National Forest Foundation Revamps Grant Management Ecosystem

Introduction  

The National Forest Foundation (NFF) is one of the leading nonprofits dedicated to the conservation and sustainable management of U.S. National Forests. With ambitious goals to drive environmental restoration and stewardship, NFF distributes millions of dollars in grants and manages hundreds of projects annually. However, their technology ecosystem relied heavily on manual processes, creating operational bottlenecks that hampered team productivity and data visibility. To advance their mission, NFF partnered with Build Consulting to modernize their core business applications and integrate systems for grants, fundraising, and project management. 

The Problem  

NFF recognized the need for a comprehensive overhaul of its systems to better align operations with its growing mission. The areas that could benefit most from reenvisioning how they approached their work include: 

• Grant Management Inefficiencies: Tracking restricted funds through the donor pipeline relied heavily on spreadsheets, leading to errors and duplication of work. 

• Disconnected Systems: Siloed technologies for ERP, CRM, and GMS hindered team collaboration and created blind spots in visibility for grants and projects. 

• Time-Intensive Manual Tasks: Duplicate data entry and limited automation consumed staff time that could have been allocated to high-impact work like donor cultivation. 

• Lack of Standardized Processes: Internal workflows varied widely across teams, creating inconsistencies in how grants and restricted funds were managed. 

The overarching challenge was clear. NFF needed an integrated, end-to-end solution that could align every phase of its operations—from fundraising to grant management—with its strategic mission. 

The Solution  

Build Consulting approached NFF’s challenges with a change management forward, strategic methodology designed specifically for foundations and nonprofit organizations. Here’s how the partnership addressed NFF’s needs: 

Strategic Assessment and Roadmap Development  

Build Consulting conducted a comprehensive assessment of NFF’s grant management processes. The team engaged stakeholders across fundraising, grants management, and project teams to identify inefficiencies and tailor future solutions. Through in-depth workflow analysis and interviews, Build developed a roadmap outlining priorities for system implementation with clear milestones. 

Process Mapping and Stakeholder Feedback  

To ensure the solution was actionable, Build facilitated process-mapping workshops with NFF’s teams. By diagramming current workflows alongside desired outcomes, the consultants quickly identified areas for improvement. Stakeholder feedback was actively incorporated to tailor the process maps to operational realities. 

Technology Selection and Planning  

A critical component of the project was selecting the right tools to align with NFF’s goals while maintaining an integrated ecosystem. Build led the technology planning process, which included: 

• Evaluating vendors and preparing detailed RFPs. 

• Facilitating system demos to assess functionality. 

• Recommending Tangicloud’s Business Central as the ERP platform under Microsoft’s ecosystem. While alternative solutions like Intacct and NetSuite offered strong individual functionality, Tangicloud’s ability to integrate with Azure tools and CRM platforms made it the ideal choice. 

Additionally, for CRM and GMS integration, Salesforce’s Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) and Amp Impact were chosen, enabling NFF to streamline donor prospecting, grant tracking, and disbursement processes. 

Results  

Through its collaboration with Build Consulting, NFF realized significant outcomes: 

• Streamlined Grant Processes: NFF moved from a spreadsheet-dependent workflow to an integrated system that provides seamless tracking of limited funds across the donor lifecycle, reducing errors and improving accuracy. 

• Enhanced Data Visibility: The integration between Tangicloud’s Business Central and Salesforce NPSP connected fundraising and grants management teams, enabling real-time insights into donor pipelines and project funding. 

• Efficient Operations: Automated workflows eliminated repetitive tasks, allowing staff to focus on strategic initiatives like building stronger relationships with donors. 

• Improved Technology: Tangicloud’s implementation of Business Central utilized Microsoft’s Azure tools, ensuring scalability and value aligned with NFF’s long-term goals. 

With the strategic guidance of Build, they now possess the necessary tools and processes to effectively fulfill their mission and work more effectively. This transformative shift from a fragmented system to an integrated ecosystem has significantly improved team productivity and donor stewardship. 

Conclusion  

Through Build Consulting’s partnership, the National Forest Foundation transitioned from fragmented, manual processes to an efficiently integrated technology ecosystem that supports its mission. The newly implemented systems not only enhance current operations but also lay the groundwork for continued growth and innovation in their fundraising, grants, and project management efforts.