Honing our focus on making impact
As we enter the site visit phase of this year’s grant process, it’s exciting to see the projects being considered and to see how we can alter our process for social distancing. It’s a good reminder that we can endure some change without sacrificing our mission and overall plans.
WIN’s Zoom committee meetings over the past few years prepared us well to expand to the possibility of Zoom site visits and webinars this summer.
WIN was created to give women philanthropists the opportunity to make a bigger impact on projects that offer bold, new solutions to important and urgent issues in Nebraska. We want to be more engaged in what’s happening in our state by connecting with a range of university and nonprofit problem solvers.
The women’s collective giving and grant-making organization Philanos focused its February conference on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in philanthropy. Several impressive speakers told about how philanthropic investments can best help their groups and how some well-intentioned grants can require perhaps excessive work on reporting and qualifying documents that diminishes the time they spend on their real focus. Groups like WIN must periodically do some self-examination to ensure that our application process, reviews and site visits are meaningful as we make decisions but also do not consume more time than necessary for the grant seekers.
Social distancing and introspection about how we relate to potential grant seekers do not diminish our efforts and excitement about addressing important issues in Nebraska this year or in the future.
With a broad spectrum of knowledge among WIN members, Philanos, the University of Nebraska Foundation and the University of Nebraska, as well as an array of past grant recipients with whom we have relationships, WIN has a wealth of resources to tap to review our processes.
Remember June 30 is the deadline to renew your membership and be a part of this year’s grants. Thank you for your continued interest in WIN. Together, we can make a difference.
Be safe. Be well. Be kind.
