From time to time businesses will invite consultants to their office to do an internal audit. In return the consultants will inform the business what they doing right, what they could be doing better, and logistical errors that are hindering their growth. Internal audits are extremely useful as they allow companies to develop and mature. Nonprofits don’t have this luxury since hiring outside consultants are expensive and cost too much money for the charity to justify. This problem plagues most nonprofit organizations around the country – with the exception of approximately 600 in Northern, Texas thanks to nonprofit CNM and their technology services- CNM-Pact.

In Use:

CNM is a professional service firm located in North Texas who helps around 600 clients (all nonprofit organizations) by giving advice, training, consulting, and incorporating their SaaS based technology to make nonprofits work more efficiently. Established nearly 40 years ago, President and CEO, Tina Weinfurther explains that the goal of CNM is to “strengthen community by connecting community stakeholders through thought leadership, technology, and expertise.”

CNM-Pact was developed about five years ago after the organization sat down for a strategic planning meeting. “One of the things that struck us was how many issues had grown over the last ten years,” Weinfurther explained. She went on to explain that issues such as poverty, health care, education and teen pregnancy were getting worse in Northern Texas despite government assistance, and funding. They concluded that there was no accountability as to where the money was going as well as no return on investment. While this could have been mismanagement of the money, most of the time it was because the charities did not have the time or resources to dedicate to data. What came out of that meeting was CNM-Pact.

The platform helped nonprofits report data and figure out where to invest to get the highest social return on investment. CNM’s vision was to hire experts to evaluate these nonprofits and give nonprofits access to licenses to their new softwares; SAAS Office Analytics and SAAS Visualization. Being a nonprofit themselves, CNM turned to Alliance Data to help sponsor their project and pay for the licenses needed.

Technology Needed:

CNM Pact is cloud based, hosted by Amazon Web Services. SaaS Office Analytics help the nonprofits make sense of their data while SaaS Visualizations enables them to turn their data into graphs and charts to present to stakeholders. These applications also save nonprofits time and money – allowing them to focus on helping their constituents and less energy on paperwork.

Ease of Use:

With training, the applications are easy to use. How to use the technology is covered during the evaluation and consultation. The consultants themselves are knowledgeable and able to advise nonprofit organizations on what data to collect, what their data is telling them, and the best ways to report on their findings.

Recap:

CNM is a service that brings charities together with consultants to do a data audit. This audit gives organizations clarity on where they need to focus their attention on – whether it’s a certain demographic or town to get the highest amount of social return on investment.

One of the organizations that CNM works with is an emergency women’s shelter called Austin Street Center. When they hired CNM, the women’s shelter was helping 1600 people annually in their community. With CNM-Pact – Austin St. Center concluded that women who came through the program had varying needs. As a result they tailored their program to fit these individual needs. With CNM-Pact, Austin Street Center is now able to reach 3,000 women with the same amount of funding.

Advantages:

• CNM offers a sliding scale based on a nonprofit’s operating budget.
• CNM consulting and evaluation professionals help nonprofits make the most out of their data
• CNM-Pact software enables charities to continue analyzing data after the audit has been completed

Disadvantage:

• The main disadvantage is that CNM itself is only available to nonprofits in the North Texas region. Because CNM is so unique, there really aren’t many (if any) nonprofit organizations who offer data consulting.

My Opinion:

I normally write about CRMs, donor management software, event management softwares- but I’m not sure I’ve ever written about a consulting organization equipped with technology to help nonprofits make the most out of their data. I think what CNM is doing is really unique and will enable nonprofits to reach more people in their communities. While CNM is only making an impact in North Texas, they are planning on expanding in the future.

Many nonprofits lack the technical tools they need to utilize their donor engagement. There is software out there that can theoretically help them but often times they are too expensive or require an expert when charities mainly rely on volunteers. HepData was created to bridge that gap between data and nonprofit organizations – offering a technology that helps nonprofits utilize their donor management.

In Use:

HepData who was recently bought by SSB, a data management company - functions as a data centered tool for charities and nonprofits. Their three main solutions aim to help organizations match gifts, enrich their data and offer insight into past and present data. 

HepData integrates with numerous clients to bring donor matching to many nonprofit organizations.

Technology Used:

Clients can login to HepData’s eMatch Portal®. The eMatch Portal® acts as an all-in-one gift matching center that allows clients to track the matching gift process and export data to their CRM tool . The portal is accessible online so users can access it anywhere.

Ease of Use:

HepData helps to automate gift matching in an easy to use way. With a 90% retention rate and clients such as Red Cross and the American Heart Association it’s fair to say that users can easily access the platform.

Recap:

HEPdata's eMatch® Portal Program helps identify donors whose company’s will match their donation. It is an automated process that will remind donors to match their gifts while allowing users to obtain analytics to manage their donations. HepData’s portal program integrates with some of the biggest CRM systems such as Blackbaud and Salesforce; fundraising tools such as GiveGab and event platforms such as Greater Giving.

Along with their eMatch Portal Program; HepData also allows clients to see statistics behind their donations. This data enables nonprofits to reach out to the right donor and track which benefactors are donating.

Advantages:

• HepData allows nonprofits to analyze their data and keep track of who is donating
• Integrates with over 70 platforms such as Salesforce, Blackbaud, and Ellucian.
• eMatch Portal Program helps identify donors whose company matches their donations to double donations

Disadvantages:

• It’s unclear whether or not the acquisition with SSB will benefit or hurt HepData
• While they boast that they work with smaller organizations – the cost may be too expensive for those nonprofits who are just starting out

My Opinion

HepData is one of the leading platforms for donor management. Their portal’s userface is clean and their platform integrates with numerous CRMs. Matching donations are time consuming but research has shown that nonprofits’ donations grow substantially when they utilize gift matching. I like that HepData offers a solution that is completely automated which frees up time for nonprofits – allowing HepData to do the heavy lifting. If you’re thinking of utilizing gift matching and HepData integrates with your CRM I would consider taking a demo to find out if it’s right for.

According to the Independent Sector’s, “The Value of Volunteer Time” - an average hands-on volunteer saves a nonprofit $25 an hour. If that volunteer is skill-based or pro-bono; they save a nonprofit $150 per hour. Pro-bono volunteers are volunteers that leverage their specialized skills. This includes everything from event coordination, legal counsel, and job skills training. For instance, a lawyer would work with a nonprofit for free to give legal advice to their constituents. While there are thousands of nonprofits that could benefit from skill-based volunteers - just as many pro-bono volunteers ready to help – the issue is how do they find each other?

In Use:

Common Impact believes they have the solution and are working hard to close that gap between nonprofits and pro-bono volunteers. According to Molly Weinstein the Associate Director of Field Building, Capacity Commons was designed to “build bridges between volunteers and nonprofits” making it easier to form partnerships between the two organizations with the end goal of creating a “one-stop-shop” for volunteers and charities to come together.

They have recently expanded their program to include a new open-sourced platform that would make it easier than ever to connect a skill-based volunteer to a charity. The platform is entirely free and was created to support educational institutes, nonprofits, and charities alike. The tool was designed to be interactive and intuitive – Weinstein calling it a “chose your own adventure” where interested parties would begin by creating their project and moving on to six additional steps that will ensure a successful volunteer project.

Technology Used:

Capacity Commons is an open-sourced platform that is based entirely on the cloud. The site is self-service and comes with user guides to assist nonprofits should they run into any trouble. The platform itself is new and it still working out some kinks, working with current users to collect their feedback to improve the site.

Ease of Use:

Capacity Commons provides a “Pro-Bono Guidebook” to walk new users through the process of creating and executing a volunteer project. The guidebook includes FAQ and documents that advise nonprofits from Step 1 all the way to Step 7.

Recap:

Capacity Commons is a labor of love supported by the Charles Schwab foundation; Campaign for Black Male Achievement; Common Impact and numerous other organizations invested in helping nonprofit organizations get the access they need to skill-based volunteers. The platform is designed to walk a nonprofit through the seven steps needed to establish their project all the way up to implementation. Capacity Commons hopes to grow this platform to include integration with VolunteerMatch.org and other skill-based volunteer websites making it easier for charities and pro-bono volunteers to connect.

Advantages:

• Connects nonprofit organizations with skill-based volunteers
• Platform is free to use
• Capacity Commons comes with a “Pro-Bono Guidebook” walking users through the scope of their project
• Will soon integrate with volunteer matching programs such as VolunteerMatch to connect nonprofits with volunteers easily.

Disadvantages:

• The platform is still in it’s early stages with some kinks that need to be worked out
• Does not require any documentation proving that a organization is in Higher Ed or has a 501©

My Opinion:

I think Capacity Commons is a great way to connect nonprofits and skill-based volunteers. If I were a charity I would most likely take advantage of this free platform. However, the platform itself has some issues that need to be worked out first.

When I selected “create a project” the screen never loaded onto the next step so I was not able to complete the process of creating and executing a project. My main goal was to see the user face and to report on the ease of use, but I wasn’t able to get past that first step.

ThankView makes it easier to acknowledge your donors after an event, volunteer activity, or a donation. Throw away your “Thank You” cards, use your stamps on another project, and put your pen back in the cupholder. ThankView is an effortless way to express gratitude to the donors that are supporting your mission.

In Use:

ThankView is a platform where nonprofit organizations can create and send “Thank You” videos to their volunteers. It can be created in minutes; branded with a university’s logo, and emailed or texted.  The software is geared towards charities, colleges, and hospitals to raise funds; thank volunteers; or for marketing purposes. The idea came about when co-founder JD Beebe got married. He didn’t want to write wedding notes but wanted to show his guests how truly appreciative he was that they were able to attend. The platform which has been serving nonprofits for over three years has been widely accepted by universities, charities, and hospitals alike. “The reception has been pretty phenomenal,” Beebe states. 

Not only can customers record videos, but they can choose from a variety of fonts, colors, and “call to action” buttons. The software automatically edits the video and clients can record a personalized introduction video and then cut to a more generic video; saving the customer the time it would take to continuously record the same message again and again.

Subscriptions start at $2,000 a year and increase depending on the customer’s needs. All subscriptions include cloud-based video storage; and the ability to schedule when they want to send out a video. Subscriptions also come with the ability to include a “Call to Action” button.

In today’s society it’s very important that a customer has insight to metrics. ThankView gives the customer the option to track data using a dashboard that can map who opened the video, who clicked on the call action, and other important information.

Technology Used:

ThankView works on all tablets and phones whether it’s a Mac or Android. Integrations include iMovie and Adobe Premiere. The platform is also compatible with CRMs such as Blackbaud and Salesforce.

Ease of Use:

Beebe wanted to ensure that any client could use ThankView without having to read a manual.  To do that he had to make sure that the platform was easy to use. If nonprofits do run into trouble they can speak to their Customer Success Manager who can answer any questions a nonprofit or university might have.

Recap:

ThankView is a software that allows nonprofit organizations, hospitals, and colleges to record “Thank You” videos to send to donors and volunteers. The videos can also include a “Call to Action” button that nonprofits can use for marketing purposes. These videos can not only be branded but personalized with the recipient’s name - adding a personalized touch. ThankView also comes with a robust dashboard that includes the ability to track how many downloads a video received, who shared their video, and who opened it.

Advantages:

• While ThankView will work with corporations, they mainly focus on nonprofit organizations, universities and hospital.
• While $2,000 may seem like a lot of money- it only equals out to be about $166 a month. While the smallest nonprofits may not be able to afford this- many medium to large charities can.
• ThankView videos have an average of 60% open rate
• Ability to create a personalized introduction and then cut to a generic message

Disadvantages:

• Ease of use when it comes to creating and branding the video
• What if the video goes to the donor’s spam box?

My Opinion:

ThankView isn’t your average “Thank You” note. It’s a fun, innovative way to connect with your donors or incoming students while branding and marketing your organization. While many charities use the platform to send out “Thank You” notes – the software can also be used for marketing purposes such as “Call to Action”, a due-date reminder, or a case study that the organization can use for outreach.

My only hesitation with email greeting cards is the chance that it could go to the recipient’s spam. To counter-act this ThankView works with the client to make sure that the list is clean so they can have a minimal amount of emails that bounce back. Because of this the company has seen an average of 60% open-rate.

As technology continues gaining momentum in various industries, automation of tasks is one of the areas that has attracted attention of many business leaders. For your nonprofits, automation of tasks that were initially done manually will allow your organization to spend more of its time on fundraising and other causes. With technology, time and resources that you could have spent maintaining your nonprofit can be used to grow the organization. Lack of proper ways of reducing spending can affect growth of an organization, and these costs can be detrimental to the mission of your nonprofit as donors are now focused on transparency. Here are a few tips on how you can use technology to boost your nonprofit.

1. Identify the issue and find ways of solving it

To begin with, find tech companies that you can partner with to determine specific problems you are facing and find out how they can solve them. For instance, with the current focus on AI, many nonprofits are not conversant with how this technology works and how it can be used to improve their fortunes. However, with the help of tech companies that have data scientists, nonprofits can begin to identify the challenges they are facing and how AI can help them. Generally, having the right kind of support can make a difference to your nonprofit.

2. Engage the donors

Engagement is the new keyword that we hear in all business communications and the digital marketing arena today. Thanks to technology, engagement has been redefined. With the change in how people live, communicating with people has become easier with the availability of so many methods of communication. That means you can reach your donors easier through messaging apps, social media and via email. However, writing too many emails may be a recipe for failure. Rather, you can use a CRM that makes communication easy and ensures that your target knows who is reaching them.

3. Use technology to get data you need

Your nonprofit is as smart as the data you have. Therefore, with proper engagement and platforms in place, you need to collect real-time data so that you can turn information into cash. With the right information at hand, you can know the amount given in the past by a specific client that will end up giving you a hint about what you should expect from them. For instance, you will be missing an opportunity if you ask a client who has been giving you $200 to give you $50 and equally mistaken if ask a donor who has been donating $50 to give you $2,000. With the correct data at your disposal, communication with the donors will be easy and accurate and you are likely to receive more funding.

Take advantage of the mobile wave

The advancement of mobile technologies might be the breakthrough you have been waiting for. With approximately 96% of Americans now owning mobile phones that they use to access various services online, your website, emails or donation pages must be formatted properly to encourage people to access them and make donations conveniently. Capitalizing on this wave increases your donations and promotes engagement.

So for your nonprofit to make the most out of technology, you should always try to stay ahead by investing more of your time and energy in modernizing operations of your organization. This is the only way of cutting cost and getting the efficiency that you and your donors deserve.

The 2018 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report from Marketing General Incorporate (MGI) noted that the average member retention rate for associations is 84%. Looking at the same statistic for new members, the number falls to 70% and for associations with more than 5,000 members, the new member retention rate drops to 60%. In compiling these numbers, the most commonly cited reason for non-renewal was “lack of engagement with the organization.” Losing members not only negatively impacts dues revenues, but can also have an adverse impact on the volume of donor contributions.

To avoid high levels of member churn, organizations should consider developing a member engagement plan that rigorously collects and analyzes relevant member data (event attendance, financial contributions and online activity). This data collection effort requires participation and commitment from all functions within an organization. With regards to integrating data analytics into the engagement planning process, an organization should consider following these four steps:

1. Define and weight engagement activities.

Defining what activities constitute engagement should be the first step as this can mean different things to different people. Additionally, when determining these activities, organizations should consider developing an engagement “weighting” that ranks certain activities higher than others. For example, an organization may be attempting to assess the activities of two members while one member has attended every event that year and the other has opened and read every monthly newsletter. Each member is engaged and committed to the organization in their own way, which may indicate to organizational leadership that they’re not at risk of discontinuing their membership. However, while both activities constitute engagement, attending every event might be considered a higher level of commitment than reading every newsletter – something an organization can recognize by adding a weighting component, deriving a truer picture of member engagement.

2. Decide which metrics to track.

Focus on areas where data can make the biggest impact and contribute to strategic planning. Areas to consider:

• Digital data – Email opens and clicks, donor portal logins and profile updates, website and blog page visits and downloads.
• Activity data – Event attendance, volunteer service, online resource participation, social media interaction.
• Transactional data – Donations, referrals, sponsorships and other revenue partner activities.
• Emotional experience – Surveys or alternative methods that collect information on constituent experience, such as motivation to contribute to the organization, initial expectations and fulfilment of those expectations.

3. Establish an engagement “baseline.”

Data collection and segmentation is an effective strategy to understanding constituent behavior, attitudes and needs. Associations should establish an engagement “baseline” which analyzes segmented member data. Examples of these segments include location, constituent tenure, annual event attendance, webinar registrations, product purchases and workshop participation. This information can be further segmented by constituent type, age, gender or occupation, or it could be filtered by constituent tenure in the organization.

When combined with the data collection approach outlined earlier, this data can help organizations identify what appeals to various individuals, as well as how their engagement with the organization changes throughout time. Not only can this help construct a development or fundraising plan, it can also better inform marketing and communication strategies.  

4. Analyze and share results.

A comprehensive data set can help identify issues and goals met, as well as provide benchmarks to set attainable goals for the future. The internal data governance team should develop easily digestible reports for staff and leaders that provide key insights to inform decision-making in their areas of operation. Assistant and junior-level employees benefit from data that delves into their day-to-day work while director-level employees require insight on trends, revenue streams and operational issues.

Without a plan to collect and utilize engagement data, organizations risk time wasted, intel lost and sector irrelevance. Measuring engagement involves defining what kind of participation the organization values, how that sentiment can be best measured and how the results can be utilized to assist better informed decision-making. As nonprofits begin to adopt data analytics, it is important to take thorough and deliberate steps to integrating this tactic into strategic organizational planning.

Shaun is vice president of marketing at MemberSuite, an innovator in cloud-based association management software (AMS) and business intelligence solutions for member-based organizations of all sizes.

With school back in session, businesses and nonprofits are already preparing for a fourth- quarter surge. ‘Tis the season for consumer spending...and giving! As the holidays approach, nonprofits should be looking for ways to capitalize their earnings.  According to Nonprofit Source, 30% of annual giving happens during the holiday stretch, and fundraisers, auctions, and donations made in people’s names as gifts are a crucial foundation for nonprofit success. One of the biggest giving days is Giving Tuesday, which this year falls on December 3, 2019, where millions of people inspired through social media and collaboration give to charities across the globe. Giving Tuesday 2018 brought in over $400 million for charities globally. 

In recent years, donating via credit/debit cards has become routine, especially since many patrons can set up recurring gifts or receive incentives for giving. 

But if people are making donations with credit cards, a nonprofit will need a payment processor or a merchant account. No matter which method you use to process the cards, fees will take a percentage of that donated money. It is frustrating to see how much money is hemorrhaged through fees and rates. Understanding processing fees and rates is a complicated process, too, and transparency is the most important quality: What are you paying and to whom?

How Do You Get A Nonprofit Discount On Credit Card Processing?

If you already use a credit card processor, you’ll need to call your processor and ask about 501(c) status discounts. Sometimes a phone call and an extension of a contract can lower fees for nonprofits. But first: Know your rates and fees! You can shop around competitively but only if you know how much you’re paying each month. 

If you’re working with a payment processor such as Square or PayPal, they take a set percentage per transaction, but PayPal has reduced rates for 501(c) status nonprofits and waives fees for nonprofits listed with them as giving partners. 

What Features Should You Look For In A Processor?

If you’re shopping for the best processor for a nonprofit, your first and most important feature is transparency. There are so many amazing choices that there’s no need to settle for any company that isn’t upfront about fees, rates, payment turnaround times, etc. What’s important to you might be singular to your nonprofit, so here are some things to ponder:

1. Cost: Bottom line, you’re a nonprofit, and every penny matters. There are websites that bill themselves specifically as processing solutions for nonprofits and then charge steep monthly user fees AND pass down all the credit/debit fees.
2. How To Collect Donations: Do you want to collect in-person, online, or through a donation page? All of those types require different forms of access. If you want all or some of these methods, find a processor that can accommodate the various ways you need to take money.
3.  How Do You Manage Your Finances?: If you use software such as Quickbooks, you’ll want to look for a processor that can integrate with your bookkeeping.  

Best Credit Card Processors For Nonprofits?

iATS is the leader for nonprofit credit card processing with a simple $0.26 fee per transaction (standard credit card rates apply), and it’s streamlined for nonprofits only. Two other top contenders are Dharma Merchant Services and Payment Depot. Both of those companies have reputations for having competitive rates for nonprofits, so those nonprofits can keep as much of their donation money as possible. A quick runner-up is Payline, which also has discounts for nonprofit use.

Shelbi Wescott is a writer and educator from Portland, Oregon. When she isn't writing about business insurance, she is a published author churning out pages for her science-fiction and mystery books. In 2015, her book After Life won an Honorable Mention for Best YA Mystery from the Library Journal. (It has ghosts. And mystery.) Shelbi has both a BA in English Literature and a Masters in Teaching from Lewis and Clark College.

Merchant Maverick is a comparison site that reviews small business software and services. We also write informative articles about these industries. https://www.merchantmaverick.com/

Robocalls diminish people’s trust in phone calls. As a result, phones are an increasingly unreliable way for businesses to communicate with their customers. According to Clutch, 67% of people say they are unlikely to pick up a phone call from a number they do not recognize. Many legitimate businesses are negatively impacted by this pervasive distrust of phone calls. For example, nonprofits are especially challenged because they use cold calls to raise both money and awareness for their causes.

Businesses must find new ways to exchange information and sustain their customer relationships.

A human touch, an emphasis on credibility, and communications options can help companies to overcome this call-avoidant behavior from customers.

Review this article to learn how legitimate organizations can increase the number of people who pick up their calls.

1. Ensure Company Data Presents Accurately on Caller ID

Customers are more likely to answer the phone when a company’s name appears in the caller ID.

Announcing your company helps customers to feel secure about picking up the phone, and so reduces the chance of your call being ignored or flagged as spam.

To verify your caller ID, update your caller ID settings via a voice over IP or a cloud phone system.

After the customer picks up the call, be quick to explain who you are and why you’re calling. This reinforces your company’s credibility and paves the way for a personalized and secure phone conversation.

Authenticity is key to a trustworthy phone call, meaning that businesses should avoid automated phone communications that turn off customers. If you’re struggling to keep up with phone communications without automation, you can consider enlisting the help of virtual assistants or other outside help.

2. Send a Text Before Calling

Sending a text message before calling can increase the likelihood that customers pick up a phone call.

The text can help ensure that customers know they’re being contacted by a reliable business.

For example, you could send a text to confirm an upcoming appointment or call. You can also prompt customers to call you back or reply to the text to confirm that they received your message.

This added layer of communication enhances the perceived security of the call process. Including a security code can further enhance the sense of privacy customers have when interacting via text.

Per a recent FCC ruling, text messages are protected from spammers. This makes them a reliable channel going forward for businesses to engage customers in conversation.

Be sure to enable your business phone number for texting, but also ask customers for permission to send them texts.

3. Exchange Personal Information on Alternate, Secure Channels

Customers may be more comfortable with sharing personal data via channels other than phone lines.

According to Clutch, nearly 80% of people say they are uncomfortable providing private personal information such as a credit card or social security number over the phone to any phone number.

Consider your customer’s preferences for communications and provide alternate channels accordingly, whether it be email communications from businesses, phone calls, physical mail, or text messages.

Customers want to hear from companies in a way that is both convenient and secure. Use your outreach to encourage a meaningful conversation that also demonstrates your business’s care and legitimacy.

4. Follow Up Via Email To Increase Legitimacy

Following up with customers helps your company to appear attentive and thoughtful.

It’s important to send a follow-up email for all transactions. Email receipts help customers track their charges, but they also help them remember their successful interactions with your brand.

Emails are an opportunity to stay connected while creating a personalized and authentic experience for customers.

Follow-up emails help you encourage customers to pick up your phone calls, as well as leave them with a positive and lasting impression.

Successful Cold Calling in the Age of Robocalls

Consumer trust in phone calls is failing, so businesses must take extra steps to encourage customer communications.

This means offering alternatives to phone calls, sending texts, and using caller ID. Use your communications to emphasize your company’s availability, security, and authenticity.

Riley Panko is Clutch’s marketing lead for the BPO segment. She researches and produces content that helps business buyers learn about and find top providers for their business services needs.

One of the biggest risks to the cyber security of your organization is, sadly, your own employees or volunteers. From easy to guess passwords, or passwords stored on a sticky note stuck to the computer to falling for a sophisticated phishing scam. There are many ways your staff can give cyber criminals access to your data. 

However, your organization can combat that by providing ongoing education and training. It helps when people understand how cyber criminals might attempt to gain passwords. There are platforms available, such as KnowBe4You that will work with your organization to create training programs for your staff on the various methods criminals might use to steal login information. 

In addition to training KnowBe4You has a way for you to test your employees understanding of the material by simulated phishing scenarios. The company will give you the results and you can provide follow up training to those who fall for phishing schemes. 

KnowBe4You offers tiered pricing that allows you to customize a training package that fits your organization. 

What if your organization could do everything--really everything on one platform. No more trying to open a document created in a program that isn’t supported by your organization. No more trying to collaborate with the office across the country using only email.  With Box your teams can work together on projects in the cloud. Doing everything from assigning and tracking the project to real time revisions. Box lets you do that. This cloud based platform lets you do everything your organization needs to do in one place. 

Box is versatile. With Box Drive each team member can get their files the way they want; on the desktop, use the app in a browser or use the mobile app to work on your phone. Integrate your key programs into your Box workplace. There is a wide variety of programs available including Office 365, G Suite, Slack, Workplace by Facebook, Salesforce and DocuSign.

Plus, Box lets every facet of your organization work in the cloud on its platform. Human resources, finance, even legal. If your data contains sensitive information, don't worry it is stored securely with enterprise level protections. With Box, your organization can control who has access and also who has the ability to share items, both inside and outside your organization. 

Box offers eligible nonprofits 10 Box Starter Edition licenses. While there is no charge for the licenses there is a one-time administrative fee. If your nonprofit requires more than 10 Box will offer a discount on their Box Business Edition and Box Enterprise Edition licensing.

The internet has become the one essential office tool that every organization needs. No matter what your mission or where you are located you need the internet. Even if it’s only to send and receive emails. However, a standard internet plan from your local carrier can cost your nonprofit a significant amount of money every month. If your organization is looking for ways to cut expenses, Mobile Beacon offers programs for nonprofits that allow them to access 4G LTE Internet service for a $10/mo.

Mobile Beacon’s internet service is provided on Sprint’s 4G LTE network. And, it is very important to note that this plan is for data only. Mobile Beacon is not a cell phone provider, they are a LTE data provider. You can run laptops, wi-fi enabled desktops, wireless printers and access the internet from a wi-fi enabled smartphone, that is all. 

The price offers significant savings over traditional carriers, but that savings does come with a catch. In order to qualify for the $10/mo plan your organization must purchase a LTE-enabled device from Mobile Beacon. 

Mobile Beacon has two wi-fi hotspot hubs available for purchase, each one offers connection for up to 10 wi-fi enabled devices. 

In addition, organizations that choose Mobile Beacon’s service must prepay for a year’s service for every device that they will connect to the mobile hotspot. Mobile Beacon has several programs available to help nonprofits that are on a very limited budget offset some of the cost of the plan. 

If you manage your volunteers by clicking open a spreadsheet, it is time you upgraded. Whether you have 5 volunteers or 500 there are software packages that are low cost or even no cost that will let you efficiently manage you volunteers in less time then it takes you to open up that spreadsheet. Of course, not all organizations need an elaborate volunteer database, perhaps your organization rarely needs volunteers then consider using something like Sign Up Genius, Sign Up or Sign Up Zone which allow you to make simple online sign up sheets to cover everything from potlucks to who is bringing snacks for movie night. 

Does your organization rely on volunteers to staff events? Then iVolunteer.com might be the perfect solution. It lets you publish sign up event sign up sheets on your website or social media. You can customize the sign up sheet, so if you are offering your volunteers a T shirt they can indicate their size. 

All volunteers contact information is kept confidential and your volunteers must confirm their sign up via email. You can also track your volunteers showed up for their shift with a sign in feature. iVolunteer.com has tiered pricing with a free option that lets you sign up to 15 volunteers. 

Organizations that use volunteers for many different events and projects might consider using a platform like Your Volunteers or When to Help. Both these platforms have organizations that have large pools of volunteers. 

When to Help is available for registered charities. It lets you assign volunteer time slots based on the volunteers stated availability. When to Help includes a free mobile app making it even  easier for your volunteers to pick a shift to help out. Your volunteers can use the app to check their shift, or even trade their time slot with another volunteer. 

Your Volunteers is a cloud based database system that lets you publish a calendar of events on your website. It also serves as a volunteer database system. It is mobile friendly so your volunteers can sign up from phone, tablet or desktop, quickly and easily. Use it to  sign up volunteers, assign volunteers to shifts, track their attendance and create lists of volunteers. Your Volunteer offers a free version and a priced version. 

Colorado high school student creates a nonprofit that sends used laptops to children in Tanzania, reports CBS Denver.

After graduating from Colorado high schools, teenagers around the Front Range chose to donate their school-issued laptops to children in Africa. 

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Hackathons, Coding for Good and other charity events that help nonprofits with their technology needs aren’t able to solve problems like homelessness long term, reports BostInno.

Today, there are more programs than ever before designed to encourage the use of technology to solve the world’s most pressing problems.

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The new site Botsforcharity is a partnership between DirectRelief and Mind Heroes to help nonprofits create chatbots, reports the Nonprofit Times. 

When hurricanes struck Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico almost two years ago, the spartan social media staff at Direct Relief was overwhelmed with messages via Facebook Messenger with questions about how to donate, volunteer or get help

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According to Tech Crunch, Civic Champ has designed an app that helps  nonprofits manage their volunteers.

Nonprofits employ 10% of the U.S. workforce and generate some $2 trillion in revenue each year and yet, many charitable organizations are still using pen and paper to track their volunteers

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