GEOList Summary: Orienting New Staff and Providing Professional Development

We are trying to get a sense of how other foundations orient new staff and provide ongoing professional development. In particular, we’d like to know: Does your foundation have a formal orientation for new staff? If so, when and how frequently is it held and what does it look like? Who attends? How long does it run? What topics are covered? Do you have invite outside presenters to speak or is the orientation run internally? If you don’t have a formal orientation, how are staff acculturated to the practices of the institution? How about ongoing professional development? Are your staff supported in seeking professional development? Does the foundation regularly budget for it and provide a list of resources? Are there particular areas of professional development focus that are emphasized? Do you send staff to conferences like COF, affinity group meetings or other gatherings? Are staff encouraged to go to leadership development or other workshops? How about public speaking and effective communication? We realize there is a lot one could say about the topic but we would appreciate even brief responses that get at the substance or philosophy of your foundation's approach to training and professional development, both for program and non-program staff alike. Thanks in advance for any insights you can provide.