AmpliFund vs. Fluxx Grantmaker

The application procedure was the sole practical aspect of this software that actually benefited our organization. We had been using paper applications, but AmpliFund allowed us to completely digitize and streamline the process. Even though we had a few problems with reviewers not having the proper rights and had to contact multiple times to remedy this, this was still a useful service.

Incentivized

Fluxx is well-suited for use by both small and large non-profits. Fluxx provides an intuitive interface and accurately houses grant proposal application data. Fluxx may be less useful at organizations where multiple funding layers exist, such as at community foundations which house multiple philanthropic funds. Fluxx has been an excellent product over the 10 years I have worked with it

Incentivized

• Great UI
• It works in Windows OS
• Documentation

Incentivized

• It's easy to find grant records and related information.
• Excellent tool for managing and displaying processes.

Incentivized

• The document management aspect could be cumbersome
• Customer support
• Difficult to use

Incentivized

• Autofill of past information
• Recommendations of other grants
• Better word count amounts

Incentivized

I have an assigned rep who is very responsive and is able to answer any questions. Other than that, the technical support has been terrible. I often don't waste time documenting bugs because I know they likely won't get fixed or even followed-up on. Instead, I search for workarounds.

Incentivized

We previously submitted our data via Excel, and everything went smoothly. I think the purpose of AmpliFund was to make it simpler for the grantor to integrate spending data from various grantees, but that never worked out for them.

Incentivized

Not included above because it is not in the system is Salesforce Foundation Connect. Again, I am always hesitant with this type of question. We selected grant maker because it offered the best fit for our organization's working style and culture. There is also a personal level of service that Fluxx offers that differed from other vendors (Smart Simple is similar in this way too). At the time we made the selection, one of the main influencers was the number of large foundations adopting the platform. As they invested in features, those features rolled out to the rest of the clients. This offered us access to functionality we would not have been able to afford otherwise. We moved from another vendor whose platform allowed for customization as well, but if they built it for one client, you still had to pay for it and pay ongoing yearly fees. So, the SAAS model adopted by Fluxx appealed to us. This has paid dividends as features have been developed. For example, one large foundation added the capability to track program-related investments alongside normal grantmaking activities within Fluxx. This is not functionality we could have paid to develop, but we have program-related investments that we wanted to track alongside grants and that feature was available to us because the development was paid for by that funder. That said, most of the above vendors have compelling products (as well as others), so be sure you look at your options and talk to users (other than the ones they provide you in the reference list) and check the Idealware guides

Incentivized

• The time it takes me to pull a grant proposal together is less now because many of my talking points are organized within Grantmaker.
• I feel more connected to my team even though I am a remote freelancer.

Incentivized