As the year ends, I am spending time thinking about the gratitude, regard, and appreciation I have for the people and organizations that have had an impact on me personally, and on GrantStation. This mental exercise is especially needed this December, as 2020 has without a doubt been a terrible year, and like many people, I am getting a bit worn down.
Nationally and internationally, there continues to be a trend toward anger, fear, and uncivil behavior, and it is easy to focus on the bad and expect the worst. The pandemic, an unprecedented worldwide health crisis with continued impact well beyond my ability to process, continues to surge. Public health has been politicized and polarized, and it appears that equitable distribution of the promised coronavirus vaccine is adding to the discord.
The pandemic exacerbated inequality, division, extremism, isolation, economic disaster, and grief—grief for the people, homes, livelihoods, and hope lost to its inexorable march across the globe.
The earliest and most deeply affected groups included nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and libraries. The herculean tasks involved in finding new ways to function as an organization, provide services (often in the face of increased demand), educate our youth, and meet the needs of our communities while implementing safe and socially distant processes was, and continues to be, difficult. Many of us struggled with illness, depression, and financial hardships, while trying serve those within our mission focus. Yet even as many of us live in areas experiencing a second, greater, surge in coronavirus cases, there appears to be hope in the form of several vaccines.
I have updated this reflection on appreciation, in a spirit of gratitude, acceptance, and peace. Please join me in pausing to reflect on your own positive interactions over the past twelve months—I promise that you will feel better for having done so.
In Appreciation
GS Members:
There are over 15,000 individual Members of GrantStation. All of these organizations and professional grantwriters strive, every day, to better our world through their passion for their mission. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve our Members by offering them the opportunity to identify potential funding sources for their programs, as well as resources to mentor them through the grantseeking process. Our Members inspire me.
Our Partners:
I appreciate the high standards and integrity of our partners. These organizations, businesses, and people are all devoted to making the world a better place and are a joy to work with.
Our Premium Licensing Partners represent over 45,000 organizations and individuals active in the nonprofit sector. They provide full access to GrantStation to their members, and we at GrantStation are honored to work with them.
Our 60+ Membership Value Partners represent tens of thousands of organizations active in the nonprofit sector. They offer full access to GrantStation to their members at a greatly reduced price, and we at GrantStation are thrilled to be able to support them in offering this Member benefit.
Our Community Partners, including Blue Avocado, Giving Payroll, Gladitood, Good360, The NonProfit Times, TechSoup, and The Grantsmanship Center are all organizations dedicated to the health and development of the nonprofit sector and those organizations and individuals who work within the sector. GrantStation greatly values these relationships, as do I.
GrantStation, Company and Staff:
The GrantStation mission is “We are dedicated to creating a civil society by assisting the nonprofit sector in its quest to build healthy and effective communities.” I am grateful to have the opportunity to work in a company that actively chooses to be helpful to others.
GrantStation celebrated its 20th Anniversary last year, and its growth is inspiring. GrantStation was literally born in a cabin in Alaska with no running water or plumbing and has grown into an internationally recognized service provider.
This attitude starts at the top with Cynthia Adams, GrantStation’s Founder and CEO. Her life's work has been to level the playing field, creating opportunities for all nonprofit organizations, regardless of size or geographic location, to secure the funds they need to do their good work.
And our staff members—located from Alaska to Spain—are equally dedicated to fulfilling that mission, both personally and professionally. My coworkers are smart, engaged, hardworking, and filled with a “can do” attitude. They have amazing backgrounds—indeed, we are a bunch of “do gooders.” We at GrantStation are active volunteers and board members in our own communities, and around the world—and our grassroots involvement with nonprofit organizations and government entities helps us to relate to the needs of our Members.
Technology:
Much of GrantStation’s success comes from embracing technology.
GrantStation is an online Membership that gives organizations the resources to 1) win their share of grant funding by identifying new grant opportunities in our databases, 2) build a strong grants strategy with our planning tools, and 3) write powerful proposals with our step-by-step tutorials. This would not have possible 25 or 30 years ago. (My first computer in the late 1980s had a floppy disk boot, measured capacity in kilobytes, and required DOS commands; commercial Internet service providers didn’t exist.)
Technology also enables us to be a cloud company, with no physical offices. Our staff is not geographically limited, so we can ensure the best fit for a role within the company.
Personally:
I am grateful for family, friends, and our four dogs. My husband and I have had the opportunity this year to spend time virtually with family and with long-time friends, and to even make new friends. I deeply appreciated the support shown to us this fall, when my husband had an unexpected heart attack. My involvement as a board member of Music for Everyone continues, as does my support of A Tail to Tell Puppy Mill Rescue. My work with GrantStation enables me to see the very best in people as they, through their organizations, work to improve lives and the environment. I look forward to embracing a new year through a lens of kindness, patience, and understanding.
Thank You:
With gratitude, regard, and appreciation, I thank you for being my inspiration, and for your contributions to the nonprofit sector and wish you a very Happy New Year.