Over the past summer, I took part in a survey by GrantCraft for a new project they were working on called Roles@work. This project focused on grantmakers and how they manage a lot of expectations about their work. GrantCraft researchers talked with hundreds of grantmakers (and grantmaker-related folks like me) about what foundations and grantees expect of them to get their work done — and what they expect of themselves. Their new card deck-style tool named Roles@work collects the 29 roles grantmakers mentioned most often. My “Top 10″ list of roles:
- Convener – Bring people together to discuss and learn about a problem or topic
- Consultant – Provide advice or expert assistance to grantees or grantseekers
- Bridge Builder – Make it possible for strange or unlikely partners to work together
- Translator – Help internal leadership understand what’s happening in a field or community…and vice versa
- Talent Scout – Keep an ear to the ground to learn who’s doing what (and well) in a field or community
- Sounding Board – Listen actively for ideas, opinions, and points of view
- Scanner – Gather information from many sources as a prelude to grantmaking action
- Organizer – Think and act tactically to get something done
- Facilitator – Lead or coordinate the work of a group to get ideas on the table or to get things moving
- Wild Card – Invent a role to suit the situation!
Grantmakers can use the cards to jumpstart a conversation among colleagues about topics like how you weigh different roles, what you do too much of or not enough of, how you orient newcomers, or how you talk about the grantmaker’s role with board members and leaders.
The cards, and the six activities included, encourage you to reflect more deeply on how to meet and manage expectations: your own, your foundation’s, and your grantees’. For example, Activity 3 “Too much, too little” asks you to choose the cards that represent what you do too much of and what you don’t do enough of. Then, what would it take to change the balance?
These activities induce quiet reflection upon what you do on a daily basis and why. They would make an excellent staff/team meeting activity… especially as a new year approaches and we all pause to reflect upon the past year.
Join the conversation: Are there any grantmaker roles you would add to the list? Can these cards help you better define — and manage — your many work roles?
- Lisa Johnson, MCF’s manager of professional development and e-learning
