How to Use the GrantLink AI Assistant

GrantLink's AI assistant helps you work faster and smarter. This guide covers how to get the most out of it.

What the AI Can Do

Report Generation

• Create funder reports
• Generate financial summaries
• Build custom analyses

Data Analysis

• Answer questions about your grants
• Compare spending across periods
• Identify trends and patterns

Task Assistance

• Explain grant concepts
• Help with compliance questions
• Guide you through workflows

Starting a Conversation

From Reports

1. Go to Reports
2. Click New Report
3. Select a grant (optional)
4. Start typing your request

Quick Access

• Click the AI icon in the header
• Use keyboard shortcut (Cmd/Ctrl + K)

Writing Effective Prompts

Be Specific

Less effective: "Give me a report"

More effective: "Create a Q3 financial report for the Ford Foundation grant showing spending by category with a comparison to budget"

Include Context

Less effective: "How much did we spend?"

More effective: "How much did we spend on personnel for the Youth Services grant between January and March 2024?"

Ask Follow-ups

The AI remembers your conversation:

1. Start with a broad question
2. Ask for more detail
3. Request adjustments
4. Refine until it's right

Example Prompts

Financial Reports

• "Generate a budget vs. actual report for all active grants"
• "Show me spending by vendor for the Community Foundation grant"
• "Create a burn rate analysis for the past 6 months"

Analysis Questions

• "Which grants are at risk of overspending?"
• "Compare Q1 spending to Q1 last year"
• "What's our average grant size by funder type?"

Help and Guidance

• "How do I set up indirect cost tracking?"
• "Explain the difference between MTDC and TDC"
• "What should I include in a progress report?"

Working with AI-Generated Content

Review Carefully

• Verify numbers against source data
• Check calculations
• Confirm dates and names

Edit and Refine

• Click to edit any section
• Ask the AI to revise specific parts
• Add your own context and narrative

Save and Export

• Save drafts for later
• Export to PDF
• Share via link

Tips for Best Results

1. One topic at a time - Don't pack too much into one prompt
2. Use grant names - Be specific about which grant
3. Specify date ranges - Clear timeframes help accuracy
4. Ask for format - "In a table" or "as bullet points"
5. Iterate - Refine through conversation

What the AI Can't Do

Current limitations:

• Cannot modify QuickBooks data directly
• Cannot approve or submit reports to funders
• Cannot access external websites or data
• Cannot make decisions for you

Privacy and Security

• Conversations are private to your organization
• AI doesn't retain data between sessions
• Your data is encrypted and secure
• No data is used for AI training