Signing documents electronically

In the realm of grantmaking, efficiency and security are paramount. You can use integrated e-signatures to simplify sending and signing grant documents and automate the process. This streamlines your workflow, ensures secure transactions, and keeps an audit log for your documentation records.

A practical example of this functionality is the signing of grant agreements. Before disbursing funds, a grant agreement, which outlines the terms and conditions of the grant, must be signed by the grantee. You can send the agreement through the platform and request that the authorized signer(s) sign and return it electronically, managing all changes in a secure platform. 

Contact support if you’d like to enable e-signatures or new document templates. Email and document templates can include your branding. 

Permissions

When this feature is enabled, users with the following eSignature permissions set to Can can manage documents as specified: 

• Users can view the e-signatures management tab
• Users can delete the draft documents
• User can void the sent documents
• User can edit the draft documents

Learn more about managing user permissions.

Manually sending a document for signature

To create a document with details from a request: 

1. Open a request and go to the eSignature tab to view and manage documents.
2. Select Create document for signing and choose a template.
   
   
3. Select a template. Optional: enter a document name. 
   
   
4. Enter the recipient's details for who will receive the document. Signer 1 must sign the document before signer 2. Contacts are prepopulated based on your template. 
5. Enter a Subject and Message. Merge tags include details in the email from the request, nonprofit or contact automatically. 
6. Select Create to generate the document and save the email copy. 

To send the document and email to the recipient(s): 

1. Select the checkbox next to one or more documents on the eSignature tab. 
2. Select Actions > Send document to send the email and attached document to the recipient(s). 

When the email and document are sent, the document status is updated to Sent. The recipient(s) will receive an email with the copy you included and a direct link to log in securely to view and sign the document. Periodic reminders are sent to the signer(s) until the document is signed. Once all recipients have viewed the document, the status is updated to Delivered. 

Editing a draft document

After you’ve created a document, it’s in Draft status. To change the email copy or the attached document, select the checkbox next to a draft document and go to Actions > Edit document.

Editing the email content

When you open the editor, you’ll see the email content displayed in an editable format. You can update all fields while the document is in Draft status. If your email includes placeholders or merge fields, ensure these are correctly formatted and aligned with your data.

Editing the document

To edit the attached document: 

1. Locate the Template Document section at the top of the editor. 
2. Select the document link to download and open it for editing. 
3. Make the necessary edits to the document and save it in .doc or .docx format. 
4. Select Upload new in the editor and either drag and drop or choose a document from your folders. 

Select Save when you’re done editing. When you’re ready, send the document and email to the recipient(s).

Automating sending a document for signature

You can configure documents to be generated and sent automatically as part of your workflow. Once a document is created through the automation process, it is stored under the eSignature tab of the request. Automating your document-signing process can greatly enhance efficiency and reduce the chance of errors. Contact our support team if you're interested in optimizing this aspect of your workflow.

Receiving a response  

Once all signers have signed the document, its status is updated to Completed and the sender will then receive an email notification about the completion of the document. If this signature collection is part of an automated workflow, the next step in the process is automatically triggered. If not, you can now proceed with any necessary actions on your request, using the received signatures as authorization to move forward.

If a signer declines to sign a document, the document status is updated to Declined and details are available in the audit log. Void the document to cancel it and inform other signers that it's now void. If you need to resend the document with a different signer, create a new document with the updated signer details.

Voiding documents 

You can void any sent document if all recipients haven't signed it yet. This action is useful if you need to update the document's content or cancel the request altogether. Once voided, the document will no longer be accessible for signing, and all parties are notified of the cancellation.

To void a document: 

1. Select the checkbox next to one or more documents. 
2. Select Actions > Void document to void the document and prevent recipients from accessing it.

The document Status is updated to Voided. 

Deleting documents 

You can delete draft documents. To delete a draft document: 

1. Select the checkbox next to one or more documents. 
2. Select Actions > Delete document. 
3. Select Delete to confirm this action and remove it from the list of documents. 

Finding e-signature documents

You can search for e-signature documents by status using Advanced Search: 

1. Go to Tools > Advanced Search.
   
2. Select one or more eSignature document statuses. It’s the last filter in the Request details section. 
   
3. Select any other additional filters you’d like to apply to your search. 
4. Select Search at the bottom of the page to run the search. 
   • If you are likely to rerun this search, you can choose to Save Search. You’ll be prompted to name your search with the specified filters.

The results table shows requests with documents in the chosen status and any other filters applied, sorted by those with the most recently created document.

Viewing the audit log

The audit log keeps track of all actions related to your documents.

Select Audit log on the right side to view the audit table including the following details: 

• Date: the date the action took place. 
• User: the user that took the action. 
• Action: details of the action and the document it relates to. 

Document limits

You can choose the number of documents you wish to sign, noting that costs are associated with this feature. The limit is first set when you activate this functionality.

You’ll receive an alert on the eSignature tab of a request when you are at or over 70% of your document limit, including details on the number of documents remaining.

Each document you send for signature is added to your usage count. Once you reach your document limit, you can't send any more documents. Program administrators can contact support to increase the documentation limit as needed.