Questions to Ask If You Are Thinking About Moving to a New GMS

When many organizations first implement a grant management system, the goal is simple. You want to make grantmaking easier.

Over time, though, programs grow. Reporting requirements expand. New staff members join the team. Applicants expect a more intuitive experience. What started as a solution can slowly become another system that needs workarounds.

Maybe your staff is still exporting data into spreadsheets to build board reports. Maybe applicants regularly reach out because they aren’t sure whether they qualify before spending hours on an application. Maybe your finance team and grantmaking team are working from different versions of the same information.

Those small frustrations add up.

If you’re evaluating a new grant management system, it doesn’t matter how long the vendor’s feature list is. You need a solution that supports the way your organization works today, and one that can continue to support you as your grantmaking evolves.

If you’re evaluating a new grant management system, these questions can help you identify not only the right technology, but also the right long-term partner.

1. How Is the System Evolving Alongside the Needs of Grantmakers?

Your grantmaking process won’t look exactly the same five years from now as it does today. You may launch new programs, collect different kinds of data, support more applicants, or face new reporting requirements. The right system should adapt as your organization evolves, not force you into another software search a few years down the road.

Strong Vendor Answers Should Include

• A clear product roadmap
• Examples of recent improvements and enhancements
• Evidence that customer feedback helps shape future development
• A vision for supporting changing grantmaking practices
• Innovation tied to practical outcomes such as efficiency, reporting, and user experience

A roadmap matters, but so does understanding how the vendor approaches long-term improvement and customer input. Organizations evaluating software consistently look for solutions that can grow and change alongside their grantmaking programs.

I never imagined our grantmaking system and processes would look so different today than they did 20 plus years ago. In partnership with Blackbaud, we have been able to take advantage of innovative technologies to implement streamlined processes and be as efficient as possible.

Sue Fulton
Chief Financial Officer, Endowment for Health

2. What Will Implementation Require from Your Team?

A successful implementation isn’t something a vendor does to your organization. It’s something both teams do together.

Organizations often focus on how long implementation will take without discussing the staff time, testing, training, and internal decision-making required to make the project successful. For the best implementation experience, make sure expectations are clear from the start.

Strong Vendor Answers Should Include

• A realistic timeline and implementation phases based on the specifics of your organization
• Defined responsibilities for both teams
• Training opportunities before and after launch
• Testing and feedback expectations
• A plan for ongoing support after go-live

You should leave the conversation understanding not only what the vendor will deliver, but also what information, resources, and decisions your organization will need to provide along the way.

Not sure what to expect from a grant management system implementation? Check out the Grant Management Software Implementation Best Practices Guide.

3. Who Needs to Be Involved in the Transition?

A grant management system rarely affects a single department. Program staff, reviewers, finance teams, leadership, and applicants may all experience changes when you implement a new system. Bringing stakeholders into the process early helps identify challenges before they become obstacles.

Strong Vendor Answers Should Include

• Recommendations for project governance
• Guidance on assigning an internal project lead
• Examples of successful cross-functional implementations
• Support for stakeholder communication and change management

Pay particular attention to how the vendor discusses communication. Changes to applications, reviewer processes, reporting workflows, and payment processes should not come as a surprise to the people using them.

4. Can the System Support Your Process Without Creating New Workarounds?

Many organizations begin evaluating a new grant management system because their existing one requires too many manual workarounds. If staff still rely on spreadsheets, email chains, or separate tracking tools to complete essential tasks, the system may be creating more work than it’s eliminating.

What to Ask

• Can workflows be customized?
• Can different programs use different applications and review forms?
• Does application information flow directly into the CRM?
• Can we use conditional logic?
• Can different reviewers see different information?
• Can our team make updates without hiring a consultant?

Strong Vendor Answers Should Include

• Flexible workflows that reflect your process
• Configurable forms and review experiences
• Role-based permissions
• Conditional logic and automation tools
• Administrative control that doesn’t depend on vendor intervention

You don’t need software that forces your team into a new process. Find a system that supports the process you’ve intentionally designed. But you also need flexibility and customization to make sure the system can evolve with you.

5. How Will the Vendor Help Maintain Data Quality During and After Migration?

Moving inaccurate or duplicated data into a new system rarely improves reporting. Migration is an opportunity to establish stronger data practices, identify duplicate records, and create a more reliable foundation for future decision-making. Understand the vendor’s process for historical data imports, duplicate management, and long-term data quality.

What to Ask

• How is historical data handled?
• How are duplicate records identified during migration and going forward?
• What tools support ongoing data management?
• What migration assistance is available?

Strong Vendor Answers Should Include

• Structured migration planning
• Duplicate management capabilities
• Data validation tools
• Clear ownership of migration responsibilities
• Visibility into data quality issues after launch

Clean data supports better reporting, stronger compliance, and greater confidence in organizational decision-making. Good data hygiene and ongoing governance sets your organization up for success with new automation and AI-powered functionality in grant management systems.

6. Will the System Improve the Applicant Experience?

Applicants shouldn’t have to spend hours completing an application before discovering they don’t qualify for funding. A strong application experience helps organizations quickly determine whether they are a good fit for a specific program, then makes the application process as straightforward and accessible as possible. 

Eligibility quizzes and routing workflows can help applicants identify the right opportunity before investing significant time. When used effectively, they save time for both grantmakers and applicants.

Strong Vendor Answers Should Include

• Eligibility screening that helps applicants self-qualify
• Simple and transparent application requirements
• Save-and-return functionality
• Translation and accessibility support
• Conditional logic that removes unnecessary questions
• Automated communications and status updates

Organizations are increasingly reviewing their application processes through the lens of applicant burden. Features such as autosave, conditional logic, accessibility support, translation options, and eligibility screening can all contribute to a better experience.

Our application is so much easier to use now. Very few times do applicants come to us and say, ‘I don’t understand what you want us to do.’

Susan Ford
Human Services Manager, Manatee County Human Services

7. How Will the System Connect Grantmaking, Finance, and Fundraising Data?

Disconnected systems often create duplicate work. When grantmaking, finance, and fundraising teams operate from different systems with limited visibility into one another’s work, staff spend time reconciling data instead of acting on it. Disconnected systems can lead to manual data entry, shadow spreadsheets, reporting inconsistencies, and delays.

Strong Vendor Answers Should Include

• Clear data flows between systems
• Reduced reliance on manual entry
• Shared visibility across departments
• Reporting consistency
• Practical examples of integration in action

With the right integrations and API capabilities, you can avoid creating new silos while trying to solve existing ones.

8. Can the System Support the Complexity You Have Today and the Growth You Expect Tomorrow?

Many organizations begin shopping for a new system because their existing one no longer reflects how they work. What started as a simple grantmaking program may now include multiple funding initiatives, restricted funds, multi-year grants, external reviewers, or complex reporting requirements. Modern grantmaking organizations increasingly manage this level of complexity.

Strong Vendor Answers Should Include

• Support for complex grant structures
• Flexible budgeting and payment management
• Scalable workflows
• Consistent performance as programs grow

Your next system should support both your current reality and your future ambitions.

We’re a very small team, basically two of us, and the foundation is only part of our roles. I have all my assignment emails preset, many of them automatically scheduled, with reminders built in. I spend maybe 15 minutes a week on compliance tracking because it’s automated—it’s one click to send emails to a large group.

Anna Bosak
Manager of Community Relations and Corporate Giving, Anderson Corporation

9. How Easy Is It to Turn Your Data into Useful Reporting?

Collecting information is only valuable if your team can use it. Many grantmaking organizations spend significant time exporting data into spreadsheets because reporting tools don’t provide the visibility they need. Decision-makers need information they can access, understand, and trust.

What to Ask

• What reports are available out of the box?
• Can reports be customized?
• Can dashboards be built for different audiences?
• Can reports be scheduled automatically?
• Can data be exported when needed?

Strong Vendor Answers Should Include

• Flexible reporting options
• Custom dashboards
• Scheduled reporting capabilities
• Drill-down visibility
• Self-service reporting features

Good reporting doesn’t just help you understand what happened. You are also able to make better decisions about what happens next. Organizations consistently identify reporting, analytics, and visibility as critical evaluation criteria.

10. What Support Will Be Available Long After Implementation Ends?

Implementation is only the beginning of your relationship with a vendor. Staff changes. New programs launch. Reporting needs evolve. The support structure available after go-live can have as much impact on your experience as the software itself.

What to Ask

• What happens after implementation?
• What support resources are included?
• Are there training opportunities for new staff?
• Is there a user community?
• How are product updates communicated?

Strong Vendor Answers Should Include

• Clear support paths
• Ongoing education and training
• Customer communities and documentation
• Customer success resources
• Webinars on industry trends
• A long-term partnership approach

You want a vendor that doesn’t disappear after the launch. They should continue helping customers adapt, learn, and grow as their organizations evolve.

Choose a System That Can Grow with Your Mission

A new grant management system should do more than replace existing software. It should support the way your team works, reduce administrative burden, improve the experience for applicants and reviewers, and provide the visibility you need to make confident decisions.

As you evaluate vendors, focus on the quality of the answers as much as the feature list. Strong vendors can clearly explain how they will support your organization before implementation, during the transition, and long after go-live.

If the answers sound vague, keep asking questions. The right system should make your work easier—not leave you searching for new workarounds a few years from now.

Download our Grant Management System Buyer’s Guide or take an on-demand tour of Blackbaud Grantmaking to see how modern grantmaking technology can support your mission.