What the Fluxx 228 release means for foundations and grantmakers

Working more on the digital strategy and solutions selection side at Grantbook, I don't get as deep into the weeds into specific tools as some of our Leads and subject matter experts. Like many of you that we work with, I am always excited about new product feature releases, but have a little difficulty always connecting them to what it could mean for grantmakers day-to-day.

To write this blog, I sat down with one of our star Fluxx builders, Rhea Vaz, to review some of our favourite features in Fluxx Release 228 and what it means for grantmakers and foundations.

Get better sorted!

With Release 228 you can now subtype documents by both dropdowns and dates. Grants Managers and Program Officers, it is now easier than ever to pull specific kinds or types of documents by year. If you’ve been using subtypes that combine both a dropdown value and a date (e.g. Due Diligence - 2017); you can now split them into different fields, but there are some data cleaning considerations. 

Portal upgrades

Grantees can now collapse sections on the left-side menu bar to make information easier to digest. You can now also see exactly how many “unread” changes you have in each section in the same menu bar. Program Officers may want to give your Grantees an update on this new change.

Payment Scheduler Power-up

New automations will now make the lives of Grants Managers and Finance Officers a lot easier. You can now choose to bulk assign custom data (e.g. payment method, authority, etc.) to all payments via the payment scheduler, speeding up your day-to-day. You can also bulk schedule payments without needing to select a funding source, so now you don’t need to trade-off between efficiency and flexibility.

Filter Favorites

Ever spent a chunk of time creating a complex set of filters for a card only to have to re-do it all over again when you open up a new card? Gone are those days, thanks to the new ‘Save Filter Set’ feature. Grants Managers, Program Officers and Finance Officers can now save a filter set applied on any card (this will save both Basic and Advanced filters) and in the click of a button, apply it to a new card. One thing to keep in mind: filter sets are user-specific and data model specific. 

We hope that this translation and analysis of our favourite features in Fluxx Release 228 helps you prepare for change and imagine what is possible. If you have any more questions about how we think you could use these features, reach out to us at rhea@grantbook.org or james@grantbook.org.

Rhea Vaz's headshot

Rhea Vaz

Implementation Consultant

Systems Design & Fluxx

Rhea came to Grantbook with over 3 years of experience in system implementations, specifically ERP implementations, and a strong background in data analysis, data cleansing and preparation. All her previous implementations had one unique distinction—having always been a part of the end-user’s team that is adopting the new system. 

This alternate perspective is what drew Rhea to her role at Grantbook, as implementation and support specialist. Having  experienced first-hand the excitement, trepidation, and requirements evolution that accompany finding the right digital solution, she hopes to be a source of guidance and support that clients can rely upon, with the end goal of delivering a solution that allows them the freedom to focus on real systemic change.

Rhea obtained her Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance, Operations and Accounting, at McGill University. A highlight during her time at McGill was successfully attaining a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification, alongside her undergraduate degree, and having the opportunity to utilize key six sigma strategies and techniques to streamline the McGill Bookstore’s inventory management system as part of the certification. 

James Law

Director, Design & Foresight

Director, Design & Foresight

James Law has worked for 10 years in the social finance and social sectors, designing, exploring, and implementing technologies to help organizations activate mission and achieve impact.

He began working in lean non-profits, employing databases and constituent relationship management tools (CRM) to help track and aggregate data for land conservation and environmental protection. Moving into social finance, he managed the development of an application to administer community bonds and equity.

Moving to Grantbook in 2015, James dove head first into helping foundations—of all types—align on digital values, explore technology options, and select the best path forward. From there, he continued to explore solutions architecture and integrations, connecting best-in-class tools to meet the ideal needs of grantmakers, grantees, and all stakeholders. 

More recently James is investing in Grantbook’s use of service design tools—from personas to service blueprints—to increase resilience and reduce the risk of technology planning and adoption via human-centred thinking. He also helps rally and co-ordinate Grantbook’s new ideas and opportunities as philanthropy and technology change.