Keeping your Nonprofit Connected During a Pandemic and After

Do you feel like you’ve learned anything from this COIVD-19 pandemic so far? When I am at home with my family, I can forget or pretend that the old normal is back, but as soon as I go out anywhere, it all comes back to me. As we must keep our physical distance, wear a mask, and so many events/activities are canceled, I don’t feel as connected to others. Through this challenging time, I have become more aware of the people around me and how much we matter to each other. We are better together.

Is your nonprofit organization struggling to stay connected in this remote work environment? Several organizations that I’ve spoken with are having a tough time feeling connected with their staff, co-workers, volunteers, and donors.

Communication is Critical

Making sure that everyone feels involved, included, and appreciated is no small task. One of the tools that can be a big help to keeping your nonprofit connected is Microsoft 365 licenses for you, your staff, and co-workers. This tool provides a wonderful communication application and central storage so you can all access the same documents, and everyone has the latest updated version. You will also receive task management tools and the latest updates to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Whether you are currently using Gmail or Outlook for your email, you can take advantage of the applications that come with Microsoft 365. An added benefit is that the first ten licenses of Microsoft 365 Business Premium are free for eligible nonprofit organizations. Microsoft and Advisicon are working to make the benefits of world-class cloud technology accessible and affordable for nonprofit organizations.

Included in the Microsoft 365 Business Premium licenses:

  • Up to ten donated licenses for eligible nonprofits, the rest are an additional $5/user/month
  • Web and Desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
  • Ability to create automated workflows with Microsoft Flow
  • Online meetings with screen sharing, audio and HD video
  • Hub for teamwork with Microsoft Teams
  • Task management for teams with Microsoft Planner
  • Business-class email, calendar, and contacts
  • File storage and sharing with 1TB per user
  • Device management
  • Advanced security features

More information can be found here.

Keep your Nonprofit Connected with Microsoft Teams

Teams comes with all Microsoft licenses at no additional cost. Here at Advisicon, we have been using Microsoft Teams for our organization for the past couple of years, as it is replacing Skype for Business. It has been great to have everything in one place, especially now that so many people are working remotely. Rather than walking down the hall to talk to a co-worker, I now chat with them through Microsoft Teams. I can either call or send an instant message.

I do miss seeing them face to face, but then I remember I can do a video call, and we can see each other too. We have all staff meetings through Teams, and it has been working out great for us. We even have a virtual happy hour every week through Teams. This is a time for us to get to know each other better and to talk about anything other than work. I’ve found that the better you know someone, the easier it is to understand them and work with their quirks. We all have our own quirks!

I can invite anyone to join our meetings, even people outside of our organization. In most situations, MS Teams could replace other call/video conferencing options. When a new team is created in MS Teams, a SharePoint site is automatically created in the background, and you can upload or create new documents here. Everyone you allow into your team will have access to these documents.

Advisicon has created a Microsoft Teams Quick Start Guide, and we would be happy to share this with you. Just reach out, and we will help you with any questions you have. Teams is my top recommendation to those aiming to keep their nonprofit connected!

Apply for Free Licenses and Discounts

Getting set up to receive the donated licenses and the discounted price for additional licenses isn’t too difficult. You will need to register your organization with Microsoft to receive nonprofit eligibility status. Apply here.

Once you receive your nonprofit eligibility status, contact us and we will help assign those free licenses to your organization’s users. You will find great joy in sharing and editing documents,  collaborating from one place, video conferencing without an additional subscription cost, and the ability to work anywhere on any device.

Get Training and IT Support:

Once your licenses are good to go, we will not leave you to figure it out on your own. We provide Nonprofit specific Training and IT Support to meet your individual organization’s needs. We have found that most organizations need some training to feel comfortable using their software applications and understanding their new options and features available. It is also helpful to have someone to call when you have a technology question. Advisicon can be your trusted cloud solution partner and provide regular monthly support or support as you need it.

We are all in this together, and we are better together. Let’s help each other and try to remember that we are all going through something, even if it’s not visible on the outside.

We are here to help you and your nonprofit organization be successful and stay connected. Let us know how we can help.

To learn more about our Nonprofit and Community Outreach support programs, follow this link.