The Learning Mindset
Summer 2018 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 how to become 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.
The series is highly interactive and active participation is required to gain the most from this course.
Start: Thursday, June 14, 2:00 PM Eastern
End: Thursday, August 23, 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 (2) participants from any one member organization. The series is limited to a maximum of 25 participants.
Ideal participants are:
- program staff looking to deepen their understanding or their grantmaking practices related to learning and evaluation
- philanthropy staff that are new to the learning and evaluation space
- staff that have worked in philanthropy for 3-7 years
- from an organization that has some understanding of learning and evaluation in philanthropy and is bought into its value
If you are interested in joining the GEO community, please click here to get started or contact Allison Punch at punch@geofunders.org or 202.420.7813.
Apply for the Series
The application period is April 2 - 20, 2018. Participants will be notified of their status by mid-May 2018.
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.
Series 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: Thursday, June 14, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. ET
Series Kick-off
We’ll start getting to know our colleagues in the cohort and have an introduction to the rest of the series.
Session 2: Thursday, June 28, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. ET
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: Thursday, July 12, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. ET
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: Thursday, July 26, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. ET
Building Nonprofit Capacity for Learning and Evaluation
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: Thursday, August 9, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. ET
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 discuss how they can overcome these barriers.
Session 6: Thursday, August 23, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. ET
Conclusion
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.
This series is available only to members of the GEO community
Interested in The Learning Mindset remote learning series and everything else GEO membership has to offer?
Have questions about the Learning Mindset?
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