Pre-Application Technical Assistance Debrief by Hana Machover

hmachover2 — 2025-02-18 19:22:29 UTC

hmachover2 — 2025-02-18 19:23:08 UTC

hmachover2 — 2025-02-18 19:23:23 UTC

Clarity around the use of the budget template.

hmachover2 — 2025-02-18 19:24:07 UTC

2025-02-19 19:51:37 UTC

Great food at each event and great diversity of locations
Childcare provider is beloved by the kids; so nice that the consultants also brought kids
The materials were elevated this year--the covers were gorgeous!
great consultant team, lots of expertise and value alignment
JOYFUL space at each session I attended-- so many smiles and hugs

2025-02-19 19:52:23 UTC

Printing the packets as booklets instead of stapled will refine the look--and having folders prepped with the materials

2025-02-19 19:54:53 UTC

More Press featuring successful PATA supported grantees--can we hear directly from folks that used PATA and were successful in securing a BCYF grant OR other grants in the marketing?---
Also all GRF and CAO marketing should always feature that we have FREE appplication support--

2025-02-19 20:01:18 UTC

Loved the idea to branch out. It was a little more challenging in certain areas of town to secure location but well worth the accessibility.

2025-02-19 20:02:55 UTC

Wishing I would have just purchased the things to lessen bottle neck in the process. Also, I think it could be worth partnering with grantees for spaces in other sides of town.
I think we should make a booklet instead of the papers.
premade bags with things needed for the program may be more helpful and reduce waste.

2025-02-19 20:04:45 UTC

I like that the last one has a photobooth, maybe there can be a winner for someone who attends all of the sessions. There were a lot of people who came more than once.

2025-02-19 22:32:50 UTC

Great teams at the registration table for each session!

2025-02-19 22:39:47 UTC

The consultant team was helpful and patient during virtual, in-person, and 1x1 sessions.
Providing transportation and childcare during each in-person session was a great idea.
Good food!

2025-02-19 22:42:41 UTC

Attendees should keep the handouts and bring them back when attending another session to reduce waste.

consultantmbautista — 2025-02-20 15:16:46 UTC

I think it would be helpful for future PATA consultants to have an example of a successful proposal, or better yet, have access to all of the GRF and CAO proposals that were granted funding. This way PATA consultants can improve their understanding of what is resonating with the community grant review team, and confidently advise prospective applicants in the future with evidence-based suggestions that have yielded proven results.

consultantmbautista — 2025-02-20 15:17:55 UTC

I think the Mission, Vision, Values examples that are provided could be made longer since the word limit for these sections is substantial (150 words each), so orgs can see and be encouraged to really elaborate on each of these things to make the best case for their org and their alignment with BCYF's funding priorities.

consultantmbautista — 2025-02-20 15:21:25 UTC

I think it could potentially be helpful to know when the review team is looking into an org's 990s and other required documentation. Due to extenuating circumstances (IRS layoffs leading to delays, for example), a few orgs that I worked with this year mentioned that they are experiencing issues with the IRS despite having filed early. It would be helpful for maybe just the consultants to have a sense of when the community grant review team or BCYF review board (or whomever) are actually checking for this. Is it at the beginning of the review process to ensure that each org applying is eligible? or is it after reviewing each proposal, like as part of confirming a grantee's eligibility?

consultantmbautista — 2025-02-20 15:22:56 UTC

Launchpads were AWESOME. Organized, productive, FUN and EMPOWERING for me as a consultant and for the people I talked to as well!

Adapting the format of the Launchpads as we progressed through them was also a major success and allowed us to serve more organizations during crunch time.

consultantmbautista — 2025-02-20 15:26:31 UTC

Maybe having a consultant FAQ spreadsheet or something that the consultant team can use to note any questions they get throughout the process. This can be used as a reference document by other consultants and can improve quality control and guarantee that each applicant is receiving the same response to their questions.

In my imagination, there is a column on this spreadsheet that notes how many unique instances a particular question has been asked. This can then by used by BCYF to improve/build upon FAQ section of Padlet, or other points of clarification that may be needed elsewhere (for example, budget template).

consultantmbautista — 2025-02-20 15:43:36 UTC

Somebody I worked with the other day mentioned that "no matter which way the ball bounces" (i.e. if they are granted funding or not) they found the help and support they received from PATA (Launchpads, 1x1s, and a full review of their application) to be invaluable. So knowing that orgs who participate are improving their capacity to do development work and advocate for funding for their orgs regardless of if they are BCYF grant recipients is helping me to mentally overcome the sad feeling I'm experiencing knowing that only a dozen orgs are selected. So at the end of the day, if they used PATA, they're all winners in a sense! :)

2025-02-20 16:22:15 UTC

Calendly worked well for managing all the scheduling!

2025-02-20 16:22:57 UTC

We can setup a more seamless way of reporting on Calendly and Zoom registrations.

2025-02-26 15:03:22 UTC

I'll echo everyone's sentiments on structures during the Launchpads. Very organized and efficient. The food, also noted, was excellent!

2025-02-26 15:04:28 UTC

Virtual Launchpads? Is there a way to create a drop-in, receive support as you need it type of structure but done virtually?

2025-02-26 21:24:36 UTC

The locations, the parking, the food, the people, the vibes 🤎

2025-02-26 21:27:49 UTC

I wish there was a way we could better predict childcare needs. Or maybe ask Kenyatta if she can charge per child instead of us paying a flat rate and no children are present.

2025-02-26 21:29:37 UTC

Great job, Hana! 🎉🎉

2025-02-28 17:04:06 UTC

I think the bus ad designs were really great--glad we were able to be on or inside a third of the City's busses!

hyoung87 — 2025-03-01 21:52:22 UTC

The locations, providing food, childcare, easy registration, and the multiple options for one on one support whether it was in-person or virtual

hyoung87 — 2025-03-01 21:54:21 UTC

For the printed materials, maybe creating books with tabs and a table of contents to make it easy to carry the materials

hyoung87 — 2025-03-01 22:04:29 UTC

The could be more advertising of PATA

2025-03-02 21:12:55 UTC

Events, communications, and operations were extremely well organized and run.
This is a highly admirable and model example of in-depth support for applicants
The Rocket Resource Hub was great for centralized access.
The variety of entry points to come into the PATA process
We love Hana! She is truly amazing....detailed, delightful, organized, and more.

2025-03-02 21:14:27 UTC

Perhaps a limit of how many times one org can receive PATA (3 max?)

2025-03-02 21:15:15 UTC

From Dana Carr:

Maybe there could be a more intentional way (and someone managing this who could also bill for time) for applicants to ask questions. I had a handful of people (enough to notice) that booked a call to ask one question lol. Once we got on, I was able to discuss more with them, but maybe there should be an option for anyone who just wants questions answered. Along these lines, maybe a weekly "office hours" as well with one of the TAs?
I honestly don't know if this was done or not. We received a post meeting survey, but did applicants get one as well? If not, I think they should so we can assess things like information provided, expertise, what would you like more of, etc.
I thought the small groups we did at the last launchpad worked really well; maybe there could be more intentionality about this style/approach. It was a great space to share and some in my group also made connections for future partnerships

2025-03-03 16:19:37 UTC

Social Media Data!

2025-03-03 16:26:55 UTC

Rotating staff schedules when participation is lower.

2025-03-03 16:34:43 UTC

Have virtual backups setup ahead of time for in-person sessions.