Writing grant proposals id a difficult process for nonprofit and human services organizations. The maze of paperwork is daunting and the measurement of need and outcomes can be difficult to track when working with human services due to several factors – even the mobility of the family as they are in crisis can create tracking and reporting challenges for human service case workers. As such, when working to secure a much-needed grant, how should human services or nonprofits measure their outcomes and project the improvement of these outcomes based upon the benefits of receiving such grant. Having the proper tools to gather data, analyze and predict outcomes is critical for human services and nonprofits agencies. There are several factors that can influence the ease in gathering information to be analyzed which can be best addressed by having a quality software program in place to assist caseworkers and supervisors with their case management. If your agency does not have a software program which is specialized for human services and is using various products from Office Suites, looking for a comprehensive case management software solution should be on your to do list before applying for a grant in the heavily competitive market. Software should be able to track your clients’ cases from initial contact and intake into your program. Some of the data collection which is helpful includes: appointments, goals and goal setting, home visits, court appearances, school information and exit interviews. There are features which are also available in human service software packages which can help caseworkers manage their work loads, such as mobile access or case alerts which can be set to help them stay current with reminders about their clients and their deadlines and needs. The ability for caseworkers to work from any internet-connected computer means that they are able to access records and make adjustments on the fly, as is much of the workforce these days. Whether you are just starting the grant proposal writing or are more advanced, having human services software available to help your organization track progress in their outcome based program can help your organization remain competitive in a very tight market. More money available to work with can help your program to grow and expand its services to many more families in need – and any tool available in your tool box can help. While writing grant proposals can be a time intensive task, getting help with your basic data can make it a little less so.
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