Annual Membership Meeting Minutes

November 15, 2013

  1. Call to order

President, Debbie DiVirgilio, called to order the regular meeting of the Grant Professionals Association at 12:50 p.m. on November 15 in Baltimore, MD.

  1. Meeting Attendance

There are 460 GPA members registered for the conference. Our bylaws state we need to have 40% of the registered members present to establish quorum. Therefore, we need to have 184 persons to establish quorum. Per the number of people who signed in at the beginning of this meeting, quorum has been established.

  1. Approval of minutes from last meeting

Secretary Medina pointed out the location of the 2012 GPA Membership Meeting minutes in the conference booklet, which were also sent to all members after the last meeting. Motion to approve the minutes: Doris Heroff. Second: Sharon Skinner. Discussion: None. President DiVirgilio called the vote: Motion passed unanimously by the membership present at this meeting.

  1. Open issues

a)  Treasurer’s Report: - Treasurer Rodgers

FY 2012 Income: $629,909

Net Income following all expenses: $54,886

GPA has a healthy cash flow and additional financial information is posted on the GPA website. To improve our fiscal controls, the GPA Finance Manual has also recently been revised and approved by the board.

  1. Open issues (Continued)

b)  President’s and State of the Association Report: President, Debbie DiVirgilio.

This year, we have continued to see an increase in the number of people who are joining GPA, and we are constantly looking for new ways to serve the unique needs of individuals in the grants profession. For instance, we now have a Student membership, a Retired membership and an organizational membership for those organizations that have several grant professionals working for them. Our Association is poised and ready for both change and growth.

Today, we have 48 active chapters across the U.S. and the National Office is presently working with grant professionals in Canada to form our first Canadian Chapter. It is our goal to continue the growth and development of chapters; this is done in several ways. This year, we were able to once again, provide three chapters with $1,000 grants to host a regional conference in their area. We are excited to announce that for 2014, we have budgeted to provide five chapters with $1,000 grants to support their efforts to host a regional conference. When the RFP is available, it will be announced through our weekly e-blast to members.

Earlier this year, we announced our very first Regional Reps. These representatives will assist chapters in their work and represent GPA in their designated region by attending conferences, speaking to stakeholders and connecting GPA to others. Eventually, it is our hope that our Regional Reps will become paid part-time positions or contractors with the Association.

Professional Growth and Development has always been and always will be a hallmark of the Association. Recognizing that grant professionals at all levels – from the beginner to the most advanced – want and need professional development, GPA has worked to create a variety of educational opportunities including our Annual Conference which has more than 70 workshops this year, webinars, and our journal. As we move forward, we are continuing to explore new ideas and strategies to enhance your professional development; if you have thoughts and ideas, please feel free to share them with me.

This year we were able to implement one of our most exciting member benefits. We are providing the opportunity for all members to receive FREE ongoing professional development in the comfort of their office. Our entire library of webinars, to which we are continually adding, is now FREE to members.

One of the founding principles of GPA is our Code of Ethics. In today’s world of increased transparency and accountability, this Code is more important than ever. Our members need to be proud that they belong to an Association that upholds such a code and, when possible, share the code with employers, clients and grantmakers so that they understand how ethical grant professionals operate on a daily basis.

GPA is in a strong financial position. Through conservative fiscal leadership and a frugal board of directors, we have been able to weather these current economic conditions and come out stronger than ever.

For the last two years, one of the major focuses of GPA has been to be recognized as “The Authority” in the grants field. In other words, when there is a question related to grants or when someone needs a grant expert, we want them to immediately think of GPA as their “go to” expert. Being recognized as the authority in our field is the equivalent of the ADA (American Dental Association) being recognized as the leading authority for dentists and dental care, or the AMA (American Medical Association) for physicians. We have recognized that being the “Authority” only comes from our membership, all of you, who are the experts in the trenches. We will be continuing our efforts in this area over the next few years.

GPA has two affiliates: GPCI, the Grants Professional Certification Institute and GPF, the Grant Professionals Foundation. Yesterday, each of these organizations provided an update of what they have accomplished over the past year. We are proud of the work they are doing and GPA is committed to working with each to enhance the professionalism of the field.

This summer, we welcomed Brian Bray as the second CEO of GPA. Last year, we announced to you that we would be engaging in a national search for a new CEO. The circumstances surrounding the need for a new CEO were unfortunate. However, as President and former Interim CEO, let me tell you, we have implemented new safeguards to prevent such situations in the future. I can assure you that the board of directors is always seeking to make decisions with the best interests of the Association and our members in mind.

Now, we are looking toward the future. The board of directors has spent time over the past few days engaging in strategic planning. And, each of you is invited to attend a focus group session this afternoon to provide your thoughts and ideas about the future direction of the Association. If you are not available to attend the session, I would encourage you to complete the survey we presently have available to obtain member input. All of the information that we receive will be compiled and used to develop the strategic plan for 2014-2016.

As we wrap up 2013, and move into 2014, it is our goal to establish GPA as the Authority in the Grants Field and above all, support each of you in your daily work. But, as a small Association, we can’t do it alone, we need each of you to help us as we strengthen the profession. You can do that by continuing to give us your important feedback and to keep us apprised of any challenges you are experiencing in your professional journeys.

c)  Conference Report: President, Debbie DiVirgilio.

This year, we have a total of 625 registered attendees registered for the conference. We have 74 workshops, 13 SIG sessions, and numerous speakers.

  1. New business

a.  Board Election Results:

There were four open positions and six nominees. The slate of nominees: Kathy Brunot, Debbie DiVirgilio, Shelia McCann, Jo Miller, Sheila Tillery, and Deborah Ward was presented to the membership. Those elected to the board by the membership for 2014 were: Kathy Brunot, Debbie DiVirgilio, Shelia McCann, and Jo Miller.

  1. Reaffirmation of Board Members:

Congratulations were given to all new members and a swearing in of all members. All members swear in and say “I do” to the promise of their office and sign the Board Assurances.

c.  The 2012 board officers presented by Bill Smith:

President: Sharon Skinner

Vice President: Johna Rodgers

Secretary: Nathan Medina

Treasurer: Bernard Turner

  1. Input, Discussion, Suggestions from members:

Ken Bielen, Indiana, is grateful to Kelli and Barb for keeping the office working well during a very challenging year.

Cindy Frozer, New Hampshire, requested that the association consider another structure for membership – that a person could become a chapter member without becoming a national member.

Bernard Turner, Tennessee, wanted to recognize all members with membership numbers of 100 and under for their investment in the association from the beginning.

  1. Adjournment

Meeting adjourned at 1:25 p.m. by President DiVirgilio.

Minutes submitted by: Nathan Medina, GPA Secretary