GrantPipe vs ShareFile for Nonprofit Audit Preparation

ShareFile is a mature document sharing and e-signature platform that accounting firms use for client file exchange. Many CPA firms that conduct nonprofit audits already have ShareFile, which is why nonprofits encounter it as an option for sharing audit evidence.

The question is whether a general file sharing platform produces better audit documentation than a system where documents are attached to grant records from the start.

The Folder Problem

ShareFile’s access model is folder-based. You create folders, put files in them, and grant access to those folders. For audit preparation, this means someone on the nonprofit side has to:

1. Decide which documents belong in the audit folder
2. Export or copy them from wherever they currently live
3. Organize them in the folder structure
4. Grant the auditor access to the right folders (but not other folders)
5. Revoke access after fieldwork ends
6. Keep a separate record of what was shared and when

Each step is manual. Each step has a failure mode. The folder structure has no awareness of which grant a document belongs to, what the grant’s restricted fund balance is, or which documents the funder’s terms require.

What Grant-Scoped Access Looks Like

GrantPipe’s Auditor & Funder Portal works from a different model: documents are attached to grant records when they’re uploaded, not organized into folders after the fact. When you prepare for an audit, the evidence bundle builds from the documents already attached to the grant record.

The portal session gives the auditor read-only access to the specific grants you choose. They can see the grant record, the documents attached to it, and the fund balance information you’ve made visible. They cannot see other grants, other funds, or donor records. When the session expires, access ends: no manual revocation step.

Every document the auditor opens is logged in the activity trail. That log becomes part of the audit documentation showing that evidence was shared through a controlled mechanism.

Where ShareFile Makes Sense

ShareFile is a reasonable choice when:

• Your auditor already uses it and prefers to receive documents that way
• You need e-signature capability alongside document sharing
• You’re sharing documents that are not tied to grant records: board minutes, organizational policies, tax documents

For those use cases, ShareFile works. The limitation shows up when the document sharing is grant-related: when the auditor needs to see restricted fund balances, expenditure documentation by grant category, and the prior approval correspondence for a specific award. That context lives in the grant management system, not in a file folder.

A Note on Auditor Familiarity

Some accounting firms prefer to receive documents in ShareFile because their team already has access and their workflow is built around it. GrantPipe’s portal produces a browser-accessible, read-only view: no account required, no software to install. For auditors who are not ShareFile users, the portal link is simpler than setting up ShareFile access for a one-time engagement.

For auditors who strongly prefer ShareFile, nothing prevents you from using both: GrantPipe for grant record management and the portal log, and ShareFile for the actual document delivery. The portal access trail still provides the compliance documentation you need.

Download the Auditor Evidence Checklist to see which documents auditors request most often, and how GrantPipe’s document-to-grant linkage handles each one.