Build Custom Reports Faster

The problem

Custom reports should not start from a blank spreadsheet.

Teams often need a board view. They may need a funder update too. Finance may need a quick check. The data lives in GrantPipe. Staff may still export lists and rebuild the same columns by hand.

That work is slow. It is also easy to drift. One person remembers the gift columns. Another person remembers the grant fields. A custom field gets missed. The next report does not match the last report.

That hurts small teams most. One person may own grants. Another person may own donors. A third person may close the month. Each person has a real need, but they should not have to rebuild the same export every time. They should be able to save the setup, check it, and run it again.

How GrantPipe solves it

Cross-Entity Report Builder lets staff save a report setup.

Start with one record type: donors, gifts, grants, or funds. Pick the standard fields. Add custom fields if your team uses them. Check the rows. Then save the setup and export the CSV.

The export lands in the report library.

The builder keeps each report clear. A report starts from one base record type. That keeps donor reports, gift reports, grant reports, and fund reports easy to read. It also keeps the field picker honest. Donor fields stay with donor reports. Grant fields stay with grant reports. Fund fields stay with fund reports.

Before a report is saved, staff can preview rows. The preview is a check step. It helps a user catch the wrong field before a CSV is made. It also lets a team agree on the report shape before the setup becomes a saved report.

What you can build

Use the builder for repeat reports. It helps when a fixed template does not fit.

A grants manager can save a grant status report. It can include funder, stage, amount, and close date. A finance lead can save a fund report with balance fields. A donor lead can save a giving report with donor and gift fields.

The saved setup keeps those columns in one place. The next run starts from the same setup.

A development lead can build a gift report for a board packet. They can pick the gift amount, donor name, gift date, and campaign field. A grants lead can build a grant report for a program director. They can include status, amount, funder, award dates, and any custom field the team uses to track local needs.

Finance can use fund reports when they need a narrow view. They can check fund names and balances without asking another staff member to pull a separate list. Leaders can ask for the same report again next month because the setup is saved.

Custom fields included

Many nonprofits track local fields. Those fields may not fit a standard template. They still matter.

Pick a base record type. GrantPipe shows the custom fields for that type. Add the fields you need. Check the rows. Export the CSV.

This matters when the team has fields like region, program, funder category, or report owner. Those fields are often the reason a standard report is not enough. The builder lets the team add those fields without changing the fixed compliance report templates.

Custom fields do not get mixed across record types. A custom grant field appears with grant reports. A custom donor field appears with donor reports. That keeps the report setup simple for staff who do not live in spreadsheets.

Save once, run again

Saved report definitions are the core workflow. A staff member names the report, picks the base records, chooses fields, and saves the setup. The next time the team needs that view, they open the saved report and run it again.

This is useful for repeat board prep, funder updates, grant reviews, and monthly checks. It also helps new staff. They do not need to ask which columns were used last time. The saved setup shows the answer.

Built for CSV workflows

Cross-Entity Report Builder exports CSV files. That keeps the output simple. A CSV can go into a spreadsheet, a board packet workflow, or a finance review file. The generated export is stored with other reports, so staff can find the file later.

The builder does not try to replace every report. Formal compliance reports still use the compliance report pack. Board packets still use the board packet composer. The builder fills the gap between fixed reports and one-off spreadsheets.

What it replaces

• Rebuilding the same report columns.
• Asking staff which fields they used last time.
• Copying several exports into a spreadsheet.
• Missing custom fields in repeat reports.

Who it is for

Finance leads use it for board and audit support.

Grants managers use it for funder updates and grant reviews.

Leaders use it for narrow views of donor, grant, or fund records.

It is also useful for operations staff who answer ad hoc questions. When a leader asks for a list, staff can build the view in GrantPipe first. If the view will be needed again, they save it. If it is a one-time check, they can still preview and export without creating a new template.

What to know before you use it

Each saved report starts from one record type. That is intentional. It keeps the report clear and keeps field choices tied to the right data. If a team needs a formal report with compliance logic, they should use the matching compliance report instead.

CSV exports are made when staff run a saved report. The release does not include email delivery, scheduled delivery, or cross-record joins in one report. Those limits keep the first version focused on the repeat report work most teams ask for: pick fields, save the setup, check the rows, and export the file.

Get the Cross-Entity Report Builder

Cross-Entity Report Builder is on the Enterprise plan. See the plans or ask about Enterprise on the pricing page.

See plans and pricing.

Related feature pages

See board packet composer. See dashboard and role home. See expense split studio.