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Posted by anonymous from , a(n) grantseeker, on 2008-06-16 14:59:07 | ||
| We have many difficulites with online submissions. For example, one corporate funder closed the online application date a day earlier than posted and then deleted a saved but not submitted application. Another corporate foundation's software "grabbed" (terminology used by their helpdesk) someone else's mission statement - I found it quite by accident. Forms that have character limits but don't count as you go so that you have to create a Word document in order to do the count and then paste. On-line forms that do not allow you to see the whole application ahead of time, only section by section and one has to click through. One funder's software created a "duplicate profile" which we were unaware of (there was no way to have known)but which knocked us out of the review process. Terminology can be inconsistent - "submit" may mean "save"; or "close" has meant "cancel"; "complete" means "save" but not "submit". Sites that time out in less time than they indicate and require constant re-logging in. Sites where one uploads documents but the completion of the upload is not apparent until later. | ||
Posted by SSM from INGO, a(n) Funding Agency, on 2008-05-21 02:09:36 | ||
| I noted in the report that some fundraising officers or resources development pointed out that they encountered barriers to funding agencies due to impressions about their positions being "smarmy." I wonder if anyone has heard of a term or phrase that a fund raising officer could use which is less direct and still descriptive of one's position and duties. Any help apprecaited. thanks ssm | ||
Posted by K. H. from , a(n) Museum, on 2008-04-30 16:16:09 | ||
| The common form used by CyberGrants is convenient because it varies by only a few tailored questions from one grantmaker to another. However, applicants must set up separate new accounts with each prospect and fill in all but the agency's EIN, name, and address over and over again. It would save a great deal of time if we were able to register just once and save our mission statement, agency history, trustee list, and other standard information to be filled in automatically. Note to the previous poster: I also find locked PDF forms frustrating, but have found a work-around, at least for those that are to be printed out and mailed. Save the form to your desktop. Then open a blank Word page and choose "Insert--Object--Adobe Acrobat Document." The form will appear on the page as a picture, after which you'll be able to "type" your answers on top, using tabs and spaces to position your text. It's usually necessary to use the "Send to back" command at least once to keep the two layers in their proper order. | ||
Posted by from , a(n) Non-profit, on 2008-04-30 14:02:25 | ||
| There are a lot of foundations that are listed in the Foundation Directory Online that do not give any current contact information. It would be good to see them at least getting basic websites to offer information to grant seekers. Are they hiding? I thought they wanted to give their funding to the appropriate organizations. It is just frustrating and very time consuming. | ||
Posted by Ann Rogers from Lutheran Family Services of Virginia, a(n) human services, on 2008-04-30 10:13:53 | ||
| We recently submitted a grant proposal to our local United Way by way of an email containing a hyperlink to all our application materials saved digitally on www.box.net. The grant was successful. Box.net is an online document storage service that allows saved documents to be shared in a number of interesting ways. After uploading the document, file, or group of files, you create a hyperlink which can be emailed to an individual with whom you wish to share these materials. That individual can only download from the shared materials, not upload, and he or she can only view the shared materials, not any other material you may have saved at box.net. However, Box.net now also offers a technology that allows collaborating individuals both to upload and download to a shared "box" of files. Box.net's potential as a tool for streamlining both the grant application and grant reporting process is intriguing. I haven't experimented with other online file storage services. There may be other such services with potential to streamline the grant making process. | ||
Posted by from , a(n) human services agency, on 2008-04-28 16:29:44 | ||
| Effective: - Online applications that allow you to cut and paste copy into their online form from a Word document. - Online application forms that allow attachments of PDF files for photos, charts, and other information that is important to your request but can't be included in the online form itself. - Online application forms that have been carefully tested before inviting applications. As an applicant, I have often been the first to discover that the application form doesn't work as it's supposed to. - Grant applications (online or paper) that simply ask if we are a 501(c)(3) organization, if we have an annual audit, and for specific information from our 990, rather than requiring 30+ sheets of paper as attachments. Challenging: - Application forms available only in paper form, or only in non-fillable PDFs. It's the 21st century--no one should have to use a typewriter any more. I usually end up taking time to re-create the form on my computer, because it's less time-consuming and cleaner than typing on a form. - Funders who require photos of clients, testimonials, or detailed demographic information such as race and income. We ask for the demographic info that is essential to providing treatment, nothing more. It's difficult enough to get traumatized, stressed-out people through an intake application without asking for extra information just because funders find it interesting. Testimonials sometimes come to us unsolicited, but it's difficult to ask clients to come up with one simply because a funder asks for it. Photos of abused children in treatment--impossible! | ||
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