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WEBINAR

From Data to Dollars: Telling the FirstGen Story that Funders NEED to Hear

Virtual | Tuesday, September 15, 2026 | 12:00 – 1:00pm ET 

Session Description

Your first-generation students are persisting, graduating, and changing the trajectories of their families for generations to come. And yet, funding remains hard to secure, harder to sustain, and even harder to scale. Not because the work isn't worthy, but because the tools most institutions use to communicate value weren't built to carry their full weight. Outcomes dashboards and retention rates tell funders what happened, but they rarely tell them why it mattered, or why it's worth investing in.

This webinar introduces a practical, repeatable framework for closing that gap. Participants will learn how to translate institutional data into the kind of compelling, funder-ready narratives that secure grants, deepen donor relationships, and make the strategic case for long-term investment in first-generation student success.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Explain why strong outcomes data alone isn't enough to secure or sustain funding and identify what's missing

  • Apply the Metric + Meaning + Voice framework to transform program data into a funder-ready impact narrative

  • Identify outcome metrics and draft a funding statement using them

  • Make the ROI case for first-generation student success programming using language that moves funders, donors, and decision-makers to act

Sarah Barrett, SF Updated Headshot 26

SPEAKER

Sarah F. Barrett, Ph.D., LMFT  

(She/Her/Hers)

Dr. Sarah F. Barrett is Vice President for Impact Strategy and Grant Programs at the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation (GMCF), where she connects data, stories, and lived experiences to communicate the impact of the Foundation's grantmaking. She oversees the distribution of more than $33 million in grants and works closely with nonprofits and community members to foster meaningful, sustainable change across the region. Prior to GMCF, she served as a Senior Research, Learning, and Evaluation Officer at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, translating research into actionable practice.

Dr. Barrett has also worked on federal policy and advocacy at Clery Center and served as a language and cultural ambassador in Zaragoza, Spain. At Kansas State University, she served as Assistant Dean and Director of Student Life and founded Cats' Cupboard, a client-centered food pantry addressing student food insecurity. Dr. Barrett holds a B.S. in social science, an M.S. in marriage and family therapy, and a Ph.D. in applied family science — all from Kansas State University. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist and also holds certificates in leadership dynamics and human services administration. Dr. Barrett has been published in peer-reviewed journals and actively serves on multiple community boards.

Registration

KICKER TEXT

Webinar Registration: $79

FirstGen Forward Network Members receive a 30% discount by using their code from the Network Resource Hub at checkout.

How It Works: Once payment is complete, you will be redirected to a final registration form. After submitting the form, you will receive a Zoom calendar invite containing your unique join link, along with a confirmation email detailing how to access post-event materials for on-demand viewing.