeing with AI in philanthropy, Blackbaud’s strategy to incorporating reliable AI, and what’s on the horizon for brand new AI-enabled instruments in Blackbaud Grantmaking options. Take a look at their session, The Way forward for Grantmaking: Navigating AI Tendencies in Philanthropy.
All these nice classes have you ever prepared to speak via the probabilities together with your fellow grantmakers? Be part of us for an unique Grantmakers Networking Breakfast the place you’ll have an opportunity to debate necessary matters and developments affecting the grantmaking business together with your friends.
Predominant Stage Can’t Miss
Don’t overlook to have a look at classes exterior of fund accounting for another improbable alternatives for studying and connection.
If you’re like most organizations, you—or your workers—have been incorporating AI-powered instruments into your every day processes. And if you’re like most organizations, you’re questioning if you’re taking the appropriate strategy to this new know-how. Holly Herbert, the Director of Knowledge Intelligence for Blackbaud will discover methods to empower your staff to have interaction in Generative AI innovation safely and with intention. Her session, Amplifying Worker Influence By way of Generative AI, will assist you to future proof your expertise whereas driving affect.
And positively don’t miss the primary stage dialog with Sheryl Lee Ralph. Sheryl stars as “Barbara” on ABC’s present smash hit Abbott Elementary, and she or he’s a passionate advocate for training. She is the founding director of DIVA (Divinely Impressed Victoriously Anointed) Basis 501(c)(3), created in reminiscence of the buddies she misplaced to HIV/AIDS.
Can’t Make It to Seattle? Be part of Us Just about!
Even when you can’t make it to the Emerald Metropolis in individual, you may nonetheless register for digital bbcon. You’ll get entry to a variety of the good classes and studying alternatives. You possibly can be taught extra and register for each in-person and digital bbcon at https://www.bbconference.com/2024/.
