So, your foundation has a grants management system (GMS). Whether you implemented it recently or have been using it for some time, you hopefully have what you feel is the best fit for your organization. There’s only one problem: you’re the only one using it.
This problem is not unique to grants management systems and definitely is not unique to the philanthropic sector. Many times, the driver of a software purchase ends up becoming the sole user of the software, which renders obsolete benefits like better data integrity and improved collaboration that a new software is meant to provide.
Take The Summit Foundation, for example. Before switching to GivingData, they were using an antiquated system that was built primarily for the grants manager. So guess what…only the grants manager was using it. Once they identified and implemented a GMS with features purpose-built to support the day-to-day work of the rest of their staff, they were able to get their entire team working in one system.
Achieving full adoption, however, doesn’t just require identifying a system that supports roles across a foundation. It involves engaging key roles across the foundation, getting them comfortable and bought-in to the system, and educating them on the many shadow spreadsheets and ancillary tasks that could be replaced by the system.
In our recent webinar, co-hosted with 1892 Consulting, we explored how to overcome resistance to GMS adoption among programs, operations, and executive staff and strategies that can drive broad adoption.
Program staff often rely on shadow systems like email or spreadsheets for managing program budgets, tracking grantee relationships, and planning grant cycles. These might feel comfortable to staff because they are familiar, flexible, and easy to use. However, shadow systems also bring inefficiencies: duplicate data entry, dated information, and lack of transparency across the foundation.
Lisa Dacey, Senior Consultant at 1892 Consulting, points out that budget and pipeline planning spreadsheets are among the most common shadow systems used by program staff, but they often duplicate work and leave room for mistakes.
A GMS meets the same needs but more efficiently. For example, the scenario planning tool in GivingData offers program officers an intuitive way to manage grant ideas, budgets, and future commitments all in one place. As Lisa said, "Scenario planning meets the same needs as those spreadsheets but with the added benefits of real-time collaboration and data accuracy." We also know that program staff often bring up scenario planning dashboards in team meetings to review them together.
Program staff tend to rely on shadow systems to track relationships with grantees. Instead, the Grantee360 feature in GivingData consolidates key information like grant history, payments, and interactions into a single timeline. With tools like this, program staff can easily access recent communications and understand a grantee’s full relationship with the foundation.
“Start small,” Lisa advised. By encouraging program staff to use these features for discrete tasks like site visits, they can build familiarity with the system over time.
Operations teams, particularly finance and communications, can be hesitant to adopt a GMS, often viewing it as a tool only for grants management staff. This perception is a significant barrier to adoption. Grants management systems have evolved to include features that benefit operations, finance, and communications teams, and foundations must help these teams understand how a GMS can streamline their own processes.
For finance teams, using shadow systems like payment trackers or manual reconciliation processes outside the GMS leads to inefficiencies. Finance teams can use dashboards in their GMS to view all payment records in one place, eliminating the need for a secondary tracker and making it easier to reconcile payments and predict future cash flow needs.
Similarly, communications teams often manage grantee lists and outreach efforts through separate tools. With GivingData, they can use customized searches to identify and track new contacts to create mailing lists for newsletters and updates. GivingData’s integration options allow communications teams to automatically pull contact data from the GMS to the foundation's preferred contact management system, simplifying processes and ensuring consistency across the foundation's communications efforts.
Executive buy-in is crucial for successful GMS adoption. Executives often prefer that information be sent to them rather than navigating the system themselves. This can create a variety of issues. Pulling information out of the systems means that it is no longer reflective of real-time data and requires staff to create duplicative reports that live both inside and outside the system.
To address this, foundations can offer executives access to high-level overviews and dashboards tailored to their needs. Custom dashboards and saved Super Searches in GivingData give executives quick access to the information they care about, without needing to dive deep into the system.
Rebecca Van Sickle, Managing Partner at 1892 Consulting, emphasizes that involving executives early in the GMS implementation process is the best approach. "Invite them to a few implementation meetings, give them training opportunities, and make sure they’re comfortable using the system," she said. Seeing the foundation CEO use the system encourages staff at all levels to use the system.
Moreover, when executives set the tone for using the GMS as a "single source of truth," it helps alleviate duplication of data and tasks across the foundation. Their engagement ensures that everyone follows the same process, leading to a more unified approach to grantmaking.
The path to foundation-wide GMS adoption lies in understanding and addressing the needs of different stakeholders. Program staff must feel confident that the GMS can replace their familiar shadow systems with better, more efficient tools. Operations teams should understand how the GMS strengthens their finance and communications efforts. Executives should feel empowered with tools that provide quick, relevant insights.
By focusing on the specific needs of these groups, foundations can ensure that their GMS becomes a powerful, foundation-wide system, enhancing efficiency, collaboration, and data integrity.
Using purpose-built systems like GivingData and partnering with experts like 1892 Consulting can further ease the transition, helping teams adopt the right features and workflows for their roles. With the right approach, the entire foundation will embrace the GMS, turning it into an essential part of a grantmaking organization's daily operations