24 Jun Advancing Knowledge: Knowing your “Why” by Kellie Brungard, GPC

Have you ever stopped to consider the reasons why you sign up for webinars, attain or continue to maintain your grant professional certification (GPC), or set out to learn an entirely new skill set (like project management)? For some, an employer prioritizes professional development and encourages developing a training plan. Perhaps your certification or licensure requires continuing education. Do you ever feel like you are taking action (e.g., attending workshops or reading professional articles) but it’s not adding up? Are you missing a sense of accomplishment? Actions without a bigger picture may seem productive in the short term, but they may not connect with your larger goals or leave you feeling like you haven’t made progress. Identifying your “why” may be the missing piece.

Knowing your “why” is the drive or motivation behind what and how you do something. It’s the thread of your story or the basis for decisions and actions. The foundation of your why helps develop goals that will take you down an intentional path. Fulfillment in your career often comes from knowing why you are here on a deeper level. I’ve realized that fulfillment isn’t coming from loving what I do, day in and day out; rather, it’s working towards goals throughout the progression of my career. To set meaningful goals over time, we need to understand our guiding purpose or why. Here are some of the individual/personal benefits that might prompt identifying your own why behind gaining professional knowledge:

• Exploring new areas of the grants profession in which you lack previous experience;
• Building social capital;
• Developing personal interest;
• Maintaining cognitive ability as you age (Yes, we all do age!);
• Staying relevant and adaptive;
• Expanding your understanding of a concept, topic, or way of thinking;
• Boosting self-confidence;
• Gaining a sense of achievement and personal satisfaction;
• Keeping up with an evolving world (technology, industries, societal trends)

Once you have a sense of your why, you can use motivating factor(s) to guide the continuing education opportunities you complete. For example, if you want to keep up with technology, you may register for GrantSummit sessions on artificial intelligence or volunteer to serve on a team exploring its use in your organization. If you want to explore new areas of the grants profession, such as grant management, you may do a quick read of the Uniform Guidance for Federal Awards (just kidding, there is nothing quick about this!). You could search the archived webinars or join a new Grant Zone comrant Professionals Association (GPA) has several helpful resources to help you advance your knowledge meaningfully.

• GPA Learning Pathways: A self-guided curriculum centered around a specific topic, including webinars, podcasts, journal articles, strategy papers, blog post articles, and microlearning videos. The Post Award Grant Management and Compliance pathway is available now, with more in development. The pathways are designed with a mix of learning modalities to support different types of learners.
• Archived Webinars: More than one hundred webinars (with more added each year) are available to GPA members through GrantSchool. The GrantSchool platform lets you enroll for courses, collates handouts and documents for each enrolled course, and tracks your certificates of completion to support GPC certification and maintenance applications.
• GrantZone: Online communities for different topics and interests (e.g., BIPOC, consultants, faith-based organizations) where you can ask questions and get to know fellow grant professionals.

Advancing your knowledge is a lifelong pursuit for many. Understanding your why will support you as you navigate opportunities and resources, which help you connect and gain fulfillment on your path.

Question: What is your “why” for advancing knowledge in your career?

AGS offers several on-demand webinars on a variety of topics to support the full grant cycle. Check out our website to learn more and sign up for our training newsletter.

If you are interested in grant services, training, or federal review services, or are interested in our career opportunities,  Julie Assel, CGMS, GPC, President/CEO will be happy to talk with you about this opportunity and provide you with a quote for grant services.

GPCI Competencies

AGS blogs, funding alerts, and trainings are aligned with the Grant Professional Certification Institute’s Competencies and Skills.

Competency #7: Knowledge of practices and services that raise the level of professionalism of grant developers

Also published on the Grant Professionals Association BLOG page.