Hello, World.

Hello, World. Anyone who takes an introductory computer programming course uses the phrase “Hello, World“ as basic output in their very first piece of code. In this, my first blog post in this exciting new chapter of my career and GrantCraft’s future, I also would like to say Hello, World.

I’m learning very quickly that GrantCraft is a portal to a large, inspiring network of funders, activists, thinkers, advisors, and game-changers around the world. It’s a world with needs running the gamut – economic, health, water, equality, cultural, education – and an army of people who have accepted the challenge of doing their best to say hello to problems while armed with thoughtful solutions that leverage financial investment, research, advocacy, and time. It’s a world where everyone plays an important role, and where we move forward by harnessing the experience, ingenuity, and gumption of those around us. GrantCraft currently shares a wealth of information collected from across the sector through guides and complementary materials.

We can do better though.

Rosien, Lisa, and now, I, have exciting ideas for capitalizing on our knowledge-sharing strengths and better engaging our most important constituency: you. We want to make it easier to have conversations around the stories shared in our guides. We want to more deeply involve you as a contributor to our field of knowledge through guest posts, virtual roundtables, and increased awareness of resources you find helpful. We want to build a connected community by making sure you know each other. We’re going to fortify our web platform and use other web 2.0 tools to supplement our current guide format, and we want to incorporate your feedback into developing these capabilities. 

Email me, tweet me, share resources with us. Tell me what works for you and what doesn’t; what could help you do what you do better; what you see in your most amazing GrantCraft dreams. GrantCraft’s future is of particular excitement for me because of my path to get here. I’ve worked “in the trenches” at LIFT, an anti-poverty nonprofit; I’ve drilled into numbers and law at the Internal Revenue Service; I’ve taken unusual approaches to teaching classes I’ve developed on board game sociology, grantwriting, connecting, and email management; I’ve strategized around funding opportunities and complementary support for the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. To me, the most fun, challenging, and impactful pieces from each of these roles comes together in this “blue sky” GrantCraft arena, and I’m planning to run with it. Run with me? I look forward to learning from you and working to support your great work.