Invitation to Participate in Survey of Professional Development Needs

Tell Us About Your Professional Development Needs

The Council on Foundations is pleased to invite you to participate in a national study about professional development for nonprofit and philanthropic professionals and board members. The study is sponsored by the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, manager of LearnPhilanthropy.com, and the School of Public, Nonprofit, and Health Administration at Grand Valley State University.

This survey will generate valuable information that can help inform and enhance professional development efforts across the field. Through our partnership with Grand Valley State University, the Council will be able to use the survey results to better understand the needs of the philanthropic sector and then work to ensure that our members have access to the programming, tools, and resources that meet those needs. These research findings will also be included in a forthcoming publication—Professional Development Planning and Implementation—co-authored by Dr. Heather Carpenter and Tera Qualls (to be published by Jossey-Bass in 2014).

Access the Survey Today

The survey should take approximately fifteen minutes to complete and will collect information about your involvement in the philanthropic sector, the resources that you currently use to improve your skills, your wants and needs for professional education in the philanthropic sector, and your individual demographics. The survey will close on Wedensday, March 5.

The survey is anonymous and the results will be shared publically only in the aggregate. This survey is entirely voluntary and you may exit the survey at any time. There will be no effect on you or your organization by your choice to participate or not participate in this survey.

If you have any questions about the survey itself, please email Heather Carpenter at carpenth@gvsu.edu. If you have any questions about the Council’s participation in this project, please contact Tonia Bain by phone at (703) 879-0767, or by email at baint@cof.org.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Ericka Plater-Turner
Senior Director of Member Experience, Diversity, and Inclusion
Council on Foundations

Tera Qualls, MPA
Project Manager
Johnson Center for Philanthropy

Heather Carpenter, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Grand Valley State University