Not-for-Profit (NFP) organisations worldwide, whether big or small, use Microsoft 365 in their day-to-day operations. This productivity and collaboration platform offers an array of tools such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive, among many others.
One can use Microsoft 365 across different industries due to its versatility. Take Excel and Word, for example. These desktop products are a household name not only because they’ve been around for decades, but because of their multi-purpose use. This made them the standard choice of software by millions worldwide. And with an array of subscription options, businesses and NFP organisations alike can select which options are the best for them depending on their size and needs.
According to Yale Insights, organisations in the NFP/Non-profit sector are not focused on innovation. Instead, they focus more on their mission and spend little to no time thinking about how they could bring in and help more clients.
As the world quickly embraces digital technology, and with more people needing help from NFP's, sticking to the old ways will bring in more challenges than it's worth. That’s where Microsoft 365 comes into the picture. With Microsoft 365, Not-for-Profit organisations can grow and thrive and help more people in need of their service. And as one of the best IT support providers in Perth, we can help you with achieving your mission.
Why do I need Microsoft 365 in my Not-for-Profit Organisation?
If your organisation is having trouble connecting to staff across multiple locations, accessing documents and information from anywhere, and managing paperwork, then it’s time to switch to Microsoft 365.
With Microsoft 365, you can optimise your organisation’s efficiency in helping people, collaborating with staff and shareholders securely, and managing documents without hassle. Optimising these day-to-day tasks and operations can create a significant impact not just on your organisation, but also on the people you’re helping.
Microsoft 365 is equipped with cloud-based technologies that will give you the privilege to focus more on your mission rather than technology. Using Microsoft 365 for your NFP’s digital transformation makes goals more achievable and helps people more easily.
How NFPs can benefit from Microsoft 365
NFP organisations that use Microsoft 365 have more professional advantages than those that don’t. Yes, it can optimise staff productivity and maximise IT ROI. But how?
Mailbox Management
Microsoft Exchange Online hosts all your business emails without the need to manage servers, VPNs, or remote email access. With 99.9% uptime, you can ensure that your mailboxes, calendars, and contacts are safe from harm and accessible anytime from any device.
Storage
Not only does Microsoft Exchange Online support and host emails, but it also offers a substantial amount of storage that you and your staff can use. It’s important to note that storage space varies on your Microsoft 365 subscription plan. For a starter package, you’ll have 25GB of available mailbox storage for each user. So, you should know how much storage your organisation will require.
Aside from Exchange Online, Microsoft 365 also offers 1TB OneDrive cloud storage for each user of your organisation, where you could safely store and share data with the people in your organisation.
Office Applications
Microsoft 365 offers web and desktop versions of Office applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, and OneNote. This feature gives your staff the flexibility to access, edit, and share documents anytime and anywhere. As long as there’s an internet connection.
Aside from the cloud-based integration, your staff can also use Microsoft 365 apps on up to five devices, whether on PC, Mac, smartphone, or tablet.
Conference and Collaboration
Microsoft 365 also comes with collaboration tools where you could instantly message staff, engage with volunteers and shareholders, connect with potential donors, and collaborate with anyone inside and outside your organisation in one place anytime, anywhere.
For more information, watch how we manage our day-to-day with Microsoft Teams.
Which Microsoft 365 plan is the right one for my NFP?
Each Not-for-Profit organisation has unique operational and technological requirements. There is no such thing as a standard Microsoft 365 plan that will work for businesses of all shapes and sizes. To make Microsoft 365 work for your organisation, you have to figure what your staff currently needs technical-wise as well as the status of your IT (if there’s any at all).
Microsoft offers a series of subscription plans for non-profits organisations built for small to large organisations.
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic (Donation)
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard (AU$4.12 user/month)
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium (Donation)
- Office 365 E3 (AU$6.52 user/month)
- Office 365 E5 (AU$20.35 user/month)
Each free and discounted plan has its inclusions/exclusions. One is that the two fully donated plans only allow the web and mobile version usage of Office applications, while the discounted plans allow usage of desktop versions of Office applications for up to five devices per user.
Learn more about Microsoft 365's Subscription Plans for Nonprofits and Charities here.
Lead the way to your NFP’s Digital Transformation with Microsoft 365
The goal of implementing Microsoft 365 throughout your organisation is to create a seamless and flexible working platform to effectively help as many people in need of your service as possible. With or without an in-house IT team, you can administrate settings, updates, and services according to your organisation’s needs. But if that’s too big of a task, you can always acquire the help of a Managed IT Service Provider certified in Microsoft 365.
Whichever Microsoft 365 integrated solution you choose for your NFP, you are guaranteed full access to their Office applications, secure data storage, collaboration and web conferencing tools, license and credential management, and more.
Now is the time for your Not-for-Profit organisation to take a technological approach toward your mission of helping people.
If you don't know where to start, you can sign up for a FREE IT Health & Security Check and one of our tech experts will get in touch with you shortly.
