As a nonprofit organization, you know that grant funding is essential to achieving your mission. To ensure your organization can access these funds, having the right grant management software in place is important. But with so many options available, how do you choose the best one for your needs?
Our guide will help you understand the key features to look for when selecting grant management software and explain why GivingData is an excellent choice. With our comprehensive, user-friendly platform, you can easily track and manage grants, analyze data, and secure more funding to support your organization’s goals.
Understand Your Nonprofit’s Needs
The first step in investing in any product or service is always to decide what needs you are trying to fulfill. Before you start researching grant management software, consider the features and capabilities your organization needs. Start by answering some of the following questions to determine where your nonprofit may need some assistance:
- Do you have a large database of grant seekers or grantors?
- Are you looking for reporting capabilities to make evaluating results easier?
- Do you need to track awards and budgeting information?
- Is it important for multiple team members to be able to access grant data?
- Are you having trouble keeping track of where each grant is in the process?
These questions will help you determine the grant management software that best suits your organization’s needs. When evaluating grant management solutions, make sure to choose one with an easy-to-use interface, comprehensive grant reporting capabilities, and automated grant tracking for efficient grant management.
Research Available Software
Now that you know what features and capabilities you need from grant management software, it’s time to start researching available solutions. Start by looking for grant management platforms that offer features that fit your organization’s specific needs. Some of the most common features you will find in grant management software include the following:
- Dynamic grant tracking: Many grant management software solutions offer dynamic grant tracking capabilities, allowing you to easily keep track of upcoming grants and grant applications. This feature can help ensure that your grant teams never miss an opportunity to secure funding.
- Data integration: Selecting a grant management solution with data integration capabilities makes importing existing grant data into your grant management system easy. This eliminates the need for manual updating and ensures that grant information is up-to-date and accurate.
- Analytics tools: Analytics tools give you powerful insights into grant performance, helping your grant teams make better decisions about allocating funds and securing future grant opportunities.
Plus, so much more! Look for software packages with advanced reporting capabilities and automated grant tracking. Also, make sure to read user reviews before selecting grant management software to ensure the solution you’re investing in is reliable and user-friendly.
Compare Pricing Options
Once you’ve narrowed down your grant management software search to a few options, it’s time to compare pricing plans. Grant management platforms vary widely in cost, from $3,000 to upwards of $200,000 per year; look for flexible packages that include the features you need. Investing in grant management software can be expensive, but also remember that doing so will help your organization manage grant data efficiently and prevent grant funds from going to waste. In the long run, grant management software will be an investment allowing your nonprofit to ensure money is not lost to unorganized processes and wasted time.
Read User Reviews and Test Demo Versions
It’s incredibly important and beneficial to read user reviews. This is a large investment for your nonprofit and also a big change to your grant management system; it is important to make sure you are choosing clear, simple, and straightforward software while also being user-friendly for those in your company. Also, any grant management software you are considering should come with a demo version or free trial so that your team can test it before committing to the purchase. Take advantage of these demos to ensure the software will be easily adaptable to your company’s needs.
Take Time for Training and Support
Having the right grant management software is integral to efficiently streamlining the grant process, but it can also be complicated and time-consuming to implement. Therefore, it’s important to select a platform that comes with ample training materials and user support. Not only can this guarantee that your grant team is knowledgeable of the software before they start using it, but it also provides everyone access to guidance when needed. This allows grants departments to continue with their regular workflow without major delays in efficiency or budgeting – something that makes carefully choosing the right grant management software worth any hassle involved in its implementation.
Make a Final Decision
Once you’ve researched grant management software options, compared pricing plans, read user reviews, and tested demo versions, it’s time to make a final decision. Choose the grant management solution that best fits your organization’s needs and budget – and don’t forget to take advantage of training materials and support if available. By following these steps, you’ll be sure to select grant management software that will help your organization manage grant data efficiently and secure grant funds more effectively.
Why Choose GivingData?
As mentioned, grant management software can have numerous benefits to grantmakers, but it can also reinforce credibility to investors. Those funding these programs want to see a well-organized and professional nonprofit when they make their donations. That’s why GivingData is the perfect choice for a nonprofit that may not have grant management software already or is looking for a more straightforward and thorough program. GivingData’s grant management software is the one-stop shop for all of your grant management needs. With our software, you can find everything you need in one program. With GivingData, you get:
- A grantee portal
- Grantee process tracking
- Online applications
- Reporting
- Budgeting
- Task management
- Payment management
- And more!
When it comes to choosing grant management software, you want to choose software that has as many of your necessary day-to-day tools all in one place. With the right grant management software, your nonprofit can streamline processes, save time and money, and ensure grant funds are being put to good use. With GivingData grant management software, you can get everything you need in one place to make grant data management easy and efficient for your nonprofit organization.
GivingData also offers top-notch customer service and training materials to help you get up and running quickly – so your nonprofit can focus on what matters most. Ready to learn more about GivingData grant management software and how it can help you manage grant data efficiently? Visit our website at www.givingdata.com to learn more!
