Have you ever suddenly awoken in the night filled with panic that you may have missed a grant deadline?
I recently read a story about how the City of Oakland missed a grant deadline that cost the city several millions of dollars. My heart sank for the administrators responsible for submitting that grant application. It is one of my biggest fears.
Developing a solid grant calendar is the best way to avoid missing deadlines and is part of a grant writer’s responsibilities.
Here are the important components of a grant calendar and the system I use…
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Grant writers need a system to keep track of grant opportunities, monitor submission dates and where the application is in the pipeline, and track follow-up tasks and reporting.
My grant calendar must tell me the following pieces of information:
- Name of the grant
- Specific program within the organization
- Application deadline
- Award notification date
- Stage of the application in the pipeline
- Website with application
- Notes
I have used several different grant calendar methods over my 20+ years of grant writing and here are the ones that work the best.
Spreadsheets
Most of my clients prefer spreadsheets because it is what they know. I create a shared spreadsheet file and keep all the information there in one place. I don’t prefer spreadsheets because they are time-consuming and prone to human error. They also don’t alert me about upcoming deadlines. I have to schedule those alerts separately.
Physical Calendars and Sticky Notes
I know so many old-school grant writers who swear by their sticky notes and day planners. I could never- but I try not to judge. It is too chaotic for me; it depends on me working in the same workspace every day, and there is too much room for error.
Grant Management Software
I was an early adopter of Fluxx IO when it was first released back in 2010, and I remember feeling a sense of relief. I was unable to get my client onboard, but that was OK. It helped me to organize my grant calendar in a superior way.
Since then, I have tried several software programs but have settled on Instrumentl (Use EPICGRANTS50 Promo Code). Now I enjoy:
- Automated Updates- no manual entries
- Centralized Platform- grant funder info, deadlines, pipeline are all in one place
- Robust research tool- I research grants and add them to the calendar with one click
- Alerts- Multiple ways to schedule alerts so I never miss a deadline
To get started, I uploaded my grant spreadsheet to Instrumentl, and it was converted to their platform format.
My clients had an initial freakout that I wasn’t going to use spreadsheets anymore, but now they love my new system. I print them out a detailed report at the end of each month so they can see upcoming deadlines and grant status, and they are happy not to sort through spreadsheets.
If you haven’t tried a grant management software, now is the time.
If you would like to schedule a walk-through demo of Instrumentl, reply to this email, and I will schedule one with you.
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants
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