I was one of the lucky 10% of aspiring GPCs (Grant Professional Certified) to see the following words float across my screen: “This email is to notify you that your packet has been selected for audit.” Audits are best practice for credentialing organizations to uphold the integrity of the credential. No matter how ethical or diligent one is, being audited is always a bit nerve-wracking. I am sharing my experience to show you how to track documentation to be audit-ready. I will give a real-life example of undergoing an audit after submitting my initial eligibility packet and the things that I now do differently as a result.

    Grant Ethics Session 10 of the Grant Funding Basics Series All grant professionals experience ethical moments throughout their careers. It is our professional duty to guide the organizations we work for on ethical conduct. This conduct extends beyond whether funding can be spent differently than was written in...

    Grant Budgets Session 7 of the Grant Funding Basics Series Grant budgets seem like they should be so simple, just ask for what you need, right? Instead, they can be very complex with unique terms and phrases all their own. This training will start at the very beginning...

    Grants 301: Techniques and Tools to Support an Ethical Transition from Pre-Award to Post-Award Activities Session 7 of the Grants 301 Series We've probably all been in a situation when the executive, program, or financial staff at our organization say, "We'll figure it out if you can...

    Ethics: Grant Ethics for Consultants Session 8 of the Ethics Series While all nonprofit professionals have many ethical issues to consider as they conduct pre-award and post-award grant activities, grant consultants have additional areas of which to be mindful because they run their own businesses instead of...

  Ethics: The Ethics of Program Implementation and Reporting Session 7 of the Ethics Series While ethics must be considered in all stages of the grant lifecycle, the part that most people worry about is program implementation and reporting. Here grant professionals worry about wearing orange jumpsuits because...

  Ethics: Creating Ethical Grant Budgets and Sustainability Plans Session 6 of the Ethics Series For many organizations, a federal grant will be a significant expansion to an existing program or the initial funding for a program that does not yet exist. This can make the creation of...

  Ethics: The Ethics of Program Design: Plans and Partners Session 5 of the Ethics Series Creating a high-quality grant proposal can be challenging when organizations may also be designing the program at the same time. Alignment to the mission of the organization and its strategic plan versus...

    Ethics: Ethics for Grant Proposal Need Statements Session 4 of the Ethics Series The way grant professionals describe the needs of their community is an important part of persuading reviewers and grant funders to award a grant. Which need is greatest and most aligned to the funders’...

    Ethics: Organizational Capacity and Readiness Grant Ethics Session 3 of the Ethics Series Issues of ethics abound when grant professionals examine their organization's readiness to apply for grants. Is the grant aligned to the organization's strategic plan or is the organization chasing money and causing mission creep?...