The Wood Foundation

How the Wood Foundation Manages Grants Through Sharepoint and Power Apps.

Overview

Customer

The Wood Foundation.

About

The Wood Foundation, established in 2007 by Sir Ian Wood, is a Scottish charity that empowers individuals and communities seeking to create positive social change in the UK and Africa through funding and expertise. They have supported programs in the UK, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania.

Sector

Charity.

Org. Size

Service

Technology Consulting & Delivery

Key Goals

7GB of data made accessible

5512 files and over 16500 records processed

Creation of no-code grant management solution

Challenges

The Wood Foundation had a grant management solution built with SharePoint and a JavaScript framework that became obsolete due to Microsoft’s new updates. They were unable to process their 7GB of data and files as the technology was inoperative and lacked technical support. The provider of the original build had gone into liquidation, and they sought the help of Appetite to create a more accessible and modern solution.

Grant management solution built with SharePoint and a JavaScript framework was complex and required written code to use and customise.
SharePoint Online refused the written code due to Microsoft’s new updates.
Inability to process 7GB of data and files due to obsoletetechnology.
Lack of technical support as the provider of the original build had gone into liquidation.
Need for a more modern and accessible solution.

Solutions

The Wood Foundation approached Appetite for a new grant management solution. Appetite advised them to move away from the JavaScript framework and created two custom applications with Power Apps to provide more flexibility with data and technology. The SharePoint and Power Apps solution allows easy access to grant data and files, accelerated report creation, and enhanced usability through mobile and computer devices.

Move away from JavaScript framework involving coding and keep SharePoint as the main front-end solution.
Create two custom applications with Power Apps to offer users more flexibility with data and technology.
Ensure seamless integration with any future updates and continuous operation by using Microsoft solutions.
Provide easy access to grant data and files, accelerated report creation, and enhanced usability through mobile and computer devices.

Outcomes

While renovating their SharePoint environment and adopting Power Apps, The Wood Foundation have generated a no-code and complete grant management platform, which has led the team to flexibly supervise multiple applications from a single tool.

Staff can access 7GB of data, 5,512 files, and over 16,500 records.
Users can create and edit categories without custom code.
Automated email and documentation generation for specific projects.
Automated holiday and absence tracking solution saves time for the grants team with a transparent company-wide calendar, staff are no longer required to create multiple email conversations and can quickly evaluate availability when delegating tasks.

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