Kara Crawford
Director of Grants at General Board of Global Ministries- Claim this Profile
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English Native or bilingual proficiency
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Spanish Native or bilingual proficiency
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Bio
Milagros N. Smith
I had a great experience working with Kara as the Grant Program Manager during my tenure at Global Ministries. She is a colleague whose excellent work and personality make a department more efficient and enjoyable. While I did not directly report to her, we partnered in processing several grants, and she provided mentorship. Kara's stand-out traits are: • Leadership • Process/System Development • Liaising • Multitasking She has great expertise and leadership in managing outbound and internal organization grants. She is skilled at developing concise processes that make creating and submitting grants easy. Our unit worked with several international organizations and contractors. Kara's liaising skills and cultural competence helped our department sustain a positive rapport with our partners. Kara is a good multitasker. As a result, she managed the variety of grants in our department, assisted with answering questions, kept us abreast of company policies, and provided mentorship. As one of her mentees, I learned the nuances of grant development, working with my team's partners, and navigating our organization's grant policies. Kara's light-hearted and humorous personality made navigating department transitions, learning curves, and other changes more manageable. As a former colleague and mentee of Kara who has experienced her hard and soft skill set, I strongly recommend her as a grant manager for any organization.
Jay Knudsen
Kara is one of the most efficient workers you will meet. Her ability to learn quickly, ask pointed and specific questions, and achieve tangible outcomes puts her above most of her peers. She is able communicate, collaborate, and lead in any setting because of these skills. Kara trained me in a previous position at General Board of Global Ministries. Her in depth knowledge of not only the program components but also the stakeholders set me up for success instantly. The program required a lot of process documentation and reporting of which she had a large hand in managing and adapting before I started the position. She was able to train me efficiently to ensure a smooth transition for the program. Kara is particularly skilled at Excel and is always a great resource for anyone in the organization when they may need to learn a new way to organize or analyze data. We had a number of monitoring and evaluation needs for the different programs throughout the office and Kara was always able to help us build, organize, and evaluate our data within Excel. Kara's current position as Global Grants Manager puts her in a position to actively lead and manage the outbound grants of General Board of Global Ministries. She is the go to resource for many when they need information on outgoing grants and the programs and outcomes these grants are producing. She is able to learn, organize, and then effectively communicate the wealth of knowledge she has around the grants' management to both technical and program staff. She can liaison between all levels of an organization to ensure that everyone is up to date on the grant and on the next steps. Kara is an excellent leader and brilliant facilitator and one of the smartest people I have met. She works hard, she connects and communicates well with her teams, and she is not afraid to adapt and innovate when the opportunity arises. Kara was a joy to work with and any future team she may work with will get the same experience.
Milagros N. Smith
I had a great experience working with Kara as the Grant Program Manager during my tenure at Global Ministries. She is a colleague whose excellent work and personality make a department more efficient and enjoyable. While I did not directly report to her, we partnered in processing several grants, and she provided mentorship. Kara's stand-out traits are: • Leadership • Process/System Development • Liaising • Multitasking She has great expertise and leadership in managing outbound and internal organization grants. She is skilled at developing concise processes that make creating and submitting grants easy. Our unit worked with several international organizations and contractors. Kara's liaising skills and cultural competence helped our department sustain a positive rapport with our partners. Kara is a good multitasker. As a result, she managed the variety of grants in our department, assisted with answering questions, kept us abreast of company policies, and provided mentorship. As one of her mentees, I learned the nuances of grant development, working with my team's partners, and navigating our organization's grant policies. Kara's light-hearted and humorous personality made navigating department transitions, learning curves, and other changes more manageable. As a former colleague and mentee of Kara who has experienced her hard and soft skill set, I strongly recommend her as a grant manager for any organization.
Jay Knudsen
Kara is one of the most efficient workers you will meet. Her ability to learn quickly, ask pointed and specific questions, and achieve tangible outcomes puts her above most of her peers. She is able communicate, collaborate, and lead in any setting because of these skills. Kara trained me in a previous position at General Board of Global Ministries. Her in depth knowledge of not only the program components but also the stakeholders set me up for success instantly. The program required a lot of process documentation and reporting of which she had a large hand in managing and adapting before I started the position. She was able to train me efficiently to ensure a smooth transition for the program. Kara is particularly skilled at Excel and is always a great resource for anyone in the organization when they may need to learn a new way to organize or analyze data. We had a number of monitoring and evaluation needs for the different programs throughout the office and Kara was always able to help us build, organize, and evaluate our data within Excel. Kara's current position as Global Grants Manager puts her in a position to actively lead and manage the outbound grants of General Board of Global Ministries. She is the go to resource for many when they need information on outgoing grants and the programs and outcomes these grants are producing. She is able to learn, organize, and then effectively communicate the wealth of knowledge she has around the grants' management to both technical and program staff. She can liaison between all levels of an organization to ensure that everyone is up to date on the grant and on the next steps. Kara is an excellent leader and brilliant facilitator and one of the smartest people I have met. She works hard, she connects and communicates well with her teams, and she is not afraid to adapt and innovate when the opportunity arises. Kara was a joy to work with and any future team she may work with will get the same experience.
Milagros N. Smith
I had a great experience working with Kara as the Grant Program Manager during my tenure at Global Ministries. She is a colleague whose excellent work and personality make a department more efficient and enjoyable. While I did not directly report to her, we partnered in processing several grants, and she provided mentorship. Kara's stand-out traits are: • Leadership • Process/System Development • Liaising • Multitasking She has great expertise and leadership in managing outbound and internal organization grants. She is skilled at developing concise processes that make creating and submitting grants easy. Our unit worked with several international organizations and contractors. Kara's liaising skills and cultural competence helped our department sustain a positive rapport with our partners. Kara is a good multitasker. As a result, she managed the variety of grants in our department, assisted with answering questions, kept us abreast of company policies, and provided mentorship. As one of her mentees, I learned the nuances of grant development, working with my team's partners, and navigating our organization's grant policies. Kara's light-hearted and humorous personality made navigating department transitions, learning curves, and other changes more manageable. As a former colleague and mentee of Kara who has experienced her hard and soft skill set, I strongly recommend her as a grant manager for any organization.
Jay Knudsen
Kara is one of the most efficient workers you will meet. Her ability to learn quickly, ask pointed and specific questions, and achieve tangible outcomes puts her above most of her peers. She is able communicate, collaborate, and lead in any setting because of these skills. Kara trained me in a previous position at General Board of Global Ministries. Her in depth knowledge of not only the program components but also the stakeholders set me up for success instantly. The program required a lot of process documentation and reporting of which she had a large hand in managing and adapting before I started the position. She was able to train me efficiently to ensure a smooth transition for the program. Kara is particularly skilled at Excel and is always a great resource for anyone in the organization when they may need to learn a new way to organize or analyze data. We had a number of monitoring and evaluation needs for the different programs throughout the office and Kara was always able to help us build, organize, and evaluate our data within Excel. Kara's current position as Global Grants Manager puts her in a position to actively lead and manage the outbound grants of General Board of Global Ministries. She is the go to resource for many when they need information on outgoing grants and the programs and outcomes these grants are producing. She is able to learn, organize, and then effectively communicate the wealth of knowledge she has around the grants' management to both technical and program staff. She can liaison between all levels of an organization to ensure that everyone is up to date on the grant and on the next steps. Kara is an excellent leader and brilliant facilitator and one of the smartest people I have met. She works hard, she connects and communicates well with her teams, and she is not afraid to adapt and innovate when the opportunity arises. Kara was a joy to work with and any future team she may work with will get the same experience.
Milagros N. Smith
I had a great experience working with Kara as the Grant Program Manager during my tenure at Global Ministries. She is a colleague whose excellent work and personality make a department more efficient and enjoyable. While I did not directly report to her, we partnered in processing several grants, and she provided mentorship. Kara's stand-out traits are: • Leadership • Process/System Development • Liaising • Multitasking She has great expertise and leadership in managing outbound and internal organization grants. She is skilled at developing concise processes that make creating and submitting grants easy. Our unit worked with several international organizations and contractors. Kara's liaising skills and cultural competence helped our department sustain a positive rapport with our partners. Kara is a good multitasker. As a result, she managed the variety of grants in our department, assisted with answering questions, kept us abreast of company policies, and provided mentorship. As one of her mentees, I learned the nuances of grant development, working with my team's partners, and navigating our organization's grant policies. Kara's light-hearted and humorous personality made navigating department transitions, learning curves, and other changes more manageable. As a former colleague and mentee of Kara who has experienced her hard and soft skill set, I strongly recommend her as a grant manager for any organization.
Jay Knudsen
Kara is one of the most efficient workers you will meet. Her ability to learn quickly, ask pointed and specific questions, and achieve tangible outcomes puts her above most of her peers. She is able communicate, collaborate, and lead in any setting because of these skills. Kara trained me in a previous position at General Board of Global Ministries. Her in depth knowledge of not only the program components but also the stakeholders set me up for success instantly. The program required a lot of process documentation and reporting of which she had a large hand in managing and adapting before I started the position. She was able to train me efficiently to ensure a smooth transition for the program. Kara is particularly skilled at Excel and is always a great resource for anyone in the organization when they may need to learn a new way to organize or analyze data. We had a number of monitoring and evaluation needs for the different programs throughout the office and Kara was always able to help us build, organize, and evaluate our data within Excel. Kara's current position as Global Grants Manager puts her in a position to actively lead and manage the outbound grants of General Board of Global Ministries. She is the go to resource for many when they need information on outgoing grants and the programs and outcomes these grants are producing. She is able to learn, organize, and then effectively communicate the wealth of knowledge she has around the grants' management to both technical and program staff. She can liaison between all levels of an organization to ensure that everyone is up to date on the grant and on the next steps. Kara is an excellent leader and brilliant facilitator and one of the smartest people I have met. She works hard, she connects and communicates well with her teams, and she is not afraid to adapt and innovate when the opportunity arises. Kara was a joy to work with and any future team she may work with will get the same experience.
Experience
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General Board of Global Ministries
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United States
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Religious Institutions
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200 - 300 Employee
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Director of Grants
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Nov 2022 - Present
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Grant Program Manager and Support Team Lead
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Jan 2019 - Nov 2022
• Primary point person for business process and data systems expertise, business analysis, data quality assurance, and reporting for an international development agency's granting programs totaling over $4 million annually, with an annual average of 600 grant records.• Worked across multiple teams and programmatic units to implement a collaborative approach to database administration and development and in developing organizational policies and procedures.• Supported and served as unit liaison for agency-wide efforts to standardize multiple complex granting processes. • Provided onboarding and regular refresher training for 20+ unit staff for data systems best practices and internal business process.• Developed standardized business process and data system documentation and training materials for programmatic units with complex workflows across multiple teams.• Built and maintained reports for regular and adaptable use in a variety of contexts across the organization.• Served as frontline end user support for troubleshooting database issues. Show less
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Senior Program Associate for Leadership Development
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May 2015 - Jan 2019
• Managed scholarship application and review process of almost 200 applications with annual granting portfolio of over $800,000.• Reviewed and evaluated applications to determine need and eligibility for different funding programs, including numerous bequests and donor-designated funds.• Oversaw revision and implementation of institutional scholarship policies and procedures.• Managed front-end development and coding of web-based application system.• Maintained and organized database of student records, ensuring quality controls for consistent data.• Created reports and accounting spreadsheets; maintained Performance Management System data tracking tool.• Coordinated logistics and bookkeeping for various events and meetings. Show less
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United Methodist Committee on Relief
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United States
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Non-profit Organizations
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1 - 100 Employee
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Business Development Consultant
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Jul 2015 - Aug 2015
• Created knowledge management system for past grant proposals from the United Methodist Committee on Relief's (UMCOR) field offices • Wrote and gathered relevant information for Past Performance References for over 200 closed grant projects of UMCOR's field offices • Established and managed tools to improve quality and efficiency of UMCOR's grant proposal process • Created knowledge management system for past grant proposals from the United Methodist Committee on Relief's (UMCOR) field offices • Wrote and gathered relevant information for Past Performance References for over 200 closed grant projects of UMCOR's field offices • Established and managed tools to improve quality and efficiency of UMCOR's grant proposal process
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United Methodist Committee on Relief
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United States
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Non-profit Organizations
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1 - 100 Employee
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Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant
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Feb 2015 - May 2015
• Created five-year database of United Methodist Committee on Relief grant projects • Analyzed data to glean consistent and useful indicators for database as necessary • Created five-year database of United Methodist Committee on Relief grant projects • Analyzed data to glean consistent and useful indicators for database as necessary
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General Board of Global Ministries
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United States
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Religious Institutions
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200 - 300 Employee
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Social Media and Communications Intern - Ministry with the Poor
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Mar 2013 - Jul 2014
• Coordinated logistics and bookkeeping for three roundtable and training events with 25-50 participants; communicated regularly with on-site partners • Managed and promoted content for website, blog, and social media • Recruited writers and secured and edited new content for website and blog • Built database of practitioners of ministry with the poor • Coordinated logistics and bookkeeping for three roundtable and training events with 25-50 participants; communicated regularly with on-site partners • Managed and promoted content for website, blog, and social media • Recruited writers and secured and edited new content for website and blog • Built database of practitioners of ministry with the poor
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New Day United Methodist Church
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Bronx, NY
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Congregational and Community Organizer
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Mar 2013 - Jul 2014
• Coordinated logistics and planning for annual Queer Liberation Worship Series and Women in Spirit Worship Series; coordinated community outreach; led worship service planning team • Co-coordinated and facilitated eight-session Collaborative Justice Training Series on the criminalization of people of color and LGBTQ people in the Bronx; training resulted in the launch of the “Safer Families, Safer Communities” campaign • Systematized and streamlined worship music library, PowerPoint presentations for worship, and video recordings of services; created and maintained database of songs in music library • Facilitated two eight-week cycles of a small group of 10 participants on spirituality and the arts Show less
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Centro Popular para América Latina de Comunicación (CEPALC)
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Bogota, Colombia
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Assistant to Women's, Children's, and Communications Programs
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Sep 2011 - Feb 2013
• Co-designed and facilitated training program for groups of 25-50 children and youth on the uses of communications media and human rights; training adapted and offered 25 times in the course of 18 months • Co-designed and facilitated training program for ecumenical group of 50 women on the uses of communications media, women's rights, and biblical and theological context for social justice work; training offered and adapted 12 times in the course of 18 months • Wrote articles for quarterly Encuentro magazine; wrote regular fundraising blog posts and communications to funders • Translated relevant materials from Spanish to English and vice versa Show less
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DePaul University Ministry
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Chicago, IL
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Assessment and Mainline Outreach Coordinator, Office of the Protestant Chaplain
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May 2008 - Jun 2011
• Conducted regular surveys on the quality and effectiveness of 6 Protestant Student Religious Organizations • Co-facilitated ecumenical joint leadership board of the Protestant Student Religious Organizations; coordinated joint programming in consultation with the board • Led outreach to Mainline Protestant students; developed programming to attract participation by Mainline students; built relationships with Mainline students who expressed an interest in Protestant student activities • Built database of Mainline Protestant students interested in organizational activities; tracked participants in all Protestant SRO events Show less
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Illinois Great Rivers Conference
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Springfield, IL
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Social Justice Ministries Intern
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Jun 2010 - Sep 2010
• Developed supplemental curriculum for teaching United Methodist Social Principles in churches, including biblical and theological reflection • Created bible studies/reflection guides for 5 mission teams to different domestic and international sites; included critical reflections on intersections of service and social justice; resources were customized based on interests and needs of each group • Supported churches throughout the Illinois Great Rivers Conference wishing to develop social justice ministries • Served as counselor at Marked Leadership Camp, a United Methodist camp for youth ages 14-18 wishing to develop their leadership capacities; supported and led group of 10-15 campers Show less
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Tuscola United Methodist Church
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Tuscola, IL
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Abundant Market Intern
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Jun 2009 - Sep 2009
• Developed Abundant Market farmer's market; led outreach to potential vendors and volunteers; coordinated weekly on-site logistics • Created promotional materials for Abundant Market; led advertising and promotion efforts in the community • Coordinated and facilitated a series of 4 film screenings to engage church members in conversation around various social justice issues • Facilitated an Offering of Letters, resulting in over 50 letters sent to members of Congress encouraging more funding and support to combat hunger and poverty • Served as counselor at Marked Leadership Camp, a United Methodist camp for youth ages 14-18 wishing to develop their leadership capacities; supported and led group of 10-15 campers Show less
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Tuscola United Methodist Church
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Tuscola, IL
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Social Justice Ministries Intern
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Jun 2008 - Sep 2008
• Coordinated and facilitated a series of 4 film screenings to engage church members in conversation around various social justice issues • Facilitated an Offering of Letters, resulting in over 50 letters sent to members of Congress encouraging more funding and support to combat hunger and poverty • Organized church recycling program • Organized and systematized church library; coordinated and trained volunteers for ongoing maintenance and upkeep • Served as counselor at Marked Leadership Camp, a United Methodist camp for youth ages 14-18 wishing to develop their leadership capacities; supported and led group of 10-15 campers Show less
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Education
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2007 - 2011
DePaul University
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), International Studies and Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies
Community
