Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to your nonprofit software. Complex accounting and donation platforms can lead to complicated set-up processes and procedures that might not benefit your organization in the first place. That’s why Software4Nonprofits created two simple programs for their users – their DONATION program to keep track of donors and donations and their ACCOUNTS program for basic bookkeeping functionality.

In Use:
Small to mid-sized nonprofits and churches who primarily wish to keep track of their donations or utilize basic bookkeeping and fund accounting functionality benefit the most from Software4Nonprofits programs.

DONATION Program:

Software4Nonprofit’s DONATION program allows organizations to record donors and gifts while also issuing receipts to supporters. Users can access different types of reporting that makes it easier for charities to track one-time contributors, current donors, and all contributions by date, name and amount. When speaking to Software4Nonprofits founder Dan Cooperstock, he wanted to make it very clear that this software was not a full-featured fundraising software. If you are interested in a fundraising platform he recommends a “full-featured and customizable fundraising program.”

In terms of pricing, Software4Nonprofits offer a free LITE version, and free 60-day evaluations of other full-featured versions. Support for the LITE version is $20 a year after the first month, and support and upgrades are included for the first year with the purchase of the other versions. From there the purchase price is either $100 or $180 depending on the version chosen. The LITE version allows for up to 100 donors per year. With multiple versions available and a 60-day free trial, charities and churches can find the right version for them.

ACCOUNTS Program:

Like the DONATION program there are different versions of the software depending on what a charity is looking for. A nonprofit may start with a standard version and then upgrade over the years as their organization grows. “Initial pricing for ACCOUNTS is $130 to $220 depending on the version and again subsequent year support and upgrades costs are half of the initial price,” Cooperstock explained.

Unlike traditional commercial accounting programs like QuickBooks or Quicken, users can track income and expenses while also having a simple and completely automated fund accounting. Like the DONATION software, users can also take advantage of different reports such as income statements, balance sheets, and detailed transaction reports.

Technology Used:

Software4Nonprofits can only be installed on Windows desktop apart from the OnDemand version. Because this version is controlled by secure remote control, it can also be used on Macs.

While there are no direct integrations, users can export their data and upload it to their CRMs like Constant Contact or QuickBooks.

Ease of Use:

Nonprofits can access multiple introductory videos that teach users exactly how to use each software.  There is also an expansive FAQ page and Help file that covers everything from problems using the program to installations. Users who are still having issues can email Software4Nonprofits or call them for support.

Recap:

Software4Nonprofits was created as an easy solution for churches, charities, and nonprofits to solve for basic donation and accounting needs. It was important to Cooperstock to create a software that was easily accessible to anybody including volunteers with minimal experience.

Advantages:

• DONATION program has a free LITE version that many charities and churches can utilize
• The programs are easy to use and there are a plethora of documents and videos to help an organization learn how to use each program
• Export documents and upload to your CRM
• Fairly priced

Disadvantages:

• The only cloud-based program is their OnDemand version
• The software is only available in English
• If you do not have accounting experience, the ACCOUNTS program may have a learning curve

My Opinion:

The biggest advantage of a software like Software4Nonprofits is that they know what they are. They are a simple solution for charities and churches to upload DONATION and track income and expenses. The program doesn’t promise to be the next QuickBooks or fundraising tool – in fact Dan Cooperstock makes it very clear that they’re not. If you need a way to keep track of your spending, donors, and DONATION – these programs can help. With different versions of each program – small-to-mid nonprofits can pick the best version for their organization to get the most benefit.

If you’re looking for a simple, intuitive way to track your donors and gifts – I would recommend trying out the 60-day trial to see how you like it.

Now that the world is slowly opening back up your virtual events may turn into in-person events before you know it. Making sure you’re able to manage them is critical so you don’t waste time or money searching for the perfect venue and vendors that meet your expectations Planning Pod is an automated online event management platform that promises to keep users organized while minimizing busy work.

In Use:

Founded in 2014, Planning Pod attempts to automate the party planning process by consolidating all the event planner’s responsibilities into one dashboard. Planning Pod’s Event Management and Planning Suite includes the ability to manage one’s budget, submit proposals, track invoices, create a to-do list, and manage attendees and registration. A nonprofit can create a landing page within the tool for their event that allows guests to register and purchase tickets.

Planning Pod has four subscriptions that nonprofit organizations can utilize. The Essential Plan is $19 a month and includes two events that can be planned at the same time, unlimited users, the ability to accept payments, order tracking, attendee lists, and chat and email support. The higher priced tiers ($39 and $69 respectively) come with more automated access like email communications, forms and surveys, and phone support. Planning Pod works with numerous charities and is happy to give nonprofits, schools, and universities a 20% discount on their subscription packages.  For large nonprofits like Red Cross or Amnesty International – Planning Pod offers an Enterprise package that is fully customizable.

Technology Used:

Planning Pod is available as a SaaS platform, which means it lives on the cloud. At this time Planning Pod does not have any mobile apps or a desktop version.

When it comes to integrations – Planning Pod integrates with Zapier (a software that allows companies to integrate their apps that don’t normally interact with each other) but is only available for the top tier packages. It can also integrate with numerous merchant payment processors including Square and Stripe so nonprofits can easily collect donations and ticket fees.

Ease of Use:

Users really enjoy that all the tasks they need are in one place (aka the dashboard) which allows them to streamline their to-do list and meet their deadlines. They appreciate the ability to create a website, have access to a virtual floor plan and can invoice, submit proposals, and register guests all in one place.

Recap:

Planning Pod is an online event management platform that gives a 20% discount to nonprofits, universities, and schools. Charities can take advantage of their software when planning annual galas or fundraising events. They have multiple subscription packages so a small or large nonprofit organization can take advantage of their offering.

Planning Pod combines all of the tasks that are generally needed to plan an event such as invoicing, budgeting, timelines, and ticketing and combines them into one easy to use dashboard. 

Advantages:

• One dashboard that consolidates budgeting, invoicing, attendee check-in and ticketing into one place so you’re not constantly searching through word docs, excel sheets and emails
• Ability to send emails straight from the platform (is not included in the basic package)
• Users can create a landing page on the software to direct attendees to purchase tickets
• Integrates with Stripe and Square
• Ability to duplicate events

Disadvantages:

• There is no phone support for the bottom tier packaging
• There is no mobile app or desktop version
• Users would like to see more training, a tax tool, and a more easy to use budget tool

My Opinion:

First of all I really appreciate softwares that take nonprofits into an account by offering them discounted services. A nonprofit who does multiple fundraisers or galas a year will definitely benefit from the dashboard that has all of the tools they need to execute an event. The ability to duplicate events is also helpful if nonprofits are replicating the same events year after year. If it’s something that you think would benefit your nonprofit I would suggest taking a free trial to see if Planning Pod is right for you and then pick the package that is best for your nonprofit.

Raise your hand if you felt helpless when Covid-19 devasted the country in March of 2020. We sat at home watching the news - wanting to help but not knowing how to. We knew that hospitals all over the country (and even in our counties) needed PPE; the supply chain industry was crippled; and people all over the country were getting sick from a disease we knew hardly anything about.

That was the fuel that Founder and Program Director Tess Gadwa needed to create Giving Map – an interactive map that showed Covid-19 infections around the country at a county level and subsequently where monetary donations were needed the most.  Since then Giving Map has expanded to include a Hunger Map displaying food insecurity throughout the nation.

In Use:

Giving Map’s statement is simple. It was created to “empower individuals to give whatever they can to the local organizations that will have the most impact.” A user interested in donating can go to Givingmap.org and see which states and counties are getting hit the hardest by Covid-19 and the hunger crisis. On the Covid-19 map, a county in dark green specifies there has been 0-9 new Covid-19 cases per 25,000 residents in the past 14 days. A purple county indicates that they have 500+ new cases per 25,000 residents in the past 14 days and are getting hit incredibly hard by the virus that has to date claimed 2.46 million deaths worldwide. Want to know more about a certain county? If you click on the county itself it will show Covid-19 data within the last 14 days including population; deaths in the past 14 days; new cases within the last two weeks; and how many total confirmed cases.

The hunger map, data indicates the number of people experiencing food insecurities as well as the total number of children experiencing food insecurities over a 14-day period.

While this map is a great way to stay informed about your county – you can also go that extra step and donate to a local organization in your county or another county that has been hit incredibly hard by the pandemic. Giving Map uses Charity Navigator’s interface to help donors find a local nonprofit organization to give to. If a nonprofit is located on Charity Navigator – then a donor can find them using Giving Map.

What started off as a way to help those in need of financial help due to Covid has morphed into an interactive map that can be used to impact all different areas of need from hunger to homelessness, and Civil Rights. Therefore, any nonprofit organization can benefit from Giving Map regardless of their mission.

Ease of Use:

Giving Map is easy to use. By clicking on “Give Now”, a donor can access 501(c)3 organizations across the country through Charity Navigator; a charity assessment organization and search engine that connects donors to nonprofits. Through Charity Navigator, a donor can search by category, size of the nonprofit, and the scope of work (regional, national, international). Charities that have been assessed are given a rating (1-5 stars) so you can feel confident as to who you’re donating to.

Technology Used:

Giving Map is an open source platform that sits on Github. People are free to contribute to it anyway they’d like. Along with being an open source software, Giving Map web site is also carbon neutral stating on their website that they “…strive to be a model for sustainability and integrate earth-friendly practices wherever possible.”

Because Giving Map is essentially a website (although it’s so much more), there is nothing that a user needs to download or install to use it. One only has to go to the website, click on the county they are interested in donating to and find local charities within the county parameters.

Recap:

Giving Map is an open source website that lets donors research local charities that they can donate to within their counties. It started off as a way to track Covid-19 statistics in real time and has grown since then to encompass all local charities around the country regardless of their mission.

Giving Map made headlines last November when the second wave hit around Thanksgiving. Creators used the daily Covid-19 data that they collected from John Hopkins University and created a time-lapse animated gif that showed just how much Covid-19 has spread. At one point almost the entire country turned maroon – indicating that there was anywhere between 100-499 new cases of Covid-19 per 25,000 Residents in a particular county. When asked about it, Erik Amlee, Technical Lead for the Giving Map team, stated that the gif resonated with a lot of people which showed the power that accurate data can have.

Advantages:

• Both the Covid-19 and Hunger maps are great ways for you to help the counties that need assistance the most
• Giving Map can also be used in conjunction with Charity Navigator to find a local charity in your area that you can donate to – regardless of their mission
• Giving Map sits on an open-source platform allowing anyone to contribute on the backend. In this way, contributors can make the map more functional, easier to use, and increase accuracy of the data displayed on the maps.

Disadvantages:

• I would love to see the map expand to include volunteer activities. As it stands right now users are only able to find charities to donate to as opposed to volunteer with.

My Opinion:

Like Erik said in our conversation, data visualization is an extremely powerful tool. I appreciate the steps that the Giving Map team went through to provide an accurate portrayal of the Covid-19 and Hunger crisis that has been gripping the nation at a county level. In my opinion it’s easier to relate to a situation when it’s happening in your backyard. And when you relate to a crisis like hunger or Covid-19 relief, a person is more apt to donate their time and resources.

Donating money is crucial to any nonprofit organization, but I would love to see the Giving Map explore ways to incorporate volunteerism into their maps. Some people don’t have the resources to donate money, but have time to volunteer – or they want to both donate and volunteer. Creating an asset that shows them which nonprofits are looking for volunteers is a way that people can help their community and nonprofits can access volunteers to assist them.

“We are Canva, but more,” explains Visme founder Paymen Taei, founder and CEO of Visme, a design platform for non-designers.  He’s right. Visme is Canva. But on steroids.  Like Canva, Visme is a design platform that allows non-designers (like me) the ability to create vibrant presentations, and videos using pre-existing templates, graphics, and pictures. But unlike Canva, Visme allows users to assemble an entire presentation as opposed to a one-off slide. It’s an accessible software that nonprofits can use without having to hire an outside design agency or hire a freelancer.

In Use:

According to Taei, who began his career as a web designer - Visme was a consolidation of many pain points that his clients were facing. They thought their presentations were ugly and needed him to spruce them up; their knowledge on graphic design was limited and therefore their designs were mediocre; or like many nonprofits – they didn’t have the funds to hire an agency to help them with their brand and creative. From there- Visme was born in 2013.

Like Canva, Visme has a free subscription that includes limited charts, widgets, and templates and up to 100 MB of storage. Users are allowed up to five public projects. Want to create private projects? Need more storage space, or want to access more templates, charts and widgets?  Visme has three other subscriptions that nonprofits can choose from with prices starting at $15 per montn if opting for an annual contract. Visme offers the “Business Plan” subscription to nonprofits at a 25% discount. The Business plan which is normally $29 per month (with an annual contract) comes with a Brand Kit, Analytics, Third-Party Integrations, and the ability to collect and store leads.

Ease of Use:

Visme is great for the non-designer because they have a lot of dynamic pre-existing templates that charities can choose from – whether they’re looking to create an infographic, video, or presentation for donors. They also supply charts and widgets that can be placed within a project. Want to excel beyond the pre-existing templates? Visme offers users educational resources that they can access for free. This includes blog posts, webinars, tutorials, and an online course.

Technology Used:

Visme projects live in the cloud and can be accessed anywhere. They can also be downloaded and exported as a Powerpoint, PDF, GIFs, or HTML-5 file. It all depends on what the user is more comfortable with.

Visme also integrates with third party applications such as Jotform, Youtube, Survey Monkey and Wistia. Using software such as Jotform or Survey Monkey, nonprofits can embed a form, survey, or video right into their presentation which allows for a seamless project.

Recap:

Visme is a “cloud-based visual content creation and collaboration platform” aimed at both designers and non-designers. It includes templates, pictures, graphs, and widgets that users can use to create vibrant and professional creative. Whether it’s an infographic, flowchart or animation – nonprofit organizations can skip the freelancer and create content without the expense ultimately saving them time and money.

Advantages:

• Nonprofits receive a 25% off of the “Business Plan” subscription that includes access to a Brand Kit, premium templates and unlimited projects
• Integrates with third parties such as YouTube and Survey Monkey – allowing users to embed a video or survey right into their presentation
• Presentation can be downloaded or live on the cloud
• Numerous pre-made templates to chose from that can be customized

Disadvantages:

• No mobile version yet
• Some users would like to see more pre-existing templates

My Opinion:

As someone who doesn’t have a creative bone in their body I love the fact that Visme has pre-made templates and visuals that nonprofits can use without spending thousands of dollars on an outside agency. Visme works with many nonprofits and I think even the smallest nonprofit can utilize the perks of Visme whether they opt for a free subscription or a Business Plan where they get a 25% discount. To get the most out of Visme, I would take advantage of their offerings whether it’s their blog posts or live webinars.

While Visme does not have a mobile version as of yet – it is in the works so nonprofits can expect to see it soon. It doesn’t mean that they can’t access Visme on their phones or tablets now – it just may be a bit cumbersome for the time being.

Recent studies have shown that millennials are the present and the future driving force behind the social responsibility movement in society. Accordingly, 70 percent of these millennials report that they will spend more money with companies and brands that support charitable causes. With research indicating that they represent up to $2.45 trillion in spending power, giving back will be a powerful way of attracting millennials and fostering their newfound giving culture. Here are some of the opportunities you should offer to your employees to support their giving within your organization:

• Bring the volunteer opportunities to them

There are many causes or volunteer opportunities that you can bring to your organization to the attention of willing employees. They can be fundraising requests, supporting people in financial need, or shipping kits to people for a given cause. As an organization, you can arrange a kit-building activity complete with a theme such as hygiene and disaster relief for education, among others.

• Train your employees and arrange ways they can give more than just money

Many employees have the willingness to give. However, most of them lack an understanding of how the charity works. Therefore, training is an excellent way of making understand how their donations will help society. Donations are a great way of making employees not only responsible but empathetic too. You can encourage your employees to donate other things such as clothing and goods, not just money.

• Encourage creativity

Creativity among employees is a critical element that promotes innovation and problem-solving. This is critical for organizations and charities that look for volunteers that will help them design or come up with ideas that will help them in a specific cause. Some of the areas that creativity can help include sewing dolls, creating thank-you and get-well cards, or making blankets. Having employees with these capabilities can boost the image of your organization.

• Empower your employees to support nonprofit of their choice

Employees can join a nonprofit at their pleasure, but empowering them makes everything different. Support the volunteer opportunities of your employees by partnering with various charities, mentoring them, or hosting charitable giving activities. Doing so will give them confidence that someone has their back, and this will make them feel that what they are doing is right.

• Set a good example

Employees who give back to charities love employers who set a good example through their giving. Encouraging employees to donate gifts for the homeless children, for example, during holidays, will set a good example and foster a giving culture within the organization. Anytime you encourage your employees to give, you should also take part in giving. You can also volunteer alongside your employees. This will see them priding themselves in your company’s generosity.

• Encourage the giving culture

Every organization needs to encourage volunteering and giving culture within their business. Further, they should be given rewards for their charitable deeds and involvement in giving. Doing this will see them take the community service seriously. Companies should schedule giving and philanthropy by making contributions in terms of time or money to those in need. Companies must also encourage employees to participate in different community initiatives and worthy charities in the local community.

• Learn the type of charities that your employees love

If you are planning to support your employees in their charitable initiatives, you must understand what employees are passionate about before donating. Carry out a survey to understand what they like and the initiatives that they will likely give to. From the list, pick the charities aligned to the company's mission, vision, and goals and the program that will likely interest your employees more.

For nonprofit organizations, identifying funding sources and deciding the suitable model for the organizations are some of the greatest challenges. This was even harder last year during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, as almost every industry suffered from coronavirus-related effects. The sources of funding shrunk as many donors focused on recovering from the pandemic. However, as we approach the second half of 2021, there is a sign of an increase in donations. In a survey done by FrontStream, 87 percent (9 in 10) of the respondents stated that they intended to give it to charity in 2021. Of these respondents, 19 percent plan to give more than they did in 2020. This is basically because of the easing pandemic-related challenges.

Groups that were initially not into a charity are also beginning to show some interest in this area. For instance, according to the survey, millennial cohorts are becoming one of the leading groups in terms of generosity, with 55 percent of the millennial respondents planning to give more than $500 to charity this year. Other groups such as Generation X are also planning to give to charity, with 44 percent saying they are willing to give in 2021. Other groups include Generation Z (33 percent) and boomers (26 percent).

The survey further found out that 87 percent of those interviewed made at least a single donation in a year while 57 percent donated four or more times a year. Furthermore, most respondents (31 percent) stated that the primary motivation behind their donations is to help others. In comparison, 30 percent stated that they are personally impacted by the causes championed by specific nonprofits. On the other hand, 27 percent claimed that the cause that nonprofits champion for impacts their friends or family, while 24 percent stated that they wanted to make an impact.

Despite the after-effects of the pandemic, Americans stepped up their charitable giving at the beginning of the year, with the survey data from DealAid.org indicating that some even donated more last year compared to what they did in 2019. Even as we continue to see the challenges we faced in the previous year, charitable giving will remain bright. The survey indicates that 19 percent will give more money in 2021 than they did in 2020. Furthermore, as companies seek to hire top talent this year, 54 percent of the respondents stated that they are looking for opportunities in organizations that favor workplace giving programs. Even as social distancing effects persist, we will see donors adopting new strategies as the social distancing measures become a new normal. Some of the things you should expect are virtual fundraising, which became normal with the pandemic.

According to the survey, most respondents support virtual activity-driven events, direct online donations, virtual live stream video, and virtual auctions. Virtual galas are also among the methods that fundraisers have embarked on to collect money for various causes. While these fundraising methods have long been seen to be ineffective, the pandemic shook things up, and we are witnessing their adoption by nonprofits and embraced by donors. With problems at hand, health charities will become the leading beneficiaries of the donations. A survey by DealAid on 1,130 respondents in the US on how much money people gave indicated that more than 55 percent of donors gave health-focused nonprofits most of their donations, and more are willing to do so this year.

Although things are expected to change significantly in 2021 concerning fundraisings and how they are conducted, we should expect the number of donations to rise, regardless of the chosen fundraising approaches.

Time is precious and today people only want to invest it in something which they're genuinely interested in. And they will only be interested in something which has grabbed their attention.  Today no one will be interested in attending your event if they do not know the reason behind it for how exciting it can be for them.  But how can you attract these people to your event? The primary key is to promote your nonprofit event in such a way that your support will be present but they will not be irritated.

When we talk about promoting a non-profit event, it is honestly all about building proper strategies and plans. Even though it might not seem that complicated, you will definitely need proper planning if you want to get this right. Your main goal is to grab the attention of the potential attendees and also encourage new registrations.

So if you are someone who is working in a non-profit team and you are looking for marketing strategies, then this article is definitely for you.

How to promote a non-profit event the right way?

If you are organizing a non-profit event, it is better to keep it public and open for all, so as to get maximum interested candidates. And there are many channels, both digital and printed, that you can use for marketing. Here are some of the best strategies you can go ahead with. 

• Email marketing.

Email marketing is a great component to boost attention for your nonprofit event. You can send out a "save the date" mail and send out a few reminders and details like the guest speaker, registration deadlines, etc. You can send the email to your entire list for one time and after that you can send the reminders based on the interactions you received with the first email. You do not want to annoy the people for sure.

• Social media.

This is one area where you definitely need to put efforts in. You can create a Facebook event and post about it on the official page of your organisation. You can use multiple other platforms apart from Facebook like Twitter, Instagram, etc. Plan a social media calendar so that you are not posting about the event way too often so as to create a sense of irritation among the viewers. Play around with the variety of content ideas like a countdown post to your event, exciting pictures, online auctions, etc. You can even post stories about the volunteers involved, create hashtags and ask your friends and followers to share the posts too.

• Calls to action.

That can be many forms of a call to action. You can add a statement at the end of your email campaign, a photo series in your social media post, for a landing page on your website. It is about gaining traffic and encouraging registrations and you need to make the most of it.

If you have your own blog, it's a great medium to promote your event to your supporters. You might use a blog post on the landing page of your event where you can even add small blog posts to your landing page which explains additional details about the event.

• Verbal recommendations. 

Word of mouth is definitely one of the oldest tricks available but it still works and there is no harm in trying it out. Don't we trust better when our friends recommend something to us? You can use this strategy and network with people around you. Encourage your volunteers and employees to spread the word as well.

Apart from these, there will definitely be other channels and marketing strategies that you can apply to promote your nonprofit event. But remember that timing is an essential factor and your strategies need to be aligned with your overall brand. Also keep measuring the result so that you know what's working and what's not. Hopefully these strategies will work for you and give you a place to start. Good luck!

In the past year, companies have struggled to shift into remote work while keeping their teams connected. For nonprofits, there has been a significant focus on digital transformation to help employees connect and collaborate. Cloud-based solutions are changing the experience of how people use software. With accelerated digital transformation necessitated by remote working, nonprofits can empower remote teams by connecting them with the tools needed to effectively deliver services anywhere and provide a flexible base for future resilience.

Easy Access and Security

One significant finding from this year is that reliable internet access and hardware to guarantee everyone stays connected cannot be taken for granted. Organizations in every industry had to first contend with helping provision their people with the equipment and connectivity necessary to carry on work efficiently, a process that many nonprofits have experience with given field work in low connectivity areas. Another finding was the reduced commuting time and increased flexibility in work cultures – an outcome of this latest evolution in work life for many.

The top concern organizations have when it comes to changing major technology solutions like finance and HR is the security of company information. Using modern cloud-based solutions, role-based permissions and security protocols mean resources and data can be safely accessed by remote teams, giving leaders peace of mind.

Security measures and defenses can be managed by vendors where economies of scale allow for more sustained focus instead of taking up valuable internal IT team resources, whose knowledge may become outdated and whose time would be better spent adding value to the organization. Plus, modern technology is more sophisticated in its ability to allow organizations to define user roles and permissions, so that people get the right level of information and access to make changes for the activity they are undertaking. 

Collaboration & Productivity

Before COVID-19, the biggest benefit to in-person work was the ease of communication and socialization. Rather than scheduling a meeting to connect, employees had the luxury of having a quick chat while walking to the kitchen or going to a coffee shop nearby for a quick break. With teams in remote workspaces, communication and collaboration have had to evolve. Cloud-based solutions provide a centralized platform for collaboration, business process improvement and contextual analysis with an interface that’s as intuitive as some social media platforms. This allows employees to enter real time explanations for colleagues to see contextual background on changes made in the system, keeping the collaborative work environments we saw pre-pandemic without the need to schedule yet another meeting. This way, you can save the virtual meetings for real engagement and brainstorming.

Culture

Nearly 30% of nonprofits shared they need to radically change their culture to adapt to remote work – highlighting the role culture plays within the industry. When it comes to digital transformation, organizational culture is the key to making it stick – and using it to improve engagement and productivity. We’ve heard from customers that digital transformation has resulted in people interacting more with their systems. Because they no longer have to manage so many administrative tasks – or upgrades, recoding workflows and maintenance – they are focused on managing the exceptions. And, as we all know, the “new normal” is full of exceptions!

Remote work also presents challenges that may persist longer than equipment shortages and connectivity hurdles. With the lines between work and home blurring, one issue is managing workloads and expectations. Creating a remote culture that values and engages its employees is necessary for preventing burnout, which has been overwhelmingly common through the pandemic.

Nonprofits that quickly responded to COVID-19 by showing respect for employees through new solutions and engagement managed to react positively to the challenge of remote working.

We’ve all had to implement changes – some that are likely to persist for many years. But the successful organizations are those that express empathy toward employees’ situations – and how they have treated employees in the past year will influence them for years to come.

Cyril Juanitas, Head of North America Nonprofit at Unit4

You can now say “Alexa make a donation to_____” and have Alexa use your Amazon pay account to make a donation up to $5,000.  Currently, this program is only available to select charities that have been invited by Amazon. However, it is likely that this program will be a hit with both donors and nonprofits, so it is something that you should have on your radar for the upcoming year. 

Another high tech trend to watch for 2020 is the rise in giving via a blockchain platform. A blockchain platform is  a public ledger relying on globally distributed historical transactions to prevent tampering and fraud. 

Blockchain was designed to offer a higher level of transparency for transactions. Many donors wish to know that their donations are going directly to the charity that they have selected for the express purpose of funding a certain project. A blockchain giving platform can give them that piece of mind. 

BitGive’s GiveTrack is an example of one such platform. BitGive shares detailed real time information about the financial and project status of the charities that they work with that are accepting donations via GiveTrack.

Global Giving is a crowdfunding platform designed to help small nonprofits raise awareness and money. Global Giving is also a nonprofit, which means it understands what nonprofits need to run a successful fundraising campaign. 

Global Giving also understands that small nonprofits don’t have a large budget, so there is no application fee to join the  Global Giving platform. There is no monthly subscription fee, however Global Givings has a 3% transaction fee along with a sliding scale support fee of 5-12% of collected donations. 

The site offers a host of training and support options for nonprofits that join the platform. There are webinars, training libraries, workshops, one on one phone consultations or site visits.  The platform has tools like gamification and incentives to increase donations. 

The platform offers all the standard fundraising campaign tools, including metrics, donor engagement, social media integration. What it also offers is opportunities to partner with large companies for matching grants, or specific giving programs with the company.

know your audience in order to determine if live streaming is right for your nonprofit. The people you want to engage through a live stream have to be savvy enough to access your video feed so that they aren’t overwhelmed or frustrated by the experience. Beyond this point, your decision should come down to value—both to the viewer and to your organization.

If your organization is exploring adding a livestream to your next event there are a few things that you should consider. First, is your event the type of event that makes for a good livestream. 

The purpose of the livestream is to generate enthusiasm and excitement from those who are unable to attend in person. The event you are live streaming has to be visually interesting enough to keep your online viewer engaged. The most successful live streams are based on events that have an element of excitement to them. Is your event a fashion show? Will there be cute animals?--you can never go wrong livestreaming cute animals.  Also, if your event includes a celebrity guest that you know people who were unable to attend in person would love to see, 

After determining if your event is right for a livestream, it’s time to consider if your intended audience is right for a livestream. If your audience is comfortable using Twitch, YouTube or social media, if you chose to livestream via Facebook than live streaming is a good idea. If your audience is not comfortable with those platforms it doesn’t mean that you can’t do a livestream it just means that you may not get a huge return from the event. 

Next, it’s time to plan your livestream events content. Think of your live stream as the modern equivalent to a charity telethon-except instead of broadcasting on TV your using the internet. A telethon doesn’t consist of a single still shot of the action and neither should your livestream. 

Create a content script. If your are doing a fashion show consider doing interviews with the models or designers (or stores that donated the fashion). Have a host roving the audience,anything to spice up the broadcast. Remember you want to keep the excitement going. 

Many livestream apps allow your organization to collect donations directly from the livestream platform, so make sure your call to action is clear. 

EveryAction wants to be everything to every nonprofit. This cloud based platform offers fundraising, advocacy, organizing and digital all in one package. 

For fundraising, you can use the platform to create a simple donation page for your website. You can also use the platform to track major gifts, pledges and other donations. And, you can run an online auction with it as well. 

Get all your advocacy done with social matching and listening which lets you monitor and track influential supporters and it has an advocacy module that makes it easy for you to turn your advocates into donors. 

Organize your supporters with the built in tools to manage your volunteers and coordinate your canvassing or phone bank events. 

The digital portion lets you build multi channel ad campaigns. The platform includes data visualization tools so you can make use of all the various data sets that your organization accumulates. 

Nonprofits can make the most out the remaining giving days in the year, reports The Nonprofit Times. 

You’ve survived Giving Tuesday – and hopefully come out of it with a nice boost of donation revenue for your nonprofit.

Read article on The Nonprofit Times

New Story, a nonprofit that focuses on using tech to build affordable housing, plans on having 50 new homes erected a Mexico community by the end of 2020. 

A giant 3D printer built two houses in an impoverished, rural part of Mexico last week, breaking ground on what will be the first 3D-printed neighborhood in the world.

Read article on Fox 2 Now

According to the Biz Tech Magazine, integrated giving is one of several technology trends that will impact nonprofits in 2020. 

Nonprofits have a lot on their plates. Charitable giving took a hit last year, declining for the first time since the Great Recession, forcing organizations to do more with less.

Read article on Biz Tech Magazine

Mobile friendly devices help contribute to the success of #GivingTuesday, reports Biz Tech Magazine.  

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday are all behind us, but the long Thanksgiving weekend isn’t over yet. Many will be digging deep into their pockets again today, but not for themselves—this time, it’s for Giving Tuesday. 

Read article on BizTech Magazine