The Learning Mindset
Fall 2017 Remote Learning Series
Event Details
We can make greater strides when we consider how learning and evaluation can be a powerful tool to enhance grantmaker and nonprofit effectiveness, especially when information is used to inform real-time improvements to strategy and practice. Adopting a learning for improvement mindset allows grantmakers to go beyond using evaluation as an intervention and focus instead on understanding why and how performance can improve.
This six-session webinar series offers program staff and new learning staff the opportunity to gain insight from seasoned practitioners within the GEO community and ask burning questions related to learning and evaluation. The series — which covers topics including becoming a learning organization with a learning for improvement mindset, learning together, building nonprofit capacity to learn and evaluate, and putting learning into action — also gives you an opportunity to pinpoint some of the challenges that can inhibit your or a nonprofit’s learning, reflect on your experiences and challenges, and identify key actions you can share with your team to improve practice.
Start: Wednesday, August 30, 2:00 PM Eastern
End: Wednesday, November 1, 3:30 PM Eastern
This series is available only to members of the GEO community. The registration fee is $250 per person for the six-session series. Registration is limited to a maximum of two participants from any one member organization. The ideal participants are program staff or staff that are new to learning at a GEO member grantmaking institution. The application for this series is closed. Participants will be notified of their application status by mid-August 2017.
For more information about the webinar series, please contact Nichole Hoeflich at hoeflich@geofunders.org or 202.898.5728. If you are interested in joining the GEO community, please click here to get started or contact Austin Frizzell at frizzell@geofunders.org or 202.355.9538.
The application for this series is closed
This series is available only to members of the GEO community. The registration fee is $250 per person for the six-session series. Registration is limited to a maximum of two participants from any one member organization. The ideal participants are program staff or staff that are new to learning at a GEO member grantmaking institution.
Objectives
In this six-session series, you will:
- Gain an understanding of how to create an internal learning culture, learn better with others and put learning into action with your organization, nonprofits and partners
- Identify examples and ideas of how to make changes related to learning and evaluation in your organization, based on the experiences of your fellow GEO peers, and
- Make connections with other GEO members who can support you in your work.
Format
The six-session series consists of various components:
- Advance reading. A selection of readings for each session will be included in the syllabus for the course. We will assume participants have read the advance reading and will not review this content during the online sessions.
- Six online sessions. These highly interactive cohort-based sessions will include a brief presentation of major concepts for the session, a case example from a GEO member and opportunities for you to ask specific questions and dig deeper. Please come prepared and ready to participate!
- Peer assists. We’ll pair each participant with another in the cohort. You will be asked to schedule at least one phone call with your partner to discuss the series and share ideas for continued learning.
- Online space. You will have access to an online forum where you can ask lingering questions, share resources and support the cohort’s learning.
Schedule and Topics
Session 1: Wednesday, August 30, 2017; 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. — Series Kick-Off
We’ll start getting to know our colleagues in the cohort and have an introduction to rest the series.
Session 2: Tuesday, September 5, 2017; 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. — Organizational Learning
To best utilize a learning for improvement mindset, grantmakers should periodically review their internal and external learning process and structures to ensure that they are developing and maintaining the core components of a learning organization and are cultivating a strong learning culture.
Session 3: Wednesday, September 20, 2017; 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. — Learning Together
This session will focus on how grantmakers can more effectively learn with and from nonprofits, peer grantmakers and other partners. This means engaging nonprofits in every step of the learning and evaluation process, from design, to data collection and implementation.
Session 4: Wednesday, October 4, 2017; 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. — Building Nonprofit Capacity to Learn and Evaluate
In this session, we will discuss how grantmakers can work with nonprofits to provide evaluation capacity support and provide them with the tools, resources and skills they need to advance their learning journey and further improve their programs and impact.
Session 5: Wednesday, October 18, 2017; 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. — Putting Learning into Action
This session will focus on implementing a learning for improvement mindset with nonprofits and other partners. Through a discussion of concrete tools and tips, the session will highlight the barriers to learning and allow participants to discussion how they can overcome these barriers.
Session 6: Wednesday, November 1, 2017; 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. — Closing Session
This session wraps up the series. We’ll review key lessons learned, share highlights, and discuss emerging topics and ways we can put our learning from the series into action within our roles at our organizations.
Have questions?
Want to learn more or be notified about future remote learning? Contact Nichole today!
