New York, NY, Aug. 29, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NEW YORK, NY - August 29, 2011 - MicroEdge, LLC, the leading provider of solutions for the giving community worldwide, today released a major update to its online grant application and scholarship solutions for community, faith-based and education foundations. This new release makes it faster and easier to accept and manage applications and reporting conditions via the web, offers an improved look and feel, and a more seamless experience for applicants.
Organizations with competitive grant and scholarship programs can reap tremendous productivity gains with an online process. A recent analysis of MicroEdge clients concluded that organizations can save a month or more of staff time every year. Staff can eliminate the time-consuming task of manually keying data from paper applications into their MicroEdge FIMS foundation management system. The online process can also be used to facilitate a more seamless collection of reporting conditions via the web. This web-based solution, which is currently used by more than 500 organizations, is fully integrated with MicroEdge FIMS.
An important component of any grant or scholarship process is having an easy and effective way for applicants and funders to interact and collaborate. This latest release improves the applicant experience in a number of ways. A flexible, intuitive navigation and application process ensures that the applicant is seamlessly guided to the right application form. Completing an application is easier with helpful features such as word count, spell check and the ability to provide instructions and help to applicants through the use of new ‘info bubbles.’ Blind letters of reference are now supported through the online process, which saves time and expenses for the applicant. On the back end, grant and scholarship recipients can now submit reporting conditions via the web, simply and easily. Receiving this information online enables foundations to get results information faster and more efficiently, and it can be seamlessly brought into FIMS for further analysis and reporting. Foundations will also benefit from the ability to more effectively and completely carry their branding throughout the entire online process. It’s now easier to maintain a more consistent look and feel between the organization’s website and their online processes, so that the applicant’s experience of moving from the website through the application process is entirely seamless.
"With a growing demand for funding and a finite number of resources available to manage the increased volume, many giving organizations have been moving their application processes to the web in order to streamline their process and improve their ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with their grantees," says Rachel Arnold, Vice President of Product Management at MicroEdge. "We’re extremely pleased to deliver this latest set of innovations to the giving community, which will substantially reduce the amount of time spent on administrative and lower-value tasks and allow staff to spend more time and energy ensuring that they are making the greatest impact with their giving."
Availability and Information
These are now generally available in IGAM, for both grants and scholarships. Existing clients will receive notification with instructions on how to obtain this update. The update is provided free of charge to all current IGAM clients as part of their existing MicroEdge Maintenance and Support, Subscription or Client Care agreement. Clients that are not currently using IGAM can learn more about online application solutions in the PowerME client portal. Organizations that are not currently using online applications solutions can learn more at the MicroEdge website. Both can be accessed at www.microedge.com.
To learn more about the benefits of moving to an online grants or scholarship application and reporting process, visit www.microedge.com or contact MicroEdge at 800.899.0890 (option 1).
About MicroEdge
Established in 1985, MicroEdge, LLC is the leading provider of software and services to the giving community worldwide. MicroEdge solutions deliver a powerful, integrated, and open framework for efficient and effective charitable giving. The company is committed to providing the best technology toolset for foundations, corporations, government agencies, donors, advisors and financial institutions. Together, these tools help organizations to work with one another to raise, invest, manage and award charitable currency. MicroEdge is headquartered in New York City with regional offices throughout the U.S. and supports thousands of clients worldwide. MicroEdge is part of the Vista Equity Partners portfolio of software and technology-enabled companies. To learn more about Vista Equity Partners, visit www.vistaequitypartners.com. To learn more about MicroEdge, visit www.microedge.com.