How UMI Fund improved its Airtable setup without having to manage every change

The brief: improve the system already in use

UMI Fund, the Urban Movement Innovation Fund works to connect and strengthen people power for a socially just, zero-carbon future.

The engagement focused on reviewing and improving its existing Airtable setup, including the structure supporting its grants database.

This was not a new template or a separate replacement system. The work involved understanding the bases already in use, identifying what needed attention, and making agreed changes within that setup.

The team needed more than someone to carry out instructions. They needed someone who could investigate, bring recommendations and implement improvements without requiring close supervision.

Start with the structure, not another automation

I reviewed the existing Airtable bases, including the project-management base, its automations, and the wider database.

The review covered how the data was organised, how the automations worked, and how people interacted with the system through Airtable Interfaces.

That gave us a basis for deciding what to clean up, what to restructure and which automation issues to prioritise. Brainstorming and implementation were part of the same engagement, not separate pieces handed between an adviser and a builder.

What changed during the sprint

Database structure and base cleanup

I worked on the existing fields and tables and restructured selected areas of the data.

The work included the Partners table, with changes informed by discussions about how the information should be organised.

This was targeted redesign within the existing system, not a claim that the entire database needed rebuilding.

Automation review, fixes and new workflows

I analysed the automations in the project-management base, updated its alert automations and set up new alert automation.

The sprint also included investigating and fixing automation errors, including issues affecting the “Waiting” and “Alert” workflows.

The work was not simply adding more automation. It included understanding and repairing the logic already supporting the team’s workflow.

Interfaces and user review

I reviewed the project-management base’s interface and users and worked on Airtable Interfaces alongside the underlying database changes.

This brought the working screens into the same improvement process as the tables and automations, rather than treating them as unrelated tasks.

A working relationship that respected the team’s time

The sprint began with discovery and continued through periodic calls to review progress, discuss options and make decisions.

Between those conversations, I worked independently on the agreed priorities and brought back materials, suggestions and solutions.

UMI Fund did not have to specify and manage every change. The engagement combined consulting judgment with hands-on delivery: investigate the setup, propose a way forward, implement the changes and discuss the next decisions.

The outcome: redesign goals met, with additional issues resolved

Jessica Harte, UMI Fund’s Grants and Admin Head, confirmed that the team met the goals it had set for the one-month redesign and resolved additional issues through the proactive work.