LinkedIn as a Proposal Development Tool

Anne M. Pascucci

LinkedIn to MeLinkedIn to Me• Started out just catching up with people, sort of

like Collaborate on NCURA - wanted a way to locate folks easily and professionally

• Not Facebook – Professional not Personal – Still don’t have a handle on Facebook

• Grew into a way to expand my thinking and connections by joining groups

• I am LinkedIn with Astronauts and Under-Secretary's, Program Officers, Foundation Directors etc.

Proposal DevelopmentProposal Development

What are my faculty doing? What might they do if they had a good lead or

connection/collaborator/mentor? See the opportunities…you may be opening

someone’s mind to new ideas or solidifying their research agenda by suggesting a connection

Have you considered opening an office account? Join groups for faculty providing them with more

resources…articles…connections…organizations

Proposal DevelopmentProposal Development• If you do create an OSP LinkedIn Group, make

sure that its worth joining• Keep your LinkedIn group vibrant• Pivot provides upcoming funding opp’s to add • Foundation PNG provides RFP’s you can upload

that might be of interest to your faculty• ScoopIt/Google Alerts are an incredible resource

for content…articles, funding opportunities• The Chronicle of Higher Education is always a

terrific source of content

Proposal DevelopmentProposal Development• If you do newsletters, post them• If you’re having an event, invite them• If your faculty member got an award, celebrate

them• When you find resources for proposal elements,

post them• Training sessions, Brown Bags, Snacks 4

Scholars…etc

Proposal DevelopmentProposal Development

• Gain Knowledge• New groups are forming all of the time – OSP,

Departmental Administrators, NORDP, Alumni, STEAM, Grant Professionals, NCURA, NCURA Regions, America’s Cup, TED and the list goes on

• One connection leads to another and to other groups and groups can lead to other connections-Funding Sources….Collaborators…Mentors

Proposal Proposal DevelopmentDevelopment

• I’ve been warned….• Always be respectful with the invites… “thank

you for considering my request”• When you get a yes ~ open profile under send

message click Export to PDF and save in a shared folder for faculty…

• Look at their connections• I have invited speakers who I never would

have known except for LinkedIn

Personal/Proposal Personal/Proposal DevelopmentDevelopment

• I love to make connections…professional, friends, acquaintances

• When I find a nugget of shared interests, I will connect people and hope that the Golden Rule holds true

• People looking for jobs, wisdom, ideas, references, organizations…

Crowd Sourcing NOT Crowd Crowd Sourcing NOT Crowd FundingFunding

An Excerpt from the NSFAn Excerpt from the NSF

► ◄

Crowd Sourcing Using Crowd Sourcing Using LinkedInLinkedIn

Everyone is familiar with crowd funding, a form of fund raising used by soliciting strangers to support either a worthy, interesting, or really silly purpose or business startup.

Crowd sourcing is similar with a couple of caveats. No money changes hands and topics are generally research related. I’ve heard it described as Jenga, the game where you add building blocks and some are removed and placed on top.

Ok I am optimistic but….using groups created by a researcher or RD office asking questions around the topic of a faculty member’s research topic can build sources of collaboration, reference and new ideas.

Appreciative InquiryAppreciative Inquiry• Appreciative Inquiry is a philosophy and a methodology for

positive change. It is founded on the simple assumption that human systems – teams, organizations and people – move in the direction of what they study, what they focus upon and what they talk about with regularity.

• The essence of Appreciative Inquiry is then the study of what “gives life,” energy and vitality to organizations, teams and people when they are at their best. Appreciative Inquiry does not assume that any person or organization is always at its best. It does posit, and both research and experience show, that people learn, and organizations change most readily when they focus on, study, and engage in dialogue about strengths, patterns of success and who they are at their best.

• For this reason, the Appreciative Inquiry process engages large numbers of people in dialogue and deliberations about their individual and collective strengths, their hopes and dreams for the future, as well as opportunities and plans for collaborative action.

Courtesy of the Corporation for Positive Change

Courtesy of the Corporation for Positive Courtesy of the Corporation for Positive

ChangeChange