"Grantmaking programs are complicated to manage. Even the relatively small programs can involve tracking dozens of applications, reviewers, requirements and payments."

The above comment comes from the introduction in "A Consumers Guide to Grants Management Systems," a free publication from Idealware last published in 2016 (with supplements published in 2017) reviewing 29 different systems and comparing them against nearly 200 requirements criteria.

The guide's writers go on to note that grants management software can help address this challenge by making the processes more effective and transparent, "even transforming the way they do business."

The team currently developing Outbound Funds may be the next to transform the grants management software business with their new database platform that is open source and free to use.

Outbound Funds is a community-supported, Salesforce-based technology solution for grantmaking organizations. (Salesforce is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) enterprise application used by companies and nonprofits around the globe. Its foundation, Salesforce.org, offers free licenses and customized solutions built on Salesforce for nonprofit and educational institutions.)  

North Peak, a consulting firm supporting the development of Outbound Funds, explains that the desire to turn Salesforce into a grantmaker CRM has existed for many years.

"To date, the two methods have been to customize the application from scratch or to buy into a fully built enterprise-level app... These methods will still have their place in the lexicon of options. The goal with this initiative is to provide a third path, one we feel is appropriate for a wide-range of foundations with diverse needs."

Bill Corkill, CMF Director of Technology, is one of 10 individuals helping to lead creation of the new platform. His involvement began over two years ago when a small group of users started designing the architecture for an app within Salesforce’s online community for nonprofits, the Power of Us HUB.

"This was an opportunity to work together with nonprofits and major firms to innovate in a way that could really support our members and the sector as a whole," Corkill notes.

Corkill spearheaded design of the initial app and subsequent community testing. In July 2017, a separate group of Salesforce professionals identified the need for grantmaking functionality built on the Salesforce platform and connected with Corkill's group through a mutual colleague from North Peak. The two teams joined forces, and using Corkill's design as a foundation, have collaboratively led the open source initiative.

"We have tried to involve the user community as much as possible to make sure the platform was the most flexible it could be," Corkill notes.

The app is set to work for any organization already using Salesforce or Salesforce.org’s Nonprofit Success Pack, a tailored Salesforce solution for nonprofits.

"Here you've got an initiative that could revolutionize the technology options for grantmakers," notes Brian Pickett, founder and senior consultant, North Peak. "To say it could bode well for CMF members is an understatement!"

The Outbound Funds team has built prototypes, gathered feedback and assessed how to standardize the model while preserving the flexibility of the Salesforce platform. Corkill explains that this work has helped to create a common starting point for organizations or partners building out complex grant solutions in Salesforce, as well as common framework for grants or other outbound funds.

"Many years of interest and effort led to this point where the right people at the right time catalyzed a future where grantmakers can leverage the world’s number one CRM platform to manage programs, funds, applications, grantees, contacts, community groups, grants, deliverables and impacts," North Peak shared in an online project update.

The M&M Area Community Foundation (MMACF), a CMF member, is using Outbound Funds now after implementing Salesforce about three years ago.

Patrice Sessler, finance and program director, MMACF says she is excited to see where their foundation can go with the new grant functionality.

“We had been running everything from spreadsheets, so we felt this would be a really good option,” Sessler told CMF. “We think this will provide a better overview – how many times an organization has applied, what programs they applied for, how much they applied for and received – and we can see it in one place without going back to past spreadsheets.”

Sessler first heard about Outbound Funds through conversation with Corkill, who cautions that the open source product may not be the right fit for all foundations.

"There are many considerations when discussing the best option for your organization. If you have been managing grants through basic spreadsheets and you need a better centralized system to share information among staff and to track grantees, donations or grants, Outbound Funds may be an option to consider."

For those whose grantmaking work is more complex, Corkill says some foundations may prefer an off-the-shelf product, or Outbound Funds may be a starting point to creating a custom solution. "There is an array of tools and solutions that may meet your needs."

Corkill advises that whether a foundation is interested in a customized solution, a fully-built application or the open source platform, in-house expertise or consultant support will be needed, particularly for data migration, customization and training.

"Any of these options will require an investment of time and resources, but they can create an opportunity for significantly increased efficiency, improved workflows and better reporting."

Sessler says she has enjoyed the flexibility of Salesforce and the fact that the grant program can be tailored to meet their needs but agrees that it does take time.

“Because Salesforce can do so much, the screen can be overwhelming for those who may not be used to it,” but Sessler describes herself as “fearless” when it comes to digging into new tools and says CMF staff provided a great deal of support. MMACF was also the recipient of a grant through CMF to receive consultant-led training.

Corkill says foundations interested in testing or using the Outbound Funds platform can do so by signing up for Salesforce.org’s Power of Us program, which gives a nonprofit access to 10 free licenses to the Salesforce platform and Nonprofit Success Pack. Organizations will then have access to install and use the initial release of Outbound Funds through the Power of Us HUB.  

CMF members interested in learning more are invited to contact Corkill directly for more details on the steps above or follow the Power of Us HUB group focused on grantmaking and outbound funds.

In the meantime, the volunteer group working on the project will continue to build and enhance the project based on user feedback from the community of users.

Want more?

Read the North Peak Outbound update.

Check out Idealware's "A Consumers Guide to Grants Management Systems."