Treasure Hunting in the PathFinder Library

Merriam-Webster defines a pathfinder as “one that discovers a way,” especially “one that explores untraversed regions to mark out a new route.” GrantStation’s newly upgraded PathFinder library reflects the spirit of this definition.

Originally conceived as a tool to help grant and nonprofit professionals advance their knowhow and make progress on their career path, PathFinder has evolved to encompass a veritable treasure trove of resources exploring a myriad of nonprofit- and philanthropy-related topics. To help users navigate this library, we recently revamped the PathFinder search interface. Let’s take a stroll through the newly improved PathFinder, and look at how both GrantStation Members and non-Members alike can benefit from it.

What is the PathFinder exactly?

The PathFinder is a resource library designed to help you sharpen your skills, grow your career, and follow developments in the nonprofit and philanthropic worlds. It covers everything grant-related as well as fundraising, organizational and professional development, and sector trends.

Who is it for?

The PathFinder library is for anyone working in the third sector: a grant proposal writer, fundraiser, nonprofit director or employee, an independent consultant, etc. It can also benefit individuals who need to raise funds for their work, such as professional artists, academics, and scientists. Those looking to keep up on developments in the nonprofit and philanthropic fields will also find it helpful.

The PathFinder library is accessible to both GrantStation Members and the general public. GrantStation Members can now save PathFinder resources to their dashboard by logging into the site.

What types of resources can I find there?

The PathFinder is both a traditional and non-traditional library. It contains curated reading material you might expect to find in a traditional library—books, newsletters and magazines, articles, and reports—plus blogs. Best of all, most of these text-based resources are in digital format, so you don’t have to leave your home to access them.

In addition to reading material, the PathFinder contains information on upcoming professional development and networking events, both in-person and online, including live webinars, conferences, and workshops and training sessions. Those looking for more flexibility can access recorded webinars and podcasts featuring speakers and topics of interest.

If you are looking to further your formal education, the PathFinder also provides information on courses and certificate and degree programs.

The library lists a number of tools to help you with anything from grant research to creating a fundraising plan to managing projects and much more.

We also added two new resource formats: data sources and evidence-based registries. Data sources can be used to bolster your grant proposal with relevant facts and statistics, while evidence-based registries can be used to develop programs based on proven methods and approaches.

What topics can I explore?

As part of the PathFinder upgrade, we expanded the list of searchable topics, so you can now find resources related to fundraising, grant management, grant proposal development and writing, grantseeking, nonprofit and philanthropic trends, professional development, and organizational development, as well as “additional resources” for those items that do not fit neatly into any category.

Each of these broad topic categories encompasses a number of sub-topics. For example, a search for organizational development will yield results relating to nonprofit management, strategic planning, nonprofit boards, technology, volunteer management, and more. Another search for fundraising-related resources might turn up items related to individual donor research, cultivation, and management, or a range of related topics such as Giving Tuesday, peer-to-peer fundraising, donor-advised funds, and capital campaigns.

For a more extensive list of sub-topics, click here.

How have you improved the search interface?

GrantStation’s tech team redesigned the look of the new PathFinder and improved its search speed and functionality.

The new landing page will direct you to the Featured Resource and the GrantStation Resource, which are updated weekly. Then you can search for relevant materials using the search engine on the right-hand side of the page.

You can conduct a search in three ways, or a combination thereof:

1. Topics
2. Format
3. Keyword

If you are looking to do a quick search, you can select a topic from the list (i.e. grantseeking or professional development). By clicking on the box to the left of the topic, you will quickly come up with a list of all related resources. You can further refine your topic search by also clicking on a format (i.e. article or conference).

Finally, you can narrow down your results by typing in a keyword. For example, you might try a search for “budget”, which will bring up a list of resources that use this word either in the title or in the description. If you are searching for a phrase, such as “program planning”, be sure to put quotation marks around the phrase to ensure that you are getting the results you want. (Otherwise, everything that contains either the word “program” or “planning” will come up, and you will have to sift through a very long list of results.)

Play around with these three search functions to get different results by using one or a combination of them.

If you’ve identified a resource that interests you, click on the name of the resource to bring up the record for that resource, which includes a description of the resource, the format it is in, relevant topics, and information on whether the resource is free or has an associated cost. Timely events may also include information such as the date, time, and location. Click on the Visit Website button to be directed to the resource itself.

How do I get started?

Use the instructions above to do a test search for resources of interest. Alternatively, here are some specific suggestions for you to get a feel for how the PathFinder works. (Remember to click on Clear All after every search to reset the search interface.)

1. If you are a fundraiser looking for new tools to aid you in your work – Click on Fundraising and Tool to bring up a list of relevant resources. You will see that the list includes technology tools to help you research and manage your relationships with individual donors, as well as crowdfunding and fundraising platforms, and useful templates. 
    
2. If you are a grant professional looking for books related to the topic of storytelling – Enter the keyword “story” in the search box at the top, then click Search. Then, narrow down your results by selecting the boxes for Grant Proposal Development and Writing and Book or Workbook. You will find a very refined list of books related to both traditional and visual storytelling. If you find that the book list is too limited, you might want to expand your search to include different types of resource formats, such as articles.  
    
3. If you are looking to acquire formal qualifications in the area of nonprofit management –Type the keyword “manage” in the box and click on Search. Then, click on Organizational Development and Certificate and Degree Program to bring up a list of options. 
    
4. If you are planning to attend a conference this year – Click on Conference to bring up a long list sorted alphabetically. To refine your search, click on the topic or topics that interest you. 
    
5. If you would like to learn how to bolster your organization’s earned income through a social enterprise – Enter the word “social enterprise” in quotation marks in the keyword search box and click Search to come up with a list of resources in different formats.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Feel free to take a wander through the PathFinder to discover valuable resources adapted to your needs.

Are there any features exclusively for GrantStation Members?

As mentioned above, GrantStation Members can now save their favorite PathFinder resources to their dashboard.

To do so, bring up the record for that particular resource by clicking on the name of the resource. If after reviewing the description, you have determined that you would like to save it, click on the Save button at the upper right-hand corner of the resource itself. This will bring up a pop up box that enables you to add notes and save the resource to your dashboard. You can later access it by clicking on My Dashboard at the top of your screen, and PathFinder from the dropdown menu.