Staying competitive is a challenge for everyone, especially for nonprofit organizations. Due to their often limited resources, nonprofits are usually lagging in tech innovations. That’s where cloud-based software for nonprofits comes into the picture. These solutions can help nonprofits to achieve more with fewer resources.
Let’s see how cloud-based solutions can help nonprofit organizations and why they are so useful.
What are Cloud-based Software Solutions?
Cloud-based software solutions are applications hosted on a cloud. In other words, businesses can reach them over the internet, without the need to create them in-house or install them locally. In-house software solutions require lots of resources when it comes to creation and maintenance. Thus, they’re not always the most suitable option for smaller businesses or nonprofit organizations. However, small companies are not the only ones benefiting from cloud-based software. Even enterprise companies find it easier to manage complex data via the cloud instead of doing it locally.
There are various cloud-based solutions, but the most common categorization is the following:
- Software-as-a-Service (Saas)
- Platform-as-a-Service (Paas)
- Infrastructure-as-a-Service (Iaas)
Not every company needs all of these categories. But, it would be good to dive into the benefits of cloud-based technology for nonprofits.
10 Benefits of Cloud-Based Technology and SaaS for Nonprofits
No matter what their focus might be, nonprofits need to operate efficiently and constantly improve their visibility. Despite initial doubts, more nonprofit organizations are opening doors for cloud-based technology. The main reason behind it – the several benefits that cloud computing and software-as-a-service solutions can offer.
1. Cost-Effective
As the name suggests, nonprofits do not charge for their work. Therefore, they’re operating with limited resources, and need to pay attention to where they spend their money. Tech innovations are expensive most times, so it helps a lot that cloud computing is a cost-effective option. Cloud-based solutions help nonprofits achieve the same goal but with significant savings. Burdening personal device storage or investing in external storage accessories is no longer necessary. When data is stored in a cloud, that means that there is no need to use your resources. Thus, creation and maintenance are a lot easier, and what’s even more important – cheaper.
2. Scalability
Software can usually be very complex and not all organizations need the same level of complexity. The more complex the software, the more expensive it is, mainly, because it requires some level of customization. Thus, a great benefit that comes with cloud-based solutions is their scalability. Different solutions can meet everyone’s needs, so all that nonprofits have to do is choose what suits them best. For example, they can go with a simpler version of data analysis solutions, but decide on a complex data storage option.
3. Accessibility
Accessibility is another important benefit. Cloud-based solutions allow easier access for everyone within the organization. In-house solutions can sometimes be too complex for everyone, but that’s not an issue with cloud computing. Sharing documents among team members is much easier and there’s less chance that something gets lost since it’s stored online. Also, sharing documents with someone outside of the organization is much safer in this way. If someone from the organization has sent the wrong link to a third party, they won’t be able to open it without access.
4. Improved Collaboration
On the other hand, with a simple “give access”, organizations can share their documents and files. By doing so, their internal and external collaboration happens smoother and faster. With many organizations working remotely, collaboration in terms of knowledge sharing is not easy. But, with cloud-based software, sharing study materials among colleagues is easier. These tools can also help nonprofits with implementing workforce empowerment strategies. Workforce empowerment allows employees to feel more in control of their career path and decision-making process.
5. Enhanced Security
Besides access rights, cloud-based solutions can deal with more complex security threats. For instance, data encryption and threat detection and response can be something where these solutions can help. By integrating security cloud-based software, nonprofits can protect their data from external threads.
6. Data Analytics and Insights
If a nonprofit organization is dealing with huge databases, then analyzing them is far from easy. That’s another place where technology for nonprofits, including the Best NPS tools, comes to the rescue. Cloud-based software can offer various data analytics and insights options. From charts, and data summaries, to different visualizations – all with the intention of better understanding data. Depending on the type of software, organizations can analyze different data. Some can be used for tracking website data, while others can help with social media interaction.
7. Compliance and Reporting
Another great benefit of cloud-based software solutions is compliance. Compliance software and its reporting capabilities help nonprofits have visibility over their cloud assets. By doing so, they reduce the threat risks and ensure a higher protection level of the cloud infrastructure.
8. Improved Project Management
Project management, tasks, and people organization is a very tough thing to do. There are cloud-based solutions that can help with scheduling and tracking projects. You can combine it with already available meeting scheduling tools and other project management software. In that way, the whole process is more streamlined. For organizations dealing with many projects, such as nonprofits, this can be a lifesaver. Improved project management results in higher productivity since good task organization is the core.
9. Reduced IT Burden
As already mentioned, nonprofit organizations struggle with resources. Since the IT ones are usually the most expensive, it’s a great plus to overcome them. Cloud-based software offers just that – achieving the same goal, but with reducing the IT burden. When there is data automation, employees feel less IT burden and can allocate their time to more important things.
10. Enhanced Donor Engagement
Nonprofit organizations live from donations, so it’s crucial to attract and manage donors. Cloud-based software can even help with that. They make it easy to manage donor databases, easily access them, track events, and keep an eye on the payments.
5 Essential Tools for Nonprofits to Enhance Efficiency
After explaining the main benefits, let’s see the concrete tools that can provide these benefits.
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Comidor – automation software
Comidor is a comprehensive business process management (BPM) and workflow automation software designed to facilitate digital transformation within organizations. Launched in 2004, Comidor offers a platform that empowers businesses to streamline and automate their processes, enhancing efficiency and collaboration. With a focus on cloud-based solutions, Comidor enables scalability, accessibility, and innovation. Its features include process modeling, workflow automation, collaboration tools, app development, and integration capabilities, making it a versatile solution for organizations seeking to optimize and automate their business operations.
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Billdu – invoicing software
Billdu is a leading invoicing software designed for non-profit organizations, freelancers, and small businesses. It simplifies financial management with a user-friendly, cloud-based system tailored for unique budgeting and accounting needs. Nonprofits can efficiently create, track, and manage invoices, enhancing financial transparency and accuracy
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Slack – collaboration software
Slack is probably one of the best-known and most-used communication software. It works as a chat platform where organization members can chat and brainstorm ideas. Moreover, it allows users to share files, links, and images. A very user-friendly software that, besides its paid version, also has a free one that offers more than enough features.
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Donorperfect – donor management software
Donorperfect helps nonprofits raise money by growing their community of supporters. They offer donor data and insights for a better understanding of where and when the donations are coming from. Also, they help with organizing donor events as well as different donor programs to stimulate donations even more.
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Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) – cloud storage software
Amazon S3 stands as a versatile and scalable object storage service within the Amazon Web Services (AWS) ecosystem, catering to a diverse array of use cases.
Conclusion
In an increasingly digital world, the power of cloud-based software solutions is huge. Their scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness are crucial for nonprofit organizations. From data security to collaboration, these tools help nonprofits to allocate their resources. By doing so, nonprofits can focus on their core mission and amplify their community impact.
