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Facilitate, via automation, the labor-intensive and tedious process of managing the ACF’s $300M grant-making process
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Develop a comprehensive philanthropic marketplace
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Revolutionize the way in which the ACF donors and grantseekers can connect with one another
Ephibian built a back-end system simplifying the giving and receiving process for all of the ACF’s major users --- their donors, their professional advisors, private foundations, grantseekers (nonprofits), and their internal Community Foundation staff. The “dot.che application”, which Ephibian built for the ACF, bridges that donor-grantseeker connection easily and efficiently by collecting philanthropic information in one convenient place.
Donors can research nonprofit organizations and areas of interest readily finding timely data to make more informed giving decisions.
Professional advisors have access to the latest professional tools and information to help them guide their philanthropically-inclined clients.
Grantseekers find a unique electronic showcase for their organizations' stories and a place to describe funding needs in detail to a widespread donor audience.
So this versatile software, originally developed to meet the needs of a rapidly-growing community foundation, now has the far-reaching ability to influence the way the entire philanthropic community thinks and acts. Organizationally, ACF has become far more efficient and able to offer many more services in the process.
An online article from ACF published 5 Jan 2004 heralded these business results from the use of dot.che:
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Reduced the process of its competitive grant cycle from four months to 65 days
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ACF's Programs Department processed almost 1000 grant applications in the first seven months of 2003. This meant more grant applications than ever were submitted with more community members participating in the reviewing process, resulting in more grants made to other nonprofit organizations in far less time.
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Overall in 2002-03, the Programs Department has experienced a 185 percent increase in the number of competitive grant applications received, and a 46 percent decrease in the turnaround time between grant submission and award notification. This, in turn, means a 50 percent increase in the amount of dollars granted for competitive grants in 2003 compared to 2001.
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The nonprofit community has benefited as well. Electronic profiles posted on www.azfoundation.org are required for grant consideration at ACF; and these profiles can double as a comprehensive marketing tool, so potential donors can learn about the accomplishments and needs of individual organizations.
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The Arizona Republic was (at the time) wrapping up its seventh grant cycle through ACFs website
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The Office of the Arizona Attorney General, Foundation for Financial Literacy and Social Venture Partners also have completed multiple grant cycles using the system.
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