How to Manage Grants Using Salesforce

Managing grant applications, approvals, and reporting through Salesforce can streamline your organization's grant management process, ensuring efficiency, transparency, and accountability. Here’s how you can achieve this:

Grant Application Management

• Create custom objects in Salesforce to manage grant applications. Each grant application can be treated as a record within this object, where you can capture all relevant details such as applicant information, grant amount requested, project description, and submission date.
• Utilize Salesforce’s Web-to-Lead feature or integrate with third-party forms to allow applicants to submit grant applications directly through your website. These submissions automatically create new records in Salesforce, reducing manual data entry and ensuring all applications are captured.
• Use Salesforce’s built-in tools to track the status of each grant application, from submission to approval. Create custom fields and picklists to define different stages of the application process, such as “Submitted,” “Under Review,” “Approved,” or “Declined.”

Approval Processes

• Implement Salesforce’s Workflow Rules, Process Builder, or Flow to automate the approval process. Set up rules to automatically route grant applications to the appropriate reviewers based on predefined criteria, such as grant amount or project focus.
• Use Salesforce’s Approval Process feature to create a structured and transparent review and approval pipeline. Define steps for review, including notifications, conditional approvals, and escalations if approvals are delayed. Approvers can approve or reject applications directly within Salesforce or via email.
• Automatically assign tasks to team members involved in the review process. For example, once an application is submitted, tasks can be assigned to reviewers with deadlines and reminders to ensure timely processing.

Grant Reporting and Compliance

• Create custom reports in Salesforce to track the progress and outcomes of grants. You can report on key metrics such as total funds awarded, success rates of applications, and the impact of funded projects. Dashboards can visualize this data in real-time, providing insights to stakeholders.
• Use custom fields and related objects to track the progress of funded projects. Set up milestones and deadlines within Salesforce to ensure that grant recipients are meeting their objectives and complying with reporting requirements.
• Attach necessary documents such as grant agreements, progress reports, and financial statements to the relevant records in Salesforce. This centralizes all documentation, making it easily accessible for audits and compliance checks.
• Collect and analyze data on the outcomes and impact of funded projects. Use Salesforce’s reporting tools to generate impact reports that demonstrate how grant funds have been used and the difference they’ve made. These reports can be shared with funders and stakeholders to showcase your organization’s effectiveness.

Communication and Collaboration

• Use Salesforce Chatter to facilitate communication and collaboration among team members involved in the grant management process. Chatter allows you to share updates, ask questions, and keep everyone informed about the status of applications and projects.
• Create email templates and set up automated notifications to keep applicants informed about the status of their applications. For example, send confirmation emails upon receipt of an application, notifications when additional information is needed, and updates on approval decisions.
• Manage relationships with grantors using Salesforce’s relationship management features. Track communication history, set reminders for follow-ups, and ensure that all interactions with grantors are documented.

Integration with Financial Systems

• Integrate Salesforce with your organization’s financial systems to track the disbursement and use of grant funds. This integration ensures that financial data related to grants is accurate and up-to-date in both systems.
• Use Salesforce to monitor grant budgets and expenses. Custom fields and reports can track how much of the grant has been spent, ensuring that funds are used appropriately and within the agreed-upon limits.

Orchid Connect is a woman-owned Salesforce implementation firm with 30 years of experience serving associations, non-profits and small/medium businesses. We specialize in strategic and implementation services, go-to-market support, and ongoing support. To learn more, reach us at reachout@orchidconnect.com.