Exporting Data for Board Presentations

GrantLink does not currently have a one-click board deck or dashboard-chart export. Use its reviewed Excel, CSV, report, and PDF outputs as source material, then assemble the presentation in your organization's presentation software.

Before You Start

Confirm:

• The meeting date and reporting cutoff.
• Which grants, funders, initiatives, and fiscal period the board packet covers.
• That QuickBooks has synced through the cutoff and source exceptions have been reviewed.
• That allocations, budget categories, income, releases, and indirect-cost postings relevant to the packet are complete.
• Who may receive the packet and whether transaction-level or donor information must be removed.
• You have a member or admin role. Viewers can review existing organization data but cannot use chat to create exports or reports.

Choose the Right GrantLink Output

Board need	Current GrantLink output
Portfolio budget, spending, and remaining budget	Grants > Budget vs Actual > Excel
One grant by reporting period and budget line	Grant Budget matrix > Export to Excel
Selected transaction, allocation, funder, receipt, or calendar detail	Chats > New Chat, then Download .xlsx or Download .csv
Reviewed narrative update	Create a report in chat; use its generated PDF when a PDF output is available
Live web presentation	Publish a reviewed report from its chat page, with password protection when available and appropriate

The dashboard is useful for identifying grants and exceptions to discuss, but it has no direct chart-export button. Recreate charts from a reviewed workbook instead of taking dashboard values out of context.

Export the Portfolio Workbook

1. Open Grants > Budget vs Actual.
2. Review the fund view and confirm the included grants.
3. Select Excel.
4. Open all-funds-budget-vs-actual.xlsx and review the All Funds BvA sheet.

The sheet groups Budget, Spent, and Variance by grant. It also shows awarded revenue, received amounts, total expenses, and net balance based on received less spent. Posted indirect costs and uncategorized spending are separate rows when present.

Interpretation boundary: Remaining budget, net balance, cash, and restricted net assets are different measures. Do not relabel the workbook's budget variance or received-less-spent balance as cash available without reconciling it under your accounting policy.

Export Supporting Detail

1. Open Chats > New Chat.

2. Ask for the exact backup schedule. For example:

   Export approved allocation detail for active grants for the fiscal year through June 30. Include grant, funder, transaction date, vendor, budget line, and allocated amount.

3. Review the result card's row count, columns, and applied filters.

4. Download .xlsx for analysis or .csv for a simple data transfer.

5. Reconcile the schedule to the portfolio totals before using it as an appendix.

The generated file is a snapshot. A later sync or correction requires a new export.

Draft a Board Narrative or PDF

1. Open Chats > New Chat.
2. State that the audience is the board and identify the exact period and grants or initiatives.
3. Ask for the sections you need, such as portfolio changes, spending pace, deadlines, exceptions, and decisions requested.
4. Review every number, conclusion, and omission in the chat.
5. If the report is associated with a grant, funder, or initiative, reopen it from that record's Reports tab when needed.
6. If a generated PDF is available in the Reports list, select Download PDF.

A PDF output is not guaranteed merely because a chat exists. The Reports list displays a dash until a PDF output has been generated.

Build the Board Packet

Use the reviewed outputs to create a concise packet:

1. Executive summary: reporting period, portfolio scope, and three to five decision-relevant points.
2. Portfolio table: awarded, received, budgeted, spent, and variance with the measure names preserved.
3. Exceptions: grants ending soon, underspending or overspending, incomplete allocations, uncategorized costs, release evidence gaps, or source-sync issues.
4. Decisions requested: approvals, risk acceptance, staffing, or follow-up owners.
5. Appendix: only the transaction or grant detail needed to answer likely questions.

Security and Review Boundaries

• Excel, CSV, and PDF downloads are ordinary files. GrantLink cannot revoke them after distribution.
• A published report is a web link, not a login-based board portal. With No password, anyone who obtains the URL can open it.
• Password protection is available on Professional, Enterprise, and agency plans. Send the URL and password through separate channels when practical.
• Do not rely on labels such as Private in the publish popover as organization-login enforcement. Current publication security is the report password; verify the published link in a signed-out browser before distribution.
• Remove vendor-level, payroll, donor, or internal-note detail that the board does not need.

Recurring Board Cycle

For each meeting, keep the same cutoff and reconciliation steps:

1. Sync and clear relevant exceptions.
2. Save the reporting cutoff in the packet.
3. Generate fresh workbooks and schedules.
4. Reconcile totals and document any differences.
5. Update the board narrative and charts outside GrantLink.
6. Distribute the approved files or secured report link under your retention policy.