Learning from you, Mr./Ms. Grantseeker

We’re trying something new at the Dekko Foundation and, so far, WE LOVE IT!

What are we doing?  Spending a little time with some of our grantees AFTER they’ve sent their final grant report.

Why?  It’s a great way to learn from your experiences and plug that knowledge back into our work.

Like most foundations, we used to spend nearly all of our time talking with grantseekers BEFORE our grants were made.  We met with you, learned about your mission, worked to understand the ins and outs of your project…then, once our grant was made, we moved on to work with a whole new group of grantseekers.

Now, we’re learning that there’s real benefit in talking with you after your grant money is spent, and your final grant report has been sent.

Just today we met with leaders from the Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana.  They talked about their experience of working with a national consultant.  They told us how impactful it was to have professional, non-emotional, unbiased guidance.  We recorded their thoughts.  Now the next time one of our grantseekers questions whether or not to bring in professional support, we’ll have some great experience (and someone they can call) in the hopper!

Here’s something that a smart consultant shared with us:

SUCCESS = What you were able to accomplish + What you learned along the way.

Continuing to get better is what it’s all about!!!