Pie? Lemon meringue please!

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One of the best parts of working at the Dekko Foundation is meeting the people we serve.  They have lots in common!  They love their community.  They love kids.  And often they’re not quite happy with how things are going for children.

After our travels we share stories…like this one:  A few weeks ago Ashlee, one of our program officers, visited the Washington STEM Academy and talked with principal, Tom Ray.  Over the past few years, their entire staff has worked tirelessly to change a traditional elementary into a project-based learning school.  We didn’t write down Tom’s exact words but, to paraphrase, he said that as experienced educators it’s necessary, but difficult, to step back and learn new things about teaching and how children learn.

Step back and learn new things? We agree!  Researchers learn more about brains and how they work every day!  New methods are uncovered…best practices are shared!  It’s true in teaching.  It’s true in grantmaking.  It’s true everywhere.

Stepping back and learning new things requires us all to admit that we have a lot to learn…  It’s a little slice of humble pie…most people’s least favorite pie flavor!  But stepping back pays big dividends!

We think a lot about stepping back…as a matter of fact it’s part of our key message for 2014:

Great things happen when adults step back and consider what children need to grow and develop!!!

 

 

Learning from you, Mr./Ms. Grantseeker

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We’re trying something new at the Dekko Foundation and, so far, WE LOVE IT!

What are we doing?  Spending a little time with some of our grantees AFTER they’ve sent their final grant report.

Why?  It’s a great way to learn from your experiences and plug that knowledge back into our work.

Like most foundations, we used to spend nearly all of our time talking with grantseekers BEFORE our grants were made.  We met with you, learned about your mission, worked to understand the ins and outs of your project…then, once our grant was made, we moved on to work with a whole new group of grantseekers.

Now, we’re learning that there’s real benefit in talking with you after your grant money is spent, and your final grant report has been sent.

Just today we met with leaders from the Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana.  They talked about their experience of working with a national consultant.  They told us how impactful it was to have professional, non-emotional, unbiased guidance.  We recorded their thoughts.  Now the next time one of our grantseekers questions whether or not to bring in professional support, we’ll have some great experience (and someone they can call) in the hopper!

Here’s something that a smart consultant shared with us:

SUCCESS = What you were able to accomplish + What you learned along the way.

Continuing to get better is what it’s all about!!!