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July 30, 2024
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Any nonprofit professional knows that effective and efficient grants management can be a major challenge.
Luckily, Instrumentl has the solution!
Instrumentl has developed a novel grant tracking spreadsheet, a document that captures vital data on multiple grants.
In this article, we will cover the following:
Let’s get started.
Yes. Nonprofits should absolutely integrate a grant tracking spreadsheet into their grant management process.
At Instrumentl, we are acutely aware that nonprofit professionals are in need of time-saving tools and resources so that they can spend less time on burdensome administrative tasks and focus instead on the work of their organization.
CEO and Chief Grants Officer and award-winning grant writer, Arnisha T Johnson, explains the importance of staying organized throughout the entire grant process:
“The biggest mistake I've seen organizations make when managing several grants is letting important tasks fall through the cracks. This can easily happen when there is disorganization of information possibly due to overload or overwhelm. These important tasks could be deadlines, documents meant to upload, follow-ups required, or even late reports - all things that can cause the missed opportunity for grants.” –Arnisha T Johnson
Instrumentl created this grant tracking template to provide nonprofits with a system to effectively manage grants with ease.
Using Instrumentl’s grant tracking spreadsheet can help:
The grant tracking spreadsheet is a powerful tool for effective grant management. Uploading the spreadsheet in Instrumentl’s grant tracker system will allow you to keep all your existing grant data in a centralized location.
Erin Sekerak, Grant Strategist and Consultant, emphasizes the necessity of a dedicated tracking system, especially for organizations that are scaling their grants strategy:
“Stay organized with tracking sheets and calendars. It's the only way you won't miss a deadline or get off track. Missing a deadline could cost the organization thousands for their mission.”–Erin Sekerak
Here’s some good news: Starting an account with Instrumentl and setting up your grants tracker is a breeze.
All new users can access a 14-day free trial! No credit card required.
Once you have signed up for an account, you are ready to upload your grants into the grant tracker.
Here's a quick video on how to upload grants using Instrumentl.
Let’s walk through step-by-step how that’s done!
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So you are in Instrumentl and ready to get started. The first thing you will need to do is create a new “Project.”
A Project essentially functions like a saved search.
Once you have created a new Project, you will be able to access the platform’s grant tracking platform, upload your grants, and integrate your grant data into the system.
Here’s how you set up your first Project for tracking grants:
Before you can access the grant tracking tool, you will need to provide three pieces of information:
To begin, select the geographic area in which your organization operates. This will ultimately connect you to grants that are relevant to your location, should you choose to utilize the grant discovery feature.
Once this is complete, click “Save and Continue”.
Next, in the “Overview” tab, you will need to create a project name.
Creating a project name allows you to identify multiple projects, so you can work on and track a variety of tasks across the platform.
For the purposes of this example, we will create a Project Name, called, “Grant Tracking for Nonprofits.”
Then, select “Tracking” to access the grant tracking tool. “Matches & Tracking” should be selected only if you would like to get new grant recommendations in addition to tracking existing grants.
Once you have completed that step, click “Save and Continue”.
10k+ grant writers have already subscribed
Once you have created a Project and completed the initial setup, you are just about ready to track your grants with Instrumentl. There are two final actions you will need to take before you are finished:
Let’s take a look at how to complete this final step.
Now, you are officially set up with Instrumentl and ready to access the grant tracking tool. Once you have finished the steps as directed above, you will see the landing page for your Project.
Once there, locate the “Tracker” tab located near the top of the page next to the Project Name.
Click the “Tracker” tab to access the grant tracker tool.
Now that you have accessed the grant tracker, you will notice a few key items in the center of the grant tracker page.
First, if you have not already downloaded the grant tracking spreadsheet template, click on the link in the middle of the page titled, “Use this template to format your data.”
Upon clicking the link, you will be directed to a copy of the grant tracking tool in Google Sheets.
You can then complete the form as needed. We will go over how to use the grant tracking spreadsheet in more detail in the next section.
Once the spreadsheet has been filled into your specifications and saved, return to the grant tracker and prepare to upload the document.
Prior to uploading the document, be sure to check the box next to the statement, “I confirm that my spreadsheet is in the templated format.”
Once you have verified the format, the upload button beneath the confirmation statement will become clickable.
Click the button titled, “Upload your spreadsheet” and upload your saved grant tracking spreadsheet as directed.
After you have completed those actions and the document has loaded, click the new button titled, “Finish upload.”
And voilà! You have successfully uploaded your grant tracking spreadsheet to the grant tracker tool.
Note that you may have to wait several minutes for the document to finish uploading.
In just a few easy steps, you successfully integrated your existing grant data into Instrumentl’s grant tracker. You are now ready to transform and streamline your grants management practices.
While it is important to understand how to upload the grant tracking spreadsheet to Instrumentl, you also need to understand how to effectively use it.
We will take you through each section of the grant tracking spreadsheet so you can better understand:
Let’s dive in.
We will begin with the most essential information that needs to be filled in to get the best use out of the grant tracking spreadsheet.
As noted at the top of the document, Columns A-E are mandatory to fill out.
For now, let’s focus on the first two columns:
Both sections will allow you to organize data in the spreadsheet by funder name and grant name, as noted in the image above.
Tracking grants by funder and by the opportunity itself is one of the simplest ways to explore and track funding from year to year.
By organizing data by funder, you can identify how many grants you have received from that particular funder.
Similarly, you can also identify how many times you have been awarded a specific grant from a funder, when you were renewed for that grant, and when you received a decline.
Knowing where a grant is in the grant lifecycle is a critical component to effectively tracking a grant.
You can accomplish this by filling out Column C: Status.
Column C allows users to choose grant status from a simple drop-down menu. Click inside any of the cells in the column to pull down a menu with the following categories:
These categories will allow you to track grants based on submission if they were awarded, if they are planned or budgeted, if they were declined, and whether or not the grant is completed or closed.
For purposes of organizing data into Instrumentl’s interface, this column is crucial.
Column D: Instrumentl Project Name is what designates which Project a grant will be mapped to once the document is uploaded into the tracker.
Be sure to enter the Project Name exactly how it is entered in Instrumentl to ensure the data is mapped to the correct place.
The final mandatory category in the grant tracking spreadsheet is Column E: Fiscal Year.
Crucially, this column will sort grants by the date they were active, allowing you to track how many grants you won or were declined over the course of the year.
This is the last of the columns that are required to be filled out prior to uploading to Instrumentl. Be sure to include all of the essential data necessary to upload to the platform.
Tracking grants by key dates, while not required by Instrumentl, will optimize efficiency for your grant tracking and management process.
The following columns will help organize grants by various dates, deadlines, and grant terms:
Once these key dates have been uploaded to your Grants Tracker in Instrumentl, you’ll receive automatic deadline reminders so that nothing falls through the cracks!
CEO and consultant Peggy Beisler-Homesly explains how easy the grant tracking process can be when you have a tool like Instrumentl that does the work for you:
“I need a tool that jumps out and reminds me. It isn't as simple anymore as writing it down in a journal or something similar; I need bells and whistles from available technology, such as this one.”–Peggy Beisler-Homesly
Tracking these dates are important to keeping your team accountable to external and internal deadlines and for successful project management of grant proposals and applications.
Once a grant has been awarded it is essential to keep track of how much was awarded and how much was requested.
The following categories allow users to track this data for each grant entered:
Tracking amounts requested and amount awarded will help direct your fundraising strategy, identifying which funders have given more, less, or similarly from year to year.
Noting these trends will help your team identify when it is appropriate to request more from a funder.
Oftentimes, the very last phase in the grant lifecycle is reporting back to the funder about the results of the grant project.
This phase is vital to stewarding relationships with funders, illustrating impact and hopefully setting the stage for securing another grant in the coming year.
Column N: Upcoming Tasks/Reports + Due Dates + Assignee, allows users to keep notes on upcoming report deadlines including:
Each cell can be individualized and can include detailed descriptions of requirements for reporting, as noted above.
Other information about funders such as their contact information, location, and grant portal login information is vital to track and keep organized from year to year.
These columns track the following grant data:
Notably, Column T gives users the opportunity to categorize each funder as the following:
Remember, the more data you track for each funder and grant the more insight you will have.
Last but not least are the final columns in the grant tracking spreadsheet.
These final columns allow users to make notes about each individual opportunity and funder such as:
The final Column W gives users the opportunity to track which individual led each proposal and who was responsible for managing the grant.
Once you have all you grants uploaded to your tracker you may want to add additional columns of information.
That’s where custom fields come in handy.
Add additional columns like::
By adding custom fields to your tracker, you make Instrumentl your own. It has the flexibility of a spreadsheet but is tailor-made for grant management.
With Instrumentl’s grant tracking spreadsheet and tracker tool, grant management is made more effective and efficient than ever before.
For the best results, couple these tools with other grant management best practices including:
Instrumentl can support your nonprofit through every step in the grant management process. As Peggy Beisler-Homesly shared:
“Use the tools that Instrumentl offers. They have the best of everything a grant writer or manager needs. It's a one-stop shop.”
If you’re considering Instrumentl, see why we’re worth it and can help scale your operations and jump-start a successful grant strategy.
Leveraging the tools discussed in this article is your first step to becoming a grant management expert!
With Instrumentl’s grant tracking spreadsheet you can:
With Instrumentl on your side you are prepared to streamline grant management and position your nonprofit to win more and better grants, propelling your agency toward long-term stability and growth.
For more learning, follow along with this simple how-to guide for effective grant management.
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Melissa Branthaver
Melissa Smith is a freelance communications professional with over 10 years of fundraising experience working within higher education and corporate philanthropy to help clients land their next funding opportunity.
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