As any community college grant professional knows, public funds can be a lifeblood for the institution. And often, according to a longtime expert in the field, staff just happen upon the field rather than following a distinct career path to it. In other words, it's a professional leap from the frying pan into the fire.

"Sometimes people transfer in from a four-year university, and the community college world is quite different," says Mary Brumbach, chief strategy officer of the Dallas County Community College District. "Or maybe they were doing something else on campus and somebody figured out they can write well and all of a sudden they're the grants officer!"

She added, "It usually comes out of necessity."

New grant professionals—whether they're coming from another position at a community college or from another kind of institution altogether—will have an opportunity to learn more about their role at a day-long preconference workshop at the CASE Conference for Community College Grant Professionals, November 15-17 in Washington, D.C.

Brumbach will lead the session, "Meeting the Needs of New Community College Grant Professionals," joined by six other seasoned professionals from around the country with strong track records in grant writing. The day will focus on developing a foundational understanding of the process of applying for public funds, as well as their purpose; engaging key college players; aligning institutional needs with funding agency objectives; developing successful proposals; contributing to the strategic planning process; the challenges of being a "tax-assisted" institution; and more.

Once in the position, Brumbach says, these are all skills professionals must develop as the community college landscape undergoes what she calls "massive transformation," serving exponentially more students looking for post-secondary credentials in a world that increasingly demands them to find a job that pays a living wage.

"We're ground zero," she says. "This is a place in the community where people can come for that."

To bring in appropriate funding for programming, these grant professionals must first get to know their community well, she says, and learn how to build alliances on campus, figuring out which committees and task forces to join to ensure they're well-positioned in the college's strategic planning process.

Once they understand the direction the college wants to take, Brumbach says, it's a matter of finding funding sources that align with the college's objectives, because those funds are often the "catalyst" for change.

This also entails learning to read the signs from Washington, which change depending on the administration. In addition, grant writers must become a known quantity, cultivating relationships and building credibility not only on campus but within the larger community so as to be seen both as resource and planner.

Do you know the saying "all news is local"? Well, the same goes for funding for community colleges.

"We're local," say Brumbach, even at an institution as large as hers, which serves roughly 100,000 students. "It's really first and foremost the community you're serving."

She hopes also to remind grant writers that the work they're doing, while challenging, is rewarding, too. So while Brumbach and her colleagues will provide a day's worth of tips to make life easier and help new grant professionals "save some time, maybe avoid some potholes," as she says, she also wants them to focus on the end result, which is to support the success of their students and community.

"One of the most rewarding things is to see a problem that needs to be solved, and bring people together to solve it," she says. "It's like being a modern day alchemist."

In addition to Brumbach, the presenters for the day include:

• Michelle Alexander, director of institutional advancement, executive director, Vernon College Foundation, Vernon College, Vernon, TX
• Catherine Crary, grants manager, Maricopa Community Colleges, Tempe, AZ
• Debbie Douma, dean, grants and federal programs, Pensacola State College, FL
• Mike Gaudette, president, Lighthouse Consulting, Inc., Coos Bay, OR
• Melissa Rupp, extension educator, family and consumer services, Ohio State University Extension, Wauseon, OH
• Nancy Smith, director of grants development, The Community College of Baltimore County, MD

This article is from the September/October 2018 issue of the Community College Advancement News.