The Grantmaking School
 
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Planning for The Grantmaking School Courses

The Grantmaking School courses are intensive, two-day courses designed to provide grantmaking professionals with an opportunity to immerse themselves in the curriculum for optimal professional development. Our courses go well beyond a workshop approach and require commitment and thoughtful engagement from participants to ensure maximum benefit from our program.

To get the most out of our courses, we recommend the following:

1. Clear your schedule – We understand taking two days away from the office can be challenging, but you will benefit from being able to focus fully on the content of the course. While we allow plenty of breaks with time to check email and voicemails, please come prepared to have limited access to the office while the course is in session. Participants from past courses acknowledge the time away from the office and email requires planning but is well worth it for what they take away.

2. Come prepared – Preparing for each course is important. Preparation begins with the basics of a good night’s sleep and packing comfortable, business casual attire. We also recommend dressing in layers to accommodate warmer or cooler temperatures. Prior to each course, you will receive pre-reading material from our staff. The material is essential in setting a framework for the topics that will be covered and usually relates directly to course activities that begin first thing on the first day. Please do your homework! Finally, to keep you fueled and energized throughout the day, we will provide a full breakfast, lunch, and snacks at the course.

3. Network with all course participants – Every course has a variety of participants and instructors from around the country, and sometimes internationally. You are encouraged to take advantage of getting to know all the participants, instructors, and staff, as they will become part of a new group of colleagues and resources relevant to your work. We will provide you with contact information and a roster of your colleagues present at the course, but we encourage you to engage with them as much as possible over the two days.

4. Keep an open mind – We design each of our courses to provide a wide variety of material related to the course topic. To achieve a holistic curriculum, this sometimes means there will be topic areas or activities that are a refresher to you, while being new to others. Keep an open mind to helping other participants develop in these areas while sharing your experiences with the group. Participants hail from a variety of foundations, scope, and geographic location and our goal is to ensure all participants are at the same level following each course.