Nonprofits Save Using Tech Industry

Though a recent article exposed how charities are using their investment portfolios like venture capitalists, many nonprofits are still behind on how to raise money for their foundations. Working on an archaic system of donations, fundraisers, mailers, etc; grassroots nonprofits have had a hard time coming into the tech age, and using it to their advantage.

Though many nonprofit finance executives have heard of tech, they are struggling to keep up with it in a meaningful way, mostly due to budgetary restrictions. However, there are some free high-tech options from reputable companies that can soften sticker shock.
Along with pro bono-type services, there are some key ways that nonprofit organizations save money on technology.

Donations

Tech giants are becoming increasingly philanthropic so it goes to reason that there are many that are willing to donate funds and equipment to charities. Take advantage of that! Many small charities need the basics of a workstation, and this is a great way to attain those things for cheap — or free. Make sure that you’re only accepting equipment that will work for its intended purpose and partner with a technology resource who can help ensure that all your donated technology is up to par.

Barter
One of the benefits of being a nonprofit organization is that most run fundraisers throughout the year. These events are a great opportunity for other organizations to gain exposure in the community and network. Events are a great venue in which to trade with technology vendors in exchange for their services. Many tech sponsors are willing to donate their services in exchange for sponsor recognition at charity events.

Discounts
One of the biggest benefits of being a non-profit is all of the discounts on technology licensing and services. Nonprofit organizations can pay thousands every year for email and office software. What many nonprofits don’t recognize is that companies often have discounts for nonprofits, or open source options for free.

Here is a list of some such services:

Dreamhost (Free web hosting)
Dropbox (Free data storage)
Evernote (Organization Management)
Google Apps for Nonprofits (Document storage)
Office 365 (Email, Microsoft Office)
OpenOffice (Document)
Salesforce.com (Customer Relationship Management)

If you’re a nonprofit that isn’t savvy to new technologies, you may be losing opportunities and money that could go towards your causes. Get online and do some research into what products and services are available to you for free, or deep discounts; and use the money you save towards your charity initiative.

For a more robust list of free/cheap services, visit HERE