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Choosing a Grants Management System can take a lot of research, especially when you factor in time spent vetting the vendor. It can also be stressful. Implementation will require a big investment—both in time and dollars. You’re going to have to live with the system for years, so you better like it.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could quickly gain a baseline of knowledge and narrow down your options to a handful of systems that make sense for your organization?

Join idealware.org and colleagues from across the country for this course that will save you time by providing you with the impartial information you need to accelerate your evaluation process. Over five weeks, we’ll help you think through your organization’s needs, host demos that cut the sales pitch and get right to the information that matters most, and talk you through what you’ll need to do to implement your system efficiently.

During this course you will:

•   Define your organization’s priorities.
•   Learn more about the systems that are currently available.
•   Gain a comprehensive view of the features and requirements of many of the leading grants management systems.
•   Compare the strengths and weaknesses of various systems.
•   Learn how to more effectively evaluate software and narrow down your options.
•   Review tips to help you implement your system more efficiently.
•   Get the chance to ask your specific questions and see how the system addresses those issues.

Course Schedule

September 22: Thinking Through Your Needs
In this class, we will walk through the ins and outs of grants management systems and discuss the difference between custom and out-of-the-box solutions. We’ll help you evaluate what you actually need from a system and ask the all-important question, “Do you really need a new system at all?”

September 27 – 29, October 4 – 6, October 11 – 13: Demos
This is your chance to see the systems in action. We’ll moderate scripted, vendor-led demos and then open up the floor for questions so that you get the information you need to determine whether the system will make your shortlist. Each system we demo was chosen by the Idealware audience. You can find the survey and the list of systems under consideration here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BW5NG36. The survey will close on August 19.

October 20: Best Practices for Implementing Your System
This session will walk you through the process of implementing your new system to minimize the strain on your staff and grantees. We’ll show you how to get started with your implementation, explore the process of migrating data from your old system to your new one, and offer data management best practices to help you jump in and put your new system to work right away.

Price/Discount: $400 nonmember grantmakers /$350 GCRI members with discount code (contact GCRI for discount code)

OTHER INFORMATION
• Every session and demo will be recorded and available to individuals who have registered for the course. A weekly email will include access information for the recordings collected that week.
• Please register with the email address where you would like to receive the access code and dial-in information for the online seminar.
• All registered participants are granted access to the recordings of each session. Participants who cannot attend any of the sessions due to scheduling conflicts will still have access to the toolkit presentation decks and handouts.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Eric Leland, Idealware Expert Trainer
Eric has spent two decades working with progressive organizations and businesses tackling online and offline technology challenges. He’s a founding partner of FivePaths, a technology firm that offers strategic technology consulting, information architecture, and web CMS and CRM platform development expertise to each project. Eric is very active in nonprofit, philanthropy, and technology circles, having served as co-chair to the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network in San Francisco, on the National Advisory Board for the Addiction Technology Transfer Center, and as a member of NTEN and the Tech Underground.