Written by Claire, Marketing Executive at Fluent Technology, research nerd, travel fanatic & coffee-based life form.
Many of our clients are grant experts. They’ve been managing and distributing grants for a number of years, in many different capacities. They know where to go to get advice, they know how to create meaningful data from applications and they follow best practice like it’s going out of fashion.
BUT there are those of us out there that are beginners, (like myself two years ago). They enter the market knowing nothing and needing to know EVERYTHING.
So where do you start?
It’s simple…work backwards. Figure out WHAT your organisation wants to achieve then research best practice to find other charities and grant giving organisations that are perfecting it like it’s an art.
In the words of the website that I’m about to rave about; “borrowing is the new innovation” (Source: GrantCraft, ‘Borrowing is the New Innovation’, May 2015).
GrantCraft
(The brain child of the Foundation Centre)
www.grantcraft.org
With a slick new website (just recently launched), GrantCraft is the place to be if you want to find out more on best practice, user experience reviews, collaboration techniques and ESPECIALLY, real life cases of organisations that successfully manage their grants in a way that achieves maximum impact to the communities and projects they fund.
Publications I’d recommend:
- Communication That Counts: Lessons From South African Social Investors – https://bit.ly/1LFBOv7
- Borrowing Is The New Innovation – https://learningforfunders.candid.org/content/blog/borrowing-is-the-new-innovation/
- Supporting Grantee Capacity: Strengthening Effectiveness Together
- – https://learningforfunders.candid.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/guide_capacity_interactive.pdf
Grants Managers Network (GMN)
Although it’s a US based organisation with US based recommendations the GMN website is a fantastic hub for everything grant management related no matter where you’re based. They provide non-biased information on grant management that helps thousands of grant giving organisations around the world every day. With their endless supply of resources on topics like reviewer approvals, board meetings, grantee perspectives etc., as well as several surveys which they carry out on a regular basis, this is a great place to get a grasp on everything about grant management. They’re also very approachable if you have any questions and you’re confused about anything (and eager to help!)
TIP: Check out ‘Project Streamline’ – https://www.gmnetwork.org/projectstreamline/
Publications I’d recommend:
- Assessing the How of Grant Making – https://gmnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/HowofGrantmaking_GrantsManagersNetwork_17Sep2013.pdf
- Grantmakers Information Technology Survey Report – https://gmnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/2014ITSurveyReport.pdf
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