THE IMPACT LEAK – Grant Writing:Part 3 -Grant-Making Technology. Get in the Know.
Updated: Jan 31
- What impacts the good we do?
We’ve mentioned before about the significant need for digital transformation in the nonprofit sector. The problem of course, is that most of the sector perceives this to be an ‘option’, just something to get around to, or somewhat interesting or perhaps a carrot to dangle as something ‘new’ in front of donors. But what if the technology is in the sector all ready? Utilized for administration and efficient distribution of grants by funders like government and foundations, Grant Management Software has been around for more than a decade. It reads your proposals first – and then, it (the software, not a person) eliminates an estimated 30% of grants before they are seen by a human.
Photo by Alex Knight via Unsplash
The purpose of GMS depends on what type of organization is using it. GMS can be used by nonprofits to source grant opportunities and track submissions but it’s more commonly used by grantmakers – every level of government and many foundations employ technology to handle grant proposals, including rejections, long before a review committee sees them. Technology like the Amplify Fund, used by funders, indicates their software has social impact built-in. It works “To Amplify Your Impact and Become the Unsung Hero of Your Mission, You Have to Properly Manage the Grants That You Distribute”, so their platform is clearly administering AND assessing on the funders' behalf.
As people who write proposals, we assume that we are writing to our ‘audience’. We believe that the person reading about our project cares about the populations we serve and the programs we offer. The Review Committee members do but what if your proposal is not being seen? What if all the work you put into developing the project and writing the proposal is not reviewed? And what if the total amount of ALL the work that the nonprofit sector puts into writing proposals totals millions of dollars lost each year by the sector?According to a study done in the UK, $726 £ million ANNUALLY is lost to failed proposals by the charitable sector in Britain each year. While Canada’s sector is smaller in size, and when every dollar counts, can we afford to lose several hundred million in failed proposals as well?
An interesting study was undertaken in Australia. It focused on the amount of time spent on writing proposals and highlighted that “As success rates are historically 20–25%, much of this time has no immediate benefit to either the researcher or society,”. NO IMMEDIATE BENEFIT. This strikes at the heart of every proposal writer. Most of the work, most of the time and ALL of the frustration, spent failing. Technology is comprised of tools to help human beings work better but you have to know how to use them.
At ANSWER.it, we’ve developed ‘Advanced Grant Writing Training’ to help nonprofits understand their interaction with technology in the grant writing process. We want, more success for the nonprofit sector, much more. If you want to know about GMS and how it affects you and your organization, contact us for the training. We know the information is going to be NEW. And we hope it will be used for a long time to strengthen the nonprofit sector.
