Learn about frequently used GivingData terms.
The Basics
GivingData User
A GivingData user is an individual who has a GivingData account and has access to the database. Most often, GivingData users are foundation staff members and consultants.
Site Administrator
Site Administrators are GivingData users who manage their foundation's GivingData database and have the highest level of permissions. These users have access to manage site settings and can assist other users within the organization with user permissions. Sometimes referred to as “Power Users,” these individuals are most often the foundation staff member(s) who know the database inside and out and went through the GivingData implementation process.
Quick Navigation Menu
The Quick Navigation Menu appears at the top of every page in GivingData and consists of 3-5 circle icons. These icons allow users to quickly add new records, create new searches, take notes, and more. These icons may vary depending on your subscription level and user permissions. For more information on the Quick Navigation Menu, please refer to this article.
Admin Tools & Settings
The Admin Tools & Settings page, also referred to as Settings Management, contains the backend tools needed to customize a GivingData site. This can be found by clicking the gear icon within the Quick Navigation Menu. Please note that the icon may not be available to all users depending on permissions. Within Admin Tools & Settings, users can create/manage codes, build/edit applications, customize request statuses, and more.
Roles & Permissions
Within Admin Tools & Settings > Roles & Permissions, site administrators can create GivingData site roles and edit the permissions that users with that role will have. Common examples of user roles include: Administrator, Grants Management, Program Staff, Finance, View Only, etc. To view or edit a user’s site role, go to Admin Tools & Settings > Users. For more information on roles and permissions, please refer to this article.
Object
An object refers to an entity in GivingData such as an organization, request, payment, contact, requirement, etc.
Modal
A modal is a pop-up window within GivingData. Examples include the “Add New Request” modal, the “Contact Details” modal, the “Edit Columns” modal within a list view), and the “Add Field” modal, which is visible when adding a new question or field to a Grantee Portal Intake Form template.
List view
A list view describes a list of results or associated records organized into rows and columns. Common examples of list views include Super Search, the “Requests” tab of an organization record, along with the Payments & Approvals Dashboard (after clicking into a specific Status). Default list views are configurable in Admin Tools & Settings. In addition, columns can be edited in list views in Super Search results sets.
Super Search
Super Search allows users to search the database for records that match their desired search criteria. There are multiple types of Super Searches that allow users to search for various information throughout the database. Once a search has been run, the results are shown in a list view, and users have the option to enter Chart View to create data visualization based on those results. Within a Super Search, users can also perform batch edits, such as approving multiple grants at one time. For more information on Super Search, please refer to this video.
Batch Edit
The batch edit function offers users the ability to edit multiple records at once. The batch edit function can only be found in a Super Search list view, and the batch operations vary depending on the type of search. For more information on batch editing, please refer to this article.
Chart View
Chart View allows users to build custom data visualizations, such as Comparison and Trend charts, giving users the ability to quickly visualize real-time data that can inform their grantmaking strategy. To access this feature, users can either start a new Super Search or use an existing saved Search. Once the query is run and the search results are available, users can toggle to Chart View to create data visualizations based on their search results. Once customized, these charts can be exported and saved for future use. For more information on how to use Chart View, please refer to this video.
Dashboards
The dashboards in GivingData provide users with an overview of the different components of the grantmaking process. The dashboards are a visual representation of a foundation’s Payments and Approvals, Intake Forms, Requirements, Workflows, and more. Within a dashboard, users can interact with their data at a high-level view or add filters to view specific information. For more information on Payments and Approvals Dashboards, please refer to this article.
Payments & Approvals Dashboards
With GivingData’s Payments & Approvals Dashboards, users can analyze and interact with payment and grant approvals data by fiscal year and code assignment. The Payments Dashboard pulls data from Payment records and displays payment amounts based on the dashboard’s criteria. The Approvals Dashboard pulls data from Request records and displays entire grant amounts, allowing for multi-year grant amounts to be reflected in the year they are approved. Both the Payments & Approvals Dashboards can be filtered by specific date ranges, codes, and other mapped field data.
Budget Manager
The Budget Manager tool allows users to input their foundation’s grantmaking budget by fiscal year, following the structure of their preferred Budget Code Type such as “Program Area” or “Fund.” The Budget Code Type can be configured within Admin Tools & Settings > Tags & Coding. The Budget Manager allows users to set separate budgets for their grant payments and/or grant approvals. Once inputted, users have the option to view this budget information within their Payments & Approvals Dashboards in order to track their current balances and subtotals by code. For more information on the Budget Manager tool, please refer to this article.
Scenario Planning
Scenario Planning allows users to forecast, budget, and experiment with funding scenarios for potential grants within the Planning disposition. Within a Scenario Planning Dashboard, users can edit and add new request ideas and plan future payments across multiple fiscal years. If the user has a general idea for a future grant but has not yet identified the recipient organization, a best practice is to create a “TBD Organization” to allocate these potential funds to. Scenario Planning is accessible through any Payments Dashboard, and will inherit the search criteria from the Payments Dashboard. For more information about Scenario Planning, please refer to this article. This feature is included with GivingData Pro and Enterprise subscriptions.
Organizations & People
Organization Record
An organization record holds all of the information related to a specific grantee, intermediary, fiscal sponsor, or vendor. The Grantee 360 timeline, bank account information, and Watchlist Checks — along with other information — can be found on the organization record. For more information on adding new organization records, please refer to this article.
Subsidiaries
The Subsidiaries field in GivingData enables users to connect related “parent” and “child” organization records. On the Subsidiaries tab of the “parent” organization record, users add the name of the “child” organization record. Within the About tab of the “child” organization record, there will be the hyperlinked name of the “parent” organization. However, in order for linking to occur, a user must have already created separate “parent” and “child” organization records.
Grantee 360
Grantee 360 provides an overview and timeline of a foundation’s relationship with an organization. Within Grantee 360, users can see the history of an organization’s grant approvals, payments, requirements, interactions, and Key Moments. This feature is located on every organization record and is included with all GivingData subscriptions. For more information on the Grantee 360, please refer to this video.
Key Moments
A Key Moment can be logged within the Grantee 360 when an organization experiences a significant change. Users have the option to customize their Key Moment types within Admin Tools & Settings. Common examples of Key Moments include leadership transitions, media coverage, and awards/recognition. For more information on setting Key Moments, please refer to this article.
Contacts
A contact within GivingData refers to a member of a grantee organization or prospective grantee organization (i.e. staff member, trustee, volunteer, etc.). In GivingData, contacts may be assigned roles such as Organization Primary Contact and Request Primary Contact. Users also have the option to create custom contact roles, which can be configured within Admin Tools & Settings. For more information on creating custom contact roles, please refer to this article.
Interactions
Users can track their foundation’s communication with contacts and organizations through interaction records in GivingData. Interactions (such as emails, site visits, phone calls, and more) can be linked to contacts, organizations, requests, payments, and requirement records. Users have the option to create custom interaction types that can be configured within Admin Tools & Settings. For more information on adding an interaction, please refer to this article.
Watchlist Checks
The LexisNexis Bridger Insight integration allows GivingData users to conduct OFAC due diligence checks on organizations and contacts stored in their site. During the initial setup, users select which watchlists their foundation wants to check and set thresholds for what the foundation considers a potential match. Users can run individual watchlist checks from contact, organization, request, and payment records, or through a batch process in a Super Search list view. Results are stored in GivingData and users can view and manage the results. The Bridger Insight integration is an optional add-on to any GivingData subscription. For more information on using the Bridger Insight integration, please refer to this article.
Grantmaking, Portal, Tags & Coding
Request Record
A request record in GivingData holds all the information related to a specific grant, sponsorship, or gift. Within a request record, users can find related documents, contacts, payments, requirements, workflows, interactions, and more. In order to create a new request record, the request must be associated with an organization.
Request Disposition
All requests are categorized into one of the following dispositions: Planning, Pending, Approved, or Declined. The name for each disposition cannot be customized. However, within the Planning, Pending, and Approved dispositions, users can customize specific request statuses.
Request Status
A request status provides further detail into the stage a request is in. For example, within the “Pending” disposition, there may be request statuses for “Application Invited,” “Under Review,” or “Submitted for Decision.” Request statuses can be configured in Admin Tools & Settings > Grantmaking > Requests > Request Statuses.
Fiscal Sponsor
Users can identify a request’s fiscal sponsor organization by using the Fiscal Sponsor field found on the request Overview page. In order to do so, a separate organization record for the fiscal sponsor must first be created. Payment records that have a fiscal sponsor listed as the Payee Organization will be visible on the fiscal sponsor’s organization record, in addition to the grantee’s request record. Please note that the Grantee Intake Forms can only be attached to the grantee’s request record. For more information, please refer to this video.
Requirements
A requirement in GivingData is a required action for the grantee. Common examples of requirements include a signed grant agreement, an interim or progress report, or a final report. When a grantee submits a requirement, a foundation staff member will need to check off the “Complete this Requirement” button to close the requirement. For more information on navigating the Requirements dashboard, please refer to this article.
Workflows
A workflow is a project management tool that enables users to outline a series of tasks to be completed within a specific grant process. Staff members can be assigned to tasks or listed as followers of tasks. Workflows may be added to request records manually or automatically (if automation rules are set up within the workflow template). Workflows are often created for processes such as due diligence, application review, payments processing, and grant closeout. For an overview of workflows, please refer to this video. Workflows are included with GivingData Pro and Enterprise subscriptions.
Followers
A follower is a GivingData user who receives notifications related to the request record, workflow task, intake form, or interaction record they are following. For example, a member of the foundation’s finance team may be listed as a follower on a workflow task related to a scheduled payment. In this example, the member of the finance team would receive notifications such as when the status of this specific task changes, or if a comment is made within the task. For more information on how to manage your notification preferences, please refer to this article.
Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning
Monitoring, Evaluation, & Learning (MEL) is a feature designed to assist foundations with their impact assessments, providing users the ability to perform qualitative assessments of their grants. Users can create a variety of Assessment Groups based on the foundation’s strategies and list specific metrics that they wish to evaluate their grants against. Assessment groups can also be mapped to a Grantee Portal intake form, allowing the grantee to select their preferred assessment metrics or update their progress during or after the grant period. This feature, which may also be referred to as Monitoring & Assessment or Impact Assessment, is an optional add-on to GivingData Pro and Enterprise subscriptions.
Portfolios
Portfolios allow foundations to group grants from a variety of program areas to create a unit of action with the aim of solving a specific problem. For example, a “Safer Neighborhoods” portfolio may include grants from a variety of program areas such as arts, health, education, and urban development in order to create outcomes that will contribute to the solution of the problem. Users can customize this feature to reflect the portfolio’s aspiration, budget, progress assessment, timeline, and more. Each Portfolio Dashboard contains four tabs: Overview, Timeline, Requests, and Documents. Users can create a new portfolio from the Quick Add menu, and grants can be added to a portfolio from the Overview tab of a request record or via batch edit. It is important to note that a grant can only be added to one portfolio. This feature is an optional add-on to GivingData Pro subscriptions and is included with an Enterprise subscription.
Dockets
The Dockets feature allows users to create custom groupings of request records and view their grant information and documents together within a Docket dashboard. Dockets are most often used as a container of information in preparation for board meetings. Requests can be added to a docket from the request Overview tab or through batch edit via a request-level Super Search. Please note that a request can only belong to one docket. This feature is included with GivingData Pro and Enterprise subscriptions.
Portal
A GivingData portal lives outside of the main GivingData site. There are three types of portals: the Grantee Portal, the External Reviewer Portal, and the Board Portal. Through the portal, grantees, applicants and reviewers can submit information through Grantee Portal Intake Forms. This information can then be imported into the main GivingData site after a brief import process initiated by the GivingData user. After import, responses to mapped fields (ex: Project Title, Organization Mission, Project Budget, etc.) within the Intake Form will also be reflected within the GivingData record.
Grantee Portal Intake Forms
A Grantee Portal Intake Form refers to a form, such as an application or report, that is submitted by an applicant or grantee through the Grantee Portal. Intake form types include: Unsolicited Applications, Invited Applications, Report Intake Forms, Grantee Submission Intake Forms, Active Grant Intake Forms, and Organization Intake Forms. For more information on creating and editing Grantee Portal Intake Forms, please refer to this video. Note: Active Grant Intake Forms and Organization Intake Forms are included only with a GivingData Enterprise subscription.
Campaign
A campaign is needed in order for an unsolicited application to become visible to the public. When setting up a campaign, the GivingData user will be asked to specify which unsolicited application it will use, what the custom URL should be, when the application opens and closes, and how many times an applicant can apply. Once the campaign is created, the campaign URL can be shared on the foundation’s website or shared with a small group of constituents. The campaign link will take the applicant to a public landing page where they can create their Portal account and submit the unsolicited application. For more information on building campaigns for unsolicited applications, please refer to this article. Campaigns are an optional add-on to GivingData Go subscriptions and are included with Pro and Enterprise subscriptions.
External Reviewer Portal
The External Reviewer Portal is a separate portal designed to facilitate the grant application review process with external review panels or Board members. Within the External Reviewer Portal, individuals can view the answers to assigned applications and provide their feedback. The user must attach an External Review form to the desired application via Settings > Grantee Portal & Reviewer Portal. For more information on creating an External Reviewer Form, please refer to this article. The External Reviewer Portal is an optional add-on to any GivingData subscription.
Board Portal
The Board Portal is a separate informational portal that provides a snapshot of grantmaking activities in a dashboard format. Board Members with access to the Board Portal can view data but cannot edit the information. Users with permission to manage the Board Portal can customize which organizations, requests, and portfolios they’d like to publish to the Board Portal and can customize the layout of the portal. This information can be published to the Board Portal on a case-by-case basis or through a batch process via Super Search. The Board Portal is an optional add-on to GivingData Pro and Enterprise subscriptions.
Codes
Codes in GivingData are created by users in order to define and categorize their grantmaking. Within an overarching Code Type, such as Program Area, users can build a hierarchy of codes beneath it. Codes may be assigned to requests, organizations, payments, and contacts. Users may create Super Searches and reports based on code criteria and can also filter their dashboards by code. For more information on codes in GivingData, please refer to this article.
Tags
Tags in GivingData may be assigned to requests, organizations, and interaction records to track certain characteristics. While similar to codes, tags cannot be segmented into multiple levels. Tags are similar to social media hashtags and can be a useful tool that helps users identify characteristics that may not be built into an existing code type. Examples of tags may include “Black Led,” “Youth Organizing,” “Audited in 2021,” and “COVID-19.” Tags are searchable within Super Search and a full list of active tags can be found within Admin Tools & Settings.
Documents, Templates & Reports
Documents
The documents stored in GivingData can be uploaded from a user’s computer or from templates created within Settings. Users can add documents to organization records (via the “Documents” and “Payments” tabs) and request records (via the “Documents,” “Payments & Budget,” and “Requirements” tabs).
Document Templates
Document templates can be used to quickly create new documents using a standardized template. Common uses of document templates include award letters, grant agreements, payment letters, and write-ups. Users can utilize GivingData’s Microsoft Word Add-In to add merge fields (via the GivingData Word Add-In) to the document template, which correspond to fields in GivingData. Once a document is created from a template, data from those merge fields will be populated into the document. Document templates can be created within Admin Tools & Settings for organization, request, payment, requirement, docket, and portfolio documents. For more information on building a document in GivingData from a template, please refer to this article.
Super Doc
A Super Doc is a unique GivingData document that can contain mapped fields from organization, request, payment, and requirement records, in addition to list views of data and editable text areas. Unlike regular document templates, Super Docs allow users the option to edit mapped field data (such as the Project Title) right from the document. The Super Doc can also update automatically to reflect new edits made to the mapped fields contained within the Super Doc. Common uses of Super Docs include internal application reviews, due diligence reports, and grantee history reports. For more information on how to create a SuperDoc template, please refer to this article. Super Docs are included with GivingData Pro and Enterprise subscriptions.
Mapped Field
A mapped field refers to a data field that lives on a GivingData record, such as an organization, request, payment, or requirement record. Mapped fields can be added to Grantee Portal Intake Forms. When creating an Intake Form template, users have the option to either hide the mapped field’s current value on record, allow for the applicant/grantee to select the current value on record, or input new data. Mapped fields can also be added to Super Doc templates, so that the current value of the field displays within the document. When creating a Super Doc, users can decide whether or not to allow mapped fields to be dynamic and when possible, editable from the Super Doc.
Dynamic
A dynamic mapped field will be updated automatically in the Super Doc when the field's value changes within an organization and/or request record. Mapped fields that are not dynamic will display the field's value at the time the Super Doc was created.
Reports Tool
The Reports tool, also referred to as Premium Reporting, allows users to create branded report templates that run automatically on a set schedule or on an ad-hoc basis. The Reports Tool allows users to insert list views into their report templates and provides users the option to group the data based on a mapped field or code. Users can also choose to show calculations per grouping, such as the total approved amount or balance. The Reports Tool is an optional add-on to GivingData Go and Pro subscriptions and is included with an Enterprise subscription.