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The William Penn Foundation Finds Efficiency and Control Through GIFTS
With three program areas, 30 staff, a $60 million grants budget, and $1 billion in assets, there's a lot to keep track of at the
William Penn Foundation. Everyone involved in an organization of this size—grantors and grantees alike—need to be kept in the loop.
The William Penn Foundation required a grantmaking system that was as flexible and efficient as it was comprehensive. William Penn chose GIFTS.
"It has made our lives much easier," says Barbara Scace, Manager of Information Systems and Grants. Everyone on staff enters and maintains information in GIFTS. We all share responsibility for the system. Everybody has global information access."
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A culture of strengthening community
Founded in 1945, the William Penn Foundation focuses on advancing the dynamic and diverse communities of Greater Philadelphia and improving quality of life through its three main program areas: Arts and Culture; Children, Youth and Families; and Environment and Communities.
Keeping a consistent system for every aspect of its grantmaking process is vitally important for working effectively. "We have to have the same standard backbone as to how the grants come through," Scace says, "GIFTS allows us to do that."
Empowerment through a birds-eye-view of grantmaking
The benefit of a system like GIFTS to an organization like the William Penn Foundation is that it provides a view of the entire grants management process. Staff use GIFTS to manage individual grants and to analyze broader programs. "It has empowered our program staff. By implementing a very "decentralized" approach to using GIFTS, we all have a better idea of what's going on, when things happen, and what still needs to be done."
GIFTS is easy to learn and use so foundation staff are willing to do more and be more involved in the overall grants management process. By having a uniform system of operation, anyone can pull up any data they need at the touch of a button, or enter information directly into the grant record for others to see.
"GIFTS is intuitive. You don't have to be a programmer to use it. It helps us get organized."
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One of the biggest benefits the William Penn Foundation received from using GIFTS is from the classification systems and user-defined code tables. "The depth to which GIFTS allows us to code our grants has given us the ability to analyze and dissect our grantmaking and give insightful reports on trends to our board and program staff," Scace explains. "It makes it easier for everyone to track how the money we give is being spent. Our program staff is very involved in the development of our coding structures."
Previously, coding was seen as primarily a grants management function and was done by simply filling out a checklist and handing it off to the grants manager. Now, because GIFTS allows everything to be done by the click of a button, the program officers save steps by coding directly into GIFTS themselves, rather than submitting it to someone else to do. "Once they saw how easy it was to add codes and learned how to retrieve information based on coding, they wanted the chance to have input into what the coding structures should look like."
Streamlined workflow
GIFTS has enabled the William Penn Foundation to streamline its workflow and reduce some labor-intensive administration tasks. There's less redundant data entry. There's less paperwork to file and store – in fact, with the Document Manager module, what was once a mountain of paperwork is now an easily accessed database of scanned-in images. The Communication department uses GIFTS contact management features and correspondence templates to send out information and answer questions for the public and grantees. "GIFTS helps us reach our audiences."
"GIFTS has evolved with us. It satisfies so many of our different needs. It makes people self-sufficient."
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The future of giving
Where is the William Penn Foundation going next? The sharing and control of information has worked so well for its own staff, the foundation is now looking into ways to use a GIFTS interface to provide grant information via its Web site. Several eventual goals are: (1) to give grantees the power to apply for grants online; (2) to allow potential applicants to check into the status of their proposal; and (3) to allow active grantees access to their payment schedules and reporting requirements on-line. "We are looking to integrate the power of web-enabled technology with the needs of our current and potential grantees to make working with us easier and more efficient."
For more information on the William Penn Foundation, visit their Web site at: www.wpennfdn.org
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