Expirely - Affordable Grant Management Platform for Nonprofits

Missing a grant deadline doesn't just mean losing one funding opportunity — it can mean losing an entire year's worth of funding from that foundation. Yet according to industry surveys, 42% of nonprofits admit to missing grant deadlines in the past year.

The Real Cost of Missed Deadlines

One missed deadline for a $25,000 grant means:

$25,000 in lost revenue
12+ months before you can reapply
Damaged credibility with that foundation
Programs delayed or canceled due to lack of funding
Wasted hours spent preparing a proposal that was never submitted

Why Nonprofits Miss Grant Deadlines

Before we fix the problem, let's understand why it happens:

1. Relying on Email Reminders

Email notifications get buried under hundreds of other messages. The average nonprofit executive receives 120+ emails per day. Your grant deadline reminder? Lost in the noise.

2. Spreadsheet Chaos

Tracking 20+ grant applications across multiple Excel sheets is a recipe for disaster. Someone forgets to update a deadline, a tab gets hidden, or the file gets corrupted.

3. Staff Turnover

Your grant coordinator leaves, and with them goes all the institutional knowledge about which grants are due when. The replacement scrambles to catch up.

4. Last-Minute Scrambles

You remember the deadline exists but only with 48 hours to go. There's not enough time to write a quality proposal, gather required documents, or get board approval.

5. No Central System

Deadlines are scattered across Google Calendar, sticky notes, email folders, and someone's personal planner. No one has a complete picture of what's due when.

The 30-60-90 Day Deadline System

The key to never missing a deadline is building buffer time into your process. Here's how professional grant managers structure their timelines:

The Expirely Deadline Framework

90 Days Before Deadline: Initial Alert

First notification goes out. At this stage, you should:

Review foundation guidelines
Assign responsibility for the proposal
Begin gathering required attachments
Start outlining your proposal

60 Days Before Deadline: Midpoint Check-In

Second alert. By now, you should have:

First draft of proposal written
All required documents gathered
Budget completed
Internal review scheduled

30 Days Before Deadline: Final Push

Third alert — time to finalize:

Incorporate feedback from internal review
Proofread for typos and formatting
Get final approvals from ED/Board
Upload to foundation's portal

7 Days Before Deadline: Emergency Backup

Final emergency alert if nothing has been submitted yet. This is your last chance to either submit or decide to skip this cycle.

Why SMS Text Alerts Change Everything

The Power of SMS

Text messages have a 98% open rate compared to email's 20%. The average person reads a text message within 3 minutes of receiving it.

Email Reminders:

✗Get buried in inbox
✗Often filtered to spam/promotions
✗Read hours or days later
✗Easy to mark as read and forget

SMS Text Alerts:

Instant notification
Can't be filtered or ignored
Read within minutes
Creates immediate urgency

Expirely sends SMS alerts at 30, 14, and 7 days before each grant deadline — ensuring you always have time to submit a quality proposal.

Visual Workflow: Kanban Tracking

Spreadsheets force you to hunt for information. A visual Kanban board shows your entire grant pipeline at a glance.

Typical Grant Workflow Stages

Prospect

Researching fit

Drafting

Writing proposal

Review

Internal edits

Submitted

Awaiting decision

Awarded

Active grant

Each grant card shows: Foundation name | Amount | Deadline | Days remaining | Assigned to

→ Expirely's Kanban board lets you drag and drop grants between stages, color-coded by urgency.

Automated Deadline Tracking Features You Need

Multi-Channel Alerts

SMS text + email + in-app notifications ensure you see the deadline no matter where you are

Customizable Lead Times

Set your own alert schedule (90/60/30/7 days or whatever works for your team)

Team Notifications

Alerts go to the person assigned to that grant, plus backup team members

Calendar Integration

Sync deadlines with Google Calendar, Outlook, or Apple Calendar

Deadline History

See past deadlines for recurring grants so you can plan ahead next year

Bulk Import

Upload 50+ grant deadlines from CSV in one click

The Hidden Deadlines You're Probably Missing

It's not just the grant application deadline you need to track:

7 Critical Deadlines to Track

LOI deadline (Letter of Inquiry — often 4-6 weeks before full proposal)
Full proposal deadline (the main application date)
Interim report deadline (midpoint check-in during grant period)
Final report deadline (end of grant period — miss this and you won't get renewed)
Financial report deadline (budget vs. actual expenses)
Renewal deadline (if foundation offers multi-year funding)
Thank you note deadline (within 48 hours of award notification)

Missing a report deadline is just as bad as missing an application deadline. Many foundations will blacklist organizations that fail to submit required reports.

Real-World Success Story

Before Expirely:

Missed 3 grant deadlines in one year = $67,000 in lost funding
Spent 15 hours/month manually tracking deadlines in spreadsheets
Last-minute panic submissions with low success rates

After Expirely:

Zero missed deadlines in 18 months
Saved 12 hours/month on deadline management
Earlier submissions = higher quality proposals = 35% increase in grant success rate

Getting Started with Deadline Management

Setting up a deadline tracking system in Expirely takes less than 30 minutes:

Import existing deadlines from your spreadsheet via CSV
Add grant details (foundation name, amount, requirements)
Set alert preferences (SMS + email, custom lead times)
Assign team members to each grant application
Sit back and relax — automated alerts do the rest

Never Miss Another Grant Deadline

Start using Expirely's automated deadline tracking with SMS alerts, Kanban workflow, and team notifications. Every grant you don't miss is funding your mission.

14-day free trial • No credit card required • SMS alerts included • Set up in 30 minutes

Never Miss Another Grant Deadline: The Complete Guide to Grant Deadline Management