As a grant writer, you know how crucial it is to stay organized and ahead of deadlines. In this guide, we'll walk through the steps to set up your yearly grants calendar in Grant Frog.

We'll cover everything from adding new grant proposals to reviewing your grants list and sharing it with others. Whether you're managing a handful of grants or a complex portfolio, this guide will help you optimize your planning process.

Why Use Grant Frog for Your Grants Calendar?

Before we get into the planning, let's quickly talk about why Grant Frog is a game-changer for grant management:

1. It's a one-stop-shop for tracking proposals, reports, funders, and tasks
2. You get a clear overview of pending grants and upcoming deadlines
3. It's flexible enough to handle the evolving nature of grant writing
4. The 90-day dashboard keeps you focused on immediate priorities

Setting Up Your Yearly Calendar in Grant Frog

Okay, let's say you've done your research, found 45 grant opportunities or funders you want to approach this upcoming year. Here's how to get them all organized in Grant Frog to help you stay ahead of deadlines and get an overview of your day to day tasks:

Step 1: Access Your Dashboard

If you haven't created an account, start a free trial in Grant Frog. Next, log into your account and take a look at your dashboard. You'll see sections for pending proposals, open grants, upcoming deadlines, and open tasks. This is your command center!

Step 2: Add New Grant Proposals

1. Go to the "Grant Proposals" section
2. Click on "Add New Grant Proposal"
3. Enter a title that gives you a quick idea of what the grant is about (e.g., "Feeding Penguins at the Zoo")

Step 3: Enter Funder Information

• Choose an existing funder or add a new one
• For new funders, enter basic info like name and website
• Don't worry if you don't have all the details yet – you can always update later

Step 4: Set the Status and Due Date

• Choose "Upcoming" for grants you haven't started yet
• Set a due date – even if it's tentative, it helps with planning
• Pro tip: Give yourself a 30-60 day buffer before the actual deadline

Step 5: Add Financial Details

• Enter the estimated request amount
• Remember, this can be adjusted later as you decide what amount you need to request

Step 6: Link to Programs and Clients

• Choose the relevant program the grant will be funding or add a new one
• If applicable, link the proposal to a client

Step 7: Save and Repeat

Hit save, and voila! Your grant proposal is now in the system. Repeat this process for all your planned proposals.

Reviewing Your Grants Calendar

Now that you've entered all your grant proposals, you'll want to be able to review them easily. Grant Frog offers a couple of great ways to do this:

Using the Grant Proposals Menu

1. Navigate to the Grant Proposals menu.
2. Here, you'll see a list of all your grant proposals.
3. You can easily sort this list by clicking on any column header. For example:
   • Click on the "Due Date" column to sort your proposals by deadline.
   • Click on the "Status" column to group all your upcoming proposals together.
4. This view gives you a quick overview of what's on your plate for the year.

Generating Reports for a Detailed View

To view your grants list and plan for the year, use the Reports feature:

1. Go to the Reports section in Grant Frog.
2. For the grant proposals, you can filter by due date. Let's say you want to see everything due between August 1st and July 31st of the next year.
3. You can further refine your report by filtering for the proposal status. For your yearly planning, you'll probably want to choose "Upcoming".
4. If you're working with multiple clients, you can also filter by Client to see a specific organization's grant calendar.

The great thing about these reports is that you can export them as CSV files. This is perfect for sharing your grants calendar with your team, board members, or clients. You can email them the file, and they'll have all the information about your upcoming proposals at their fingertips.

Making the Most of Your Yearly Planning

Now that you've got your proposals in the system, here's how to use Grant Frog to stay on top of your game:

1. 90-Day Dashboard: Keep an eye on this section of your dashboard. It shows all grant proposals due within the next 90 days, helping you prioritize your immediate workload.
   
2. Regular Check-ins: Make it a habit to review your Grant Frog dashboard weekly. This keeps upcoming deadlines on your radar.
   
3. Use the Filters: In the Grant Proposals menu, you can filter by status, due date, and more. This helps you focus on what's most pressing.
   
4. Generate Reports: Need to share your plan with the team? Use the Reports feature to create a comprehensive view of your yearly calendar.
   
5. Add Tasks: As you get closer to deadlines, add specific tasks to each proposal. This breaks down the writing process into manageable steps.
   
6. Stay Flexible: Grant Frog makes it easy to adjust due dates, request amounts, or any other details as needed.

Wrapping Up

Planning your yearly grants calendar doesn't have to be a headache. With Grant Frog, you've got all the tools you need to stay organized, meet deadlines, and hopefully, secure more funding for your projects and clients.

Ready to give it a try? Head over to grantfrog.com and start your free trial.