Tag: nonprofitbytes

 

Not-for-profit organizations frequently contend with the lack of time and money needed to afford large IT investments that are critical for achieving efficiency in their operations. The few organizations that somehow manage to afford these technologies constantly have to deal with scarce resources and manpower needed to manage the technology.

 

 

There is another glaring problem within the nonprofit environment: the staff, Board members, and volunteers are often spread across several locations. Further, their rampant use of different devices and operating system (OS) versions tend to result in difficulties accessing the organizations’ latest files.

 

Microsoft Office 365 – addressing the challenges nonprofits face

 

Office 365 is Microsoft’s global offering designed to provide eligible users with access to the company’s top-of-the-line cloud-based tools for collaboration and productivity. The service is complete with web conferencing and high definition (HD) video, calendars, business class email, online Microsoft office suite, as well as file storage and sharing.

 

While Microsoft has a provision to offer these services to eligible, qualified nonprofits as a donation, the organization can purchase important additional functionalities at a small fee.

 

Beside the rich apps connected to the Microsoft Cloud always being up-to-date, they are available for users on a 24/7 basis.

 

If these are not reasons enough for you to jump aboard the Office 365 bandwagon, then read along to find out further why your nonprofit should invest in Microsoft Office 365.

 

Voice and web conferencing allows for easy collaboration

 

Successful running of any nonprofit heavily depends on the quality of collaboration between its members. Among the suite of tools that come with Microsoft Office 365 is the Microsoft Skype for Business, an all-in-one tool for web conferencing, video calls, voice calls, and instant messaging.

 

The HD video conferencing capability means that nonprofit teams can meet and collaborate with each other regardless of where they are located. Out-of-office personnel and volunteers can remotely share data and influence timely decision making.

 

You’ll also like to know that Skype for Business has a note-taking feature that works in real time. This can allow you to keep track of notes and new ideas from every meeting.

 

Social networking is easier with Office 365

 

Every Microsoft Office 365 Nonprofit plan comes with the tech giant’s internal social network, Yammer – designed for organizations like your own.

 

With your own Yammer site, it is easier than ever to bring teams together regardless of where they are located across the globe.

 

Yammer allows the organization’s internal staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders to connect, share, and collaborate seamlessly at all times.

 

Teams can edit and share documents on the go

 

Microsoft Office 365 also includes Microsoft’s cloud-based file-sharing tool SharePoint Online. With this advanced file sharing tool, teams can easily edit and share documents with one another, even on their mobile devices. Many users love the fact that they can actually edit documents simultaneously with colleagues on this cloud-based platform – effectively saving time and the possible confusion associated with back and forth emailing of documents.

 

There is simply so much you can accomplish with your documents in the cloud. Your board reports will be available in the cloud and you can share them remotely or access them, along with grant applications and other equally essential documents anywhere, at any time.

 

Microsoft’s online office suite, Office Online, also allows you to create and edit files using lightweight Microsoft Office web apps including Word, Excel, OneNote, and PowerPoint. So, your team will have the liberty to open, view, and edit various document forms right from their browsers, both on iOS and Android devices.

 

The staff and volunteers can use Microsoft Office 365 to open, view, and edit practically any document on up to five of their devices. This empowers them with the flexibility to work anywhere anytime.

 

There is guarantee of security and compliance

 

Data security is one of the greatest concerns to any nonprofit organization. Nonprofits also have to comply with applicable privacy and compliance laws. The good news is, Microsoft’s Office 365 is engineered to the highest level of privacy and security standards.

 

The service has built-in malware protection to safeguard your data in the cloud. As such, your nonprofit organization can have peace of mind storing its data in the cloud and sharing even the most sensitive information without running the risk of noncompliance with data protection requirements.

 

Nonprofit organizations enjoy 24/7 support

 

Office 365 offers the luxury of 24/7 professional-level customer support so you won’t need any IT staff to stay on call. The level of support your nonprofit organization gets depends on your organization’s Office 365 Nonprofit plan.

 

Final thoughts

 

Technology-related problems can create indecisiveness and slow down efforts in the nonprofit environment, eventually taking a toll on important mission activities. This can hurt productivity overall. With its full capabilities as an installed software, as well as its cloud accessibility that ensures collaboration both online and offline, Microsoft Office 365 is an excellent tool for every nonprofit organization that wishes to achieve maximum efficiency.

 

Succeeding in a non-profit organization in this day and time requires unique strategies. Technology is advancing at ever-increasing speeds and challenges even the best organizations on every level. The world has seemingly gone completely digital with Millennials now using smartphones for everything they do.

 

 

A recent survey showed that only one-fifth of all Millennials have ever written a check.  And yet, checks are the most popular way that people have given to charities in the past. Today’s consumers rely on electronic payment methods such as Paypal, Venmo and Apple Pay. This applies to their charitable giving as well. While Baby Boomers and Gen X are still largely using an organization’s website for their giving, the new generation of consumers uses their mobile phones.

 

People enjoy supporting a good cause

 

Surveys also show that Millennials are conscientious about charities. They have a deep abiding desire to help make the world a better place and they’re willing to give their time and money to make this happen. The best solution is to make it as quick and easy as possible. More and more charitable organizations are learning this lesson. Going mobile and digital provides you with unique ways to make the giving as painless as possible. Large organizations like the Red Cross, give you the ability to donate by texting an amount of money to a 5-digit number. It’s just that easy. There’s nothing to fill out. No credit card information to worry about.

 

In a highly digitalized world where new inventions amaze and amuse us all, nonprofits face a more critical challenge than others when it comes to fund-raising. In the past, non-profits have been seen as entities that were slow to accept change. Some charities continue to do business the way they always have. This has prevented them from maintaining proper relevance in our world. In order to influence social change, non-profits must stay ahead of the curve.

 

Dealing with a tight budget

 

If nothing else gets the attention of these older, less-flexible non-profits, their tight budgets will. Effective fundraising is all about appealing to today’s savvy consumer. It’s about getting their attention with a message that speaks to the heart.

 

On the journey to change the world, a non-profit must increase their revenue while continually managing their resources wisely. People don’t give to organizations who waste resources and ignore their relationship with constituents. Most charitable givers want to support organizations that strive to make every dollar count. Below are a few additional tips for today’s non-profit organization.

 

Tell a compelling story

 

Most charities do have a good story about how they began. Perhaps the Director went through a rough time and was homeless for a period. Now he or she is helping other homeless people turn their lives around. Many times, when people go through a really rough time in their lives, they want to somehow make things better for others who will travel the same road. Take the time and spend the money to hire a professional writer to flesh out this story so that it’s compelling and heartfelt. Sharing your story with others is a way to endear people. It’s an excellent method of moving from a distance right into someone’s true lifestyle.

 

Improve constituent relationships

 

Stay in constant contact with your givers. Be sure to make those communications as interactive as possible. Send regular updates about how your organization is doing or current projects you’re involved in. Don’t let your only contact with the public be all about donations. Make people feel like they are part of something dynamic, something that matters. It may be a good idea to have a team that focuses only on relationships with donors.

 

Stay relevant

 

Some organizations purposely stay out of politics, religion, etc. Though it’s difficult to walk that tightrope between staying relevant and remaining neutral, this is important for most people today. If there are earth-shaking events going on around the world, find a way to talk about these things in your monthly newsletter without being preachy. Many times, global disasters and political unrest can be a time to connect with your core base and see how they feel about these events. It can be a time to create stronger bonds with supporters if handled correctly.

 

Make it easy for supporters to give time and money

 

Make donating as flexible as possible. Meet people exactly where they are in their lives. An older person may want to mail a check, while a teenager will want to use a mobile wallet. Middle-aged people still pay bills, donate to charities and conduct other business online. They trust the internet and have become comfortable with surfing the web. Regardless of where someone is in terms of their technology level, meet them there where they feel safe.

 

Understand the demographics of givers

 

Demographics are an important tool used by marketing agencies. Specific data about consumers is collected and broken down so that it reveals personal information about customers. For instance, if you’re selling sports cars, you’ll want to reach a younger group of people with lots of expendable income. Paint a picture of exactly who your primary customer is. Someone looking for an expensive sports car might be a male 20-35 years old whose income is over $200k per year. Just the same way marketing agencies need this information about potential buyers, a charitable organization does as well. When you know your supporters personally, you can connect with them on a more human level. That’s when your organization will finally achieve its mission statement and goals. This is also where organizations begin to make the most difference in the world.

 

Final Thoughts

With the world changing so rapidly, it’s no wonder that technological advancements sometimes astound us. A non-profit cannot be seen as inflexible and antiquated if they want to compete. Though their values should always remain old-fashioned, the way they operate must be on a level with a Fortune 500 company. An organization must stay up to date on our evolving society. Attitudes change and they can do so quickly with the great flux of information coming at us each day. Stay in tune with these events and you’ll stay connected with a group of donors who are excited about supporting your cause.