During the 2024 GrantSummit, hosted by the Grant Professionals Association, I had the distinct pleasure of being officially inducted into the Grant Professionals 2024 Class of Distinguished Fellows. I knew I would be recognized during the opening session, along with Dr. Ericka Harney and Dr. Bernard Turner, but I had no idea what it would be like to stand on that stage in recognition for this honor.
This recognition is given to individuals for their exceptional commitment as grant professionals, outstanding achievements, and enduring impact on the grants profession. As I stood on that stage, in front of nearly 1,000 of my peers, the gravity of it all hit me. And man, did I lose my poise for a moment. Not because I’m terrified of speaking in front of a crowd, but because I realized I was up there because of many people in that audience. People who cheered me on, people who volunteered alongside me, and people who went from being strangers to fellow grant professionals to the dearest of friends. I’ll share my speech at the end of this article, but first I want to talk about the difference support makes.
I never would have made the leap from working as a grants administrator in local government to consulting, podcasting, and building HayDay Services without the encouragement and wise counsel of fellow grant professionals. When I worried about how I would get work, I asked fellow grant pros for advice. When I wondered how to set a fair rate, I reached out to other consultants. When I worried about the ethical implications of a project, I called those I trusted the most.
On the latest episode of the Fundraising HayDay Podcast, Kimberly and I are joined by Allison Boyd, Owner of Boyd Grants. Back in 2023, we talked about all the things we wished we had known before starting our own consulting business. That conversation turned into the creation of Morphology, a 90-minute webinar that guides you through all the questions you’re probably having about making that leap. You can hear about our journeys from employee to consultant on our podcast HERE, along with all the things we wished we had known back then.
One thing I’ve come to realize since recording that episode, is the best advice I can give anyone is: BE BRAVE, BE BOLD, BE UNABASHEDLY YOU! Seriously, that is the best stance you can take in building your business. Don’t look at how anyone else does it, consider how you want to build your own business. And by that, I mean think about ALL the things:
• What type of clients do you want – and know it’s okay to niche down
• What type of work do you want to do – and you can focus on just one aspect of grant work or tackle multiple roles
• How many hours do you want to work – because 40+ isn’t the only answer
• What type of freedom do you want – because if you are switching to consulting to get out of the daily grind of writing grant after grant, that won’t change unless you focus on making that change
• Do you want to work alone or grow with sub-contractors and employees – and the answer can change from year to year
• What else do you want to do besides consultant – and the answer can range from serving on boards of local nonprofits, finding time for more professional development, spending more time with friends and family, traveling more, and anything else that brings you joy
No matter your answer to these questions, I say again: BE YOU! Find the bits and pieces that makes you tick, that you’re good at, and that makes you wake up each morning happy with the role you’ve found yourself.
To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, I’d love to point out a few fellow grant (and grant adjacent) professionals I know who are living out their dreams. I’m so excited to see it in action.
Bethany Planton – bmpconsulting
If you’ve spent any amount of time with Bethany, you know that she loves ice cream. She recently rebranded bmpconsulting with a flair for ice cream and color. It makes her personality come alive on the page, and with it, I’ve seen her grow her work and presence in the grant scene. In addition, she was sworn in as the newest Grant Professionals Association Board member last month at GrantSummit. I cannot wait to see where she takes her business and GPA!
Julie Boll – Julie Boll Consulting
I’ve known of Julie Boll for years, but it wasn’t until 2023 when she reached out to Kimberly and me to pitch a topic for our podcast that I realized just how thoughtful and brilliant she was. The best decision Kimberly and I ever made was joining her Courageous Leadership training. It taught us to lean into our gifts and use our voices – and because of her we finally put into action the Grants Lab – the thing we’d been dreaming about for a while. In partnership with Dana Patterson, Julie is co-hosting a 4-night, all inclusive “you time” retreat to reflect, reconnect, and envision your future. It takes place January 23-27, 2025, at the Sequoia Retreat Center in Ben Lomond, CA. Use our LINK for 10% off the registration fee. This event will change how you work, live, and play. Having Julie in your life is a true gift!
Tammy Tilzey – Willow Peak Consulting
I met Tammy what feels like eons ago at a GPA conference and had the privilege of serving on the Grant Professionals Certification Institute Board of Directors with her. She was an employee of Foundant and while she was more of a computer and branding genius, she quickly learned the ways and language of us grant professionals. She made a major career change this year, starting Willow Peak Consulting. She’s taking her decades of marketing experience and helping individuals grow their own consulting businesses. I’m so proud to see her branching off on her own, because Tammy is equal parts smart, funny, and warm. Anyone would be blessed to have her on their side.
If you feel compelled to put your dreams into action, in the way only you can, I encourage you to check out our podcast episode about Morphology. Listen HERE. It just might be the encouragement you need to be like Bethany, Julie, Tammy, Allison, Kimberly, and me – to be you in the best way possible!
Good morning, everyone! I want to start off by thanking GPA, GPCI, and GPF for this incredible honor. Thank you to my husband, Brantley Day, who is my favorite person on earth. He’s always encouraged this career of mine and backed up whatever new adventure I was ready to tackle. And a huge thank you to my friend Ericka Harney for nominating me – if you’ve ever looked at the nomination form, you ‘ll know it’s akin to a federal grant proposal, complete with page limitations for each section and a variety of attachments – some required, some optional. Clearly it was written by a fellow grant professional 😊
This week, you’re going to hear more than one person share that they “found their people” at GPA. It’s so true, and I wanted to take a few minutes today to share three stories about how I found my people. I could tell so many more than three, but Barb runs a tight ship at this conference. I’m sharing these stories because these people are why I’m standing here today. It’s not anything that I’ve done on my own, but work accomplished because of the brilliant people I had the good fortune to include in my circle.
When our Georgia chapter hosted a GPC exam in Atlanta (back when GPCI had 4-6 onsite exams a year), I met Marcia Ford, president of GPCI. She then nominated me to serve on the GPCI board and for 8 years I learned more than I ever thought I could about credentialing, reliable and valid testing, job analysis, and leadership. And during my tenure I met so many incredible grant professionals, but it’s three in particular I want to talk about. Laura Gore, Lisa Jackson, and Sylvia Redic and I spent so much time working together on projects that somehow that morphed into a quick weekend getaway to visit Lisa in Florida – and now all these years later, they are my travel buddies extraordinaire. And calling these ladies travel buddies doesn’t even come close to the bond I have with them – we are each others cheerleaders, confidants, and keepers of the lore. I can’t image life without them, and it was GPCI that brought us together.
While serving on the first committee for the Southern Regional Grant Conference, I got an email from a lady in Texas who told me she couldn’t attend the national conference this year but wanted to come to Georgia for our conference for some professional development. Since she didn’t know anyone, she offered to be a volunteer and told me to please put her to work. So I did – and through a few email exchanges and spending the day with her, I had the lovely pleasure of meeting Allison Boyd. Over the years we stayed in touch, served on the GPCI board together, and now I have the distinct pleasure of working part-time with her firm Boyd Grants. I’ve worked for some incredible leaders over the years, but I cannot express what a joy it is to work at a place with such an incredible culture of flexibility, kindness, hard work, and communication. I’ve told Allison she is the giver of gold stars, and until working with her I had no idea how much I needed a few gold stars. Allison, thank you for volunteering way back when and for your leadership today.
Finally, it was at a GPA conference many years ago that I met Kimberly Hays de Muga – a few of us were eating breakfast at the designated Georgia table and she managed to overcome her introverted ways and come join us. Over time that meeting morphed into a friendship, that turned us into the Fundraising HayDay podcast cohosts, and morphed into business partners for HayDay Services. It’s not everyday that you find a person that is equal parts brilliant, funny, and compassionate – but GPA led one such person straight to me. I’m glad you said hello that morning Kimberly!
I share these stories to say that your time at GPA is what you make of it. Sure, you can show up at GrantSummit and your chapter meetings, keep your head down, and still learn a whole lot. But you’d be missing out on the best part of what this organization has to offer – the people. I’d be willing to bet that many of you out there have similar stories as mine. If you’re willing to get involved, GPA is the place where you find your people – from fellow grant professionals to call on, to book club buddies, business partners, and friends for life. And this will only happen if you show up, get involved, serve, volunteer, and put yourself out there.
If you know anything about me, you know I love music. So I’d love to close with a few lines from a song. Several years ago four ladies in the music industry came together to create the Highwomen. Their self-titled album is still hands down one of my favs to this day, and I especially love the song “Crowded Table”. The chorus goes like this:
I want a house with a crowded table
And a place by the fire for everyone
Let’s take on the world while we’re young and able
And bring us back together when the day is done
GPA is that crowded table. All you have to do is pull up a chair.
Thank you.
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