With Collaborator access, loop in finance teams, program staff, or external partners — no login required. Collaborators are teammates who can help complete grant Tasks without needing access to the Instrumentl platform.
All Collaborator interactions take place through email — no account access needed.
Note: Collaborator seats are available to nonprofits and consultants starting on the Pre-Award Plan.
Pre-Award Plan: Includes 10 Collaborator seats
Full-Lifecycle Plan: 20 Collaborator seats
University & Enterprise Plans: Custom seat limits for Collaborators
Overview: What is a "Collaborator"?
Collaborators are teammates who help complete grant-related tasks without needing their own Instrumentl account. They function as an extension to your grants management within Instrumentl.
Instead of logging in, collaborators receive task assignments by email and simply click Mark Complete.
How: Assign Tasks to keep your grants pipeline moving smoothly each step of the way, from prospecting to post-award management. Instrumentl seamlessly integrates Task assignments into Collaborators' existing workflows by connecting with their email and calendars.
Why: Collaborators make it easy to work with stakeholders who don’t need full access to your Instrumentl account while still keeping all grant-related Tasks tracked in one place.
Who: Loop in finance teams, program staff, or other external partners involved in grant processes — no login required. Assign Tasks and share updates directly via email or calendar invites to keep everyone aligned.
Collaborators vs. Core Users
Wondering what the difference is between Collaborators and Core Users on Instrumentl?
Core Users have more access to Instrumentl — they can log in, manage grants, and interact across your account's internal workspace.
Collaborators function as an extension to your Instrumentl account's team and overall grant work. They do not have login credentials or dedicated access to the account. Involvement is limited exclusively to external task assignments.
Instead, they receive & complete Tasks by email alone.
Collaborators also don’t need to accept an invite — you can start assigning Tasks immediately after adding them to your account.
Value Add
Collaborator access simplifies and streamlines your grants work by increasing team cohesion and simplifying coworking. Grant managers can confidently invite external Collaborators based on their access needs and capabilities, ensuring focused and secure project involvement.
Flexible collaboration: Involve finance directors, program managers, and external partners without requiring them to log into Instrumentl or learn a new platform.
Centralization: Keep all grant-related Tasks in one place for all stakeholders.
Reduction in manual work: Reduce manual follow-ups with automated notifications and reminders. You won't need to send a separate email request or go out of your way to create a calendar invite.
Calendar integration: Collaborators can integrate assigned task deadlines with their existing email and calendar workflows.
Accountability: Stay organized by tracking deadlines and pending work across teams and individuals.
Add a Collaborator
Collaborators cannot log in — they will receive an error message if they attempt to. All Collaborator work is done via email, so accessing the Instrumentl platform is not necessary.
Core Users with the Member or Admin role can add a Collaborator to your Instrumentl team. Here's how:
1. Go to Account > Manage team.
2. Your Team page displays your Collaborator seat availability/limit.
3. On the right-hand side, click + Add Teammate.
4. Select Add Collaborator.
5. Then enter their name and email to invite them.
Collaborators will appear on your Team page with their role set to 'Collaborator' and 'Tasks Only' for project access.
Welcome emails to Collaborators
Adding a Collaborator to your account immediately sends the individual an initial "welcome email" from Instrumentl (Reminder: There's no need to wait for them to accept an invite! You can begin assigning tasks immediately). Here's what this email looks like:
We recommend Collaborators save their "welcome email" instructions for future reference. This email also includes instructions for setting up calendar integration to track deadlines.
Managing Collaborator users
"Promote" to Core User
If you have open Core User seats, you can also change your external Collaborator's team role to grant them access to your account and login credentials to work within the platform.
To convert a Collaborator to a Core User:
Go to the Team page
Open the User Actions dropdown menu for the Collaborator in question.
Select Upgrade to Core User.
You can then update their user access & permissions based on their role in your team's grants work.
Note: You cannot directly downgrade or "demote" a Core User to a Collaborator. To convert a Core User to a Collaborator, remove them from the team, then re-add them as a Collaborator.
Delete Collaborators
Core Users can remove Collaborators from the team at any time.
Go to the Team page
Open the User Actions dropdown menu for the Collaborator in question.
Select Remove.
Tasks for Collaborators
Assign Tasks to Collaborators
Create a Task: A Core User should first create a Task for the Collaborator to complete, ideally with a detailed description in the Description Field and document Attachments — learn about Task fields.
Assign it to the Collaborator: Select the target Collaborator from the Assignee dropdown field. Be sure to include anyone who wants notifications about this Task as Followers (including the Assignee and creator of the Task!).
Core Users can then download Task Reports that include Collaborators.
Completing Tasks as Collaborators
Upon creating the Task, the assigned Collaborator will immediately receive an email that includes the Deadline, Description, Attachments, Grant, Funder, Project, (your) Organization, and other fields as applicable to the opportunity (e.g., Award amount, Grant period).
Instructions for the Collaborator assignee:
❗ Collaborators complete all Task assignments externally via the task email.
Reply directly to the email to correspond with the Task creator if necessary:
Collaborators can ask for further clarification, provide updates, and vice versa.
Easily send additional attachments to complete certain requests (such as a final budget report).
Once finished with a Task, Collaborators simply click Mark Complete directly in the email — clicking this button automatically updates the Task in Instrumentl.
Calendar integration for Task deadlines
We highly recommend that Collaborators take advantage of our calendar sync feature, designed for their role as Task Assignees. Collaborators can optionally set up calendar integration to automatically view all assigned Instrumentl Task deadlines on their external calendar.
Configuring your calendar to include deadline reminders is a one-time process with long-term yield. You'll stay organized and accountable across all responsibilities.
Once a Collaborator is invited, they'll see the option to set up calendar integration in their "welcome email":
The one-click option allows Collaborators to add Task reminders from Instrumentl to their Calendar platform of choice — Microsoft Outlook or Google Calendar.
Collaborators can also integrate their Apple iCal calendar manually via a personalized link.
To get started, simply follow our step-by-step guide: Calendar Integration Setup for Collaborators.
FAQs
Will adding Collaborators affect my current Core User seat limit?
Will adding Collaborators affect my current Core User seat limit?
No, your team's Core User seats and Collaborator seats are separate. Adding a Collaborator will count towards your Collaborator seat limit.
Head to Account > Manage team to view your Core User and Collaborator seat usage. Currently, the number of Collaborator seats per plan is fixed, but if you need more, refer to our guide on adding user seats.
Can a Collaborator access or modify my account?
Can a Collaborator access or modify my account?
Nope! All Collaborators' user permissions are set to 'Tasks Only'. They'll exclusively use Task emails to collaborate on grant work externally.
Your account data and grants work will remain secure and intact! Learn more about user roles & permissions.
How can I send Task email reminders to Collaborators?
How can I send Task email reminders to Collaborators?
While there is currently no option to customize the default email reminder schedule for Tasks, you can streamline all communications about the assignment within the same email thread.
Contact us
Reach out to our friendly Support team if you have any questions about Collaborator access. Message us when you're logged in, or email us at hello@instrumentl.com.