Foundation leaders have told us that before they implemented new grants management software, they worried that a new system, including an online grants application, would be a hassle for prospective and existing grantees.
It turns out that their personal experience with grants management software has proven otherwise. It busted that myth wide open. These same foundation leaders ultimately found that grants management software didn’t just benefit their own teams – it was also a major win for their grantees.
So, how does good grants management software alleviate the burden from your grantees?
A Better Grants Application System
For starters, online grants applications make the grants application process much smoother. The right grants management software can alleviate the days of burdensome, non-standard online applications. The Fluxx grantee portal, for example, provides a one-stop shop for grantees to manage all interactions with your foundation. External organizations can securely create, submit, and review LOIs, requests, and reports.
Let’s say a grantee wants to reapply for funding on multiple occasions. No problem! Existing grantee information remains in the system. This means that online applications automatically reuse data from one application stage to the next, and from a current application to future proposals. Ultimately, the software expedites the grantmaking process and puts resources in the hands of their grantees much quicker than they could even five years ago. This makes for happy grantees, and will only serve to improve and sustain your foundation’s ongoing partnerships.
More Transparency
Increasing transparency has become a priority for many foundations in recent years. The right grants management software can help with that. As Adriana Jimenez, grants manager at the Surdna Foundation wrote recently on the Fluxx blog, “With the aid of a mobile app a data point becomes a real person, fostering face-to-face collaboration.” For example foundation leaders can use organizational and grant data to help guide site visits or identify grantees at on-site events. What’s more, “grantees can now work collaboratively with program officers, throughout the proposal-writing process and get feedback in real time,” writes Jimenez.
Transparency not only increases accountability for your foundation, but it also helps build trust with your grantees. And believe it or not, you benefit from transparency, too: When you increase transparency, you can expect more targeted proposals from your grantees, who can better understand what sorts of programs and organizations you are seeking to fund.
More Time in the Field
Grants management systems expedite your workflow. This means you have more time to spend on mission and less on administration. In other words: You’re no longer chasing down paperwork, so you can spend more hours out of the office, in the field with your grantees. You can cultivate relationships with your grantees, which means better future proposals, more targeted funding, and ultimately, higher quality work – on your end, and from your beneficiaries.
Grants management software isn’t just for foundations – it’s a boon for nonprofits as well. After you implement your system, consider surveying your grantees on the technological improvements. We’re sure they will appreciate the system just as much as you will.
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