The Hidden Costs of Manual Grant Management

Manual processes appear cheap but create invisible costs in time, risk and missed learning.

• Duplicate entry and version conflicts waste hours.
• Lost emails and inconsistent notes weaken governance.
• Reporting takes weeks instead of minutes.

Where time disappears

Small delays compound across the cycle, extending rounds by months.

• Eligibility checks performed repeatedly by different people.
• Chasing missing documents and clarifications via email.
• Rebuilding the same board papers each round.

Key takeaway: standardising tasks in one system removes rework.

Risk and reputational exposure

Incomplete trails make it hard to demonstrate fair and lawful decisions.

• Missing conflicts or approvals.
• Untracked changes to scoring or criteria.
• Inconsistent feedback to applicants.

Key takeaway: Plinth keeps decisions traceable and defensible.

Opportunity cost

Time spent on admin is time not spent supporting grantees and learning.

• Funding strategy receives less attention.
• Fewer check‑ins limit support where it’s most needed.
• Impact stories are harder to surface and share.

Key takeaway: automation lets staff focus on value‑adding work.

FAQs

Are spreadsheets ever acceptable?

For very small pilots, perhaps—but plan a quick move to a platform.

How do we quantify the cost?

Track hours per stage now; compare after moving to Plinth to evidence ROI.

Will software add bureaucracy?

Not if configured proportionately; templates cut steps rather than add them.