If you are starting a nonprofit, or have recently started a nonprofit organization, you probably realize that technology is your greatest asset. Of course, beginning a nonprofit generally means you have a minimal budget and may be beginning the organization with an old computer. Non profit software is widely available for a price, but you can discover many open source programs that can take your nonprofit to the next level that are completely free.

Free Software

The first thing you will need is an office suite that can work with Microsoft Office. Many for-profit businesses are using Open Office, because it is completely free and includes powerful spreadsheet, word processor, presentation, and drawing programs. These will soon be something you depend on to run your daily business. Open Office runs on several different platforms including Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Another free non profit software option for an office program that you can use to easily share information is Google Docs. Google Docs includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, and form. The nice aspect to Google Docs is you can share files with others in your non-profit so everyone can see them and easily collaborate when necessary.

In addition, you will need a powerful email program. There are definitely free open source options including Thunderbird. Thunderbird has many possible add ons such as a fully-featured calendar with a reminder, which allows you to schedule activities and events. It also includes email with substantial organization capabilities.

Building a Website

You will need a website, but typically as a new nonprofit, you shouldn’t hire a professional web designer. Investigate programs such as WordPress, because this will walk you through setting up a blog and also offers inexpensive hosting. It is a business that has been in business for some time and is very respected.

Some Other Software

One type of nonprofit software that may cost a bit of money is donor database software. Controlling your costs as a nonprofit will always be an important task, but in the beginning it is crucially important. Some options for under $500 are Donation Solutions, DonorAccess, Donor Records, and Easy Gift, though there are many others. In the very beginning you may be able to get away with a spreadsheet for your donor donations, but eventually, you will need to invest.

Backing up your Data

You will need to have your data backed up and you can do this very cheaply via an online program like MozyPro, Carbonite, and iDrive. These services are very inexpensive. If you lost your data, your nonprofit could die. You must have it safely backed up so you can retrieve it at anytime.

Final Thoughts

To make an impact with your nonprofit organization, you will need to use technology and today there are many inexpensive or totally free options so that you can take your nonprofit to the next level.