15 Free Must Have Resources for Nonprofit Organizations

Most new and old nonprofit organizations have limited funds to grow. It’s where they can leverage the benefit of free resources. These free resources can help in the expansion and success of any nonprofit. Nonprofits can stay ahead of the competition and save time and money by using online and offline tools.

Hence, in this article, we’ve recollected our favorite tools that could help nonprofits build, manage and boost their business for free. Nonprofits no longer have to constrain themselves from expanding because of budget. Most tools in this blog are free, while some may ask for minimal payments to access premium features.

15 Free Resources For Nonprofits

We know that the primary goal of nonprofits is fundraising. But apart from that, nonprofits also have to manage day-to-day activities like other businesses. Thus, the tools listed are not only limited to fundraising but also to help nonprofits stay productive and manage work seamlessly. We have divided these resources into different categories. Let’s look at them one by one.

1. Money Management And Finance Tools

Money drives the mission of nonprofits. Creating budgets and managing finances can spur long-term growth and success for nonprofits. It will help nonprofits keep track of their income and make it clear where to cut their overhead costs. Nonprofits can minimize manual work and increase productivity using money management and finance tools.

Let’s look at some of the money management and finance tools for nonprofits:

QuickBooks

Maintaining track of donations is important since nonprofits collect contributions from various sources. They might also need to keep tabs on the costs of various fundraising initiatives and programs. It’s where QuickBooks can help them. It helps nonprofits automate this process. With QuickBooks, nonprofits may effortlessly keep track of their revenue and costs. Nonprofits may use QuickBooks to manage their accounting needs, including keeping track of donations, invoicing, and bookkeeping.

The best thing is that QuickBooks offers discounted prices for nonprofits through Techsoup, a nonprofit tech marketplace. Additionally, nonprofits can enjoy a 30-day free trial of QuickBooks before purchasing a subscription.

Zipbooks

Zipbooks is a one-stop solution for nonprofits looking for free nonprofit accounting software. With Zipbooks, nonprofits can accept donations, manage account balances, and create a proper budget while focusing on their growth. Keeping track of donations is one tricky thing for nonprofits. Zipbooks helps nonprofits track their income and expenses in real-time, create advanced financial reports, up-to-the-second balance sheets, and much more.

Nonprofits using ZipBooks reduce time spent on routine bookkeeping activities by 15%. Not only that but also that Zipbooks is a 100% cloud-based solution. So anyone can track nonprofit account balances and accept payments from anywhere in the world. Nonprofits in their initial phase or those running short on budget for expensive nonprofit accounting software must explore Zipbooks free plan.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Tools

It is expensive and time-consuming to find new donors. Nonprofits need to retain their existing donors. It’s also seen that existing donors tend to contribute more than the new. Hence, nonprofits must engage with donors and offer them a seamless user experience. It’s where CRM tools play an essential role. It provides nonprofits with important donor details to maximize their relationship with donors.

Following are some best free nonprofit CRM tools:

Zoho CRM

Nonprofit businesses carry out a lot of tasks manually, including scheduling calls, preparing reports, tracking donor details, performing audits, etc. This keeps nonprofits away from focusing on core areas of their business. Using CRM tools like Zoho helps them automate a lot of activities, thus resulting in increased productivity. Nonprofits can migrate their spreadsheets, automate processes, and create robust fund management software with Zoho.

Zoho CRM tool also helps nonprofits create Omni channel presence by easily integrating with social media, website, email, WhatsApp, and SMS. It also helps nonprofits segregate donor information to create targeted campaigns. On top of it, the tool is available for both desktop and mobile.

Salesforce

Today almost 47000 nonprofits use Salesforce. 76% of nonprofits report that Salesforce is helping them become more efficient and strengthen their relationship with donors. Apart from fundraising, nonprofits must stay organized, maintain transparency, and manage finances. They can do all of this with the help of Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud.

It may be quite challenging for nonprofit organizations to manage things like finances, grants, and the workforce. They can stay organized by using CRM software like Salesforce. It makes it possible for nonprofit teams to design custom dashboards so they can manage and carry out their work more effectively. Nonprofits can do a lot with Salesforce, including program administration, effective communication across channels, and fundraising.

The key benefit of Salesforce is NPSP (Nonprofit Success Pack). It’s a free, open-source software package that helps nonprofits in determining the effectiveness of their fundraising initiatives using insightful reports and analytics.

Fundraising Software

Fundraising is the lifeblood of nonprofit organizations. Therefore, choosing the right fundraising software is quintessential. Fundraising software can help nonprofits accept donations worldwide, manage donor information, secure data, and increase brand awareness. A complete win-win situation.

Here’s the best fundraising software for nonprofits - Donorbox.

Donorbox

Trusted by 50,000+ organizations across 96 countries, Donorbox donation software is a one-stop solution for nonprofits. It can help nonprofits increase their donations by 400%. It enables setting up donation buttons anywhere on emails, websites, and outreach posts, so nonprofits don’t miss an opportunity to collect donations. Not only that, nonprofits can customize these buttons with a compelling CTA (Call to action). Nonprofits can quickly create a secure fundraising page using Donorbox that is unique to them.

Donations made through mobile giving have gone up by 205% in the last year. Therefore, nonprofits must provide the Text-to-Give option. Using Donorbox, nonprofits may activate this service, which enables donors to make donations by simply texting a text message to their mobile phones.

Here are a few listed benefits of Donorbox for nonprofits:

• Quick integration with apps like Salesforce, Mailchimp, PayPal.
• Easy to create fundraising campaigns
• Accept payments in 135+ Currencies, 11 Languages.
• Dedicate high priority support 24/7
• Features like text-to-give, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer fundraising, event ticketing, membership campaigns, and more.
• PCI compliance

Email Marketing Software

Email marketing is the most efficient and cost-effective way for nonprofits to increase their donor base. Nonprofits can increase their brand recognition, attract and convert donors, engage current and future donors, and do more with the help of email marketing. But using the right email marketing software can help nonprofits maximize the potential of their email marketing efforts.

Let’s look at some best and free nonprofit email marketing software:

Mailchimp

Do you know? Mailchimp provides a 15% discount to verified nonprofit organizations and charities. Nonprofits looking to get started with email marketing must explore a free plan by Mailchimp. Sending personalized emails can help nonprofits get 6x higher transaction rates. It's where nonprofits can use Mailchimp to segment donors and send personalized emails.

Creating automated welcome emails with Mailchimp can help nonprofits boost donor engagement. Like for-profit businesses, measuring email marketing campaigns' success is important for nonprofits. The powerful analytics of Mailchimp can help nonprofits get a clear picture of open and click-through rates. Based on the results, they can improve their content and make it more relevant.

The comprehensive analytics reports are just one of the many benefits of using Mailchimp. For example, it has an RSS-to-email subscription option, which means donors can receive news straight to their inboxes. They'll get all the updates as soon as they're available, so they'll be more inclined to stay engaged. The organizations themselves can also benefit from email marketing services.

Mailchimp features like easy integration can help nonprofits increase their email list and maximize their outreach.

EmailOctopus

With EmailOctopus, nonprofits are eligible for a lifetime discount of 20%. Nonprofits can save up to 60% on email marketing costs by using EmailOctopus. Additionally, EmailOctopus doesn't charge nonprofits for unsubscribed contacts. Isn't that great?

Nonprofits should pick an email marketing platform that is simple to use and helps to create campaigns quickly. EmailOctopus provides a user-friendly and simple platform, making it ideal for nonprofit organizations that rely on volunteers and interns to create email marketing campaigns. Nonprofits may avoid the hassle of training thanks to EmailOctopus.

5. Communication Tools

Global team members, volunteers, and donations make up nonprofit organizations. Keeping in contact with them is challenging. However, the best nonprofit communication tool can facilitate communication and guarantee that everyone is on the same page. Nonprofits may assign projects, manage time, and get real-time updates on activities using a simple and affordable communication tool.

Let’s look at some nonprofit communication tools:

Trello

Trello is the best tool to help nonprofits stay organized and keep track of their progress. Nonprofits can use Trello for different purposes like event planning, task management, fundraising, content creation, etc. Trello helps to improve internal and external communication as nonprofits can create boards, assign tasks, or create activities and check them off when completed. It’s easy for everyone to access the boards resulting in a seamless flow of communication.

Also, nonprofits can avail of discounts on all Trello plans. But they must meet their basic requirements and apply for Atlassian Community License. Nonprofits on a budget looking for the best communication tools must check out Trello!

Slack

Slack is a powerful communication tool used by more than 6,00,000 organizations. It has many benefits for nonprofit organizations too. Nonprofits can create separate channels for their internal and external communication and share messages, ideas, and files within these channels. It helps the communication continue while on the go. With the real-time messaging of Slack, nonprofits can keep volunteers updated about their progress and other important announcements without messages getting lost.

As a result, it boosts efficiency and productivity. Nonprofits can also apply for Slack for Charities discount to avail of free or discounted upgrades. Under Pro Subscription, it offers workspaces with 250 or fewer members a free upgrade and an 85% discount for workspaces above that size. Whereas under Business+ subscription, it offers workspaces of any size at an 85% discount.

6. Time Management Tools

Time management is important for nonprofits to increase productivity and accomplish their goals. Nonprofits should keep track of the time spent on each task using time management tools. It helps nonprofits in automating repetitive processes and eliminating those that are unnecessary. With the best time management tool for nonprofits, organizations can prioritize their tasks and avoid rushing due to approaching deadlines.

Nonprofits looking for free time management tools must check Asana and ProofHub.

Asana

Nonprofit organizations should spend more time focusing on their goal, but in reality, they spend most of their time on mundane tasks like onboarding volunteers and compiling reports. Using time management tools like Asana help nonprofits automate their manual process. Instead of tracking every task manually, nonprofits can manage all their projects and programs in one place using Asana. Since nonprofits have employees and volunteers worldwide, Asana makes it easy for them to collaborate.

To help nonprofits focus on mission-critical work, Asana has a nonprofit program where qualified organizations can save 50% on a one-year Premium or Business subscription, plus get numerous free Asana resources.

ProoHub

ProoHub makes it easy to track time for each project, set time estimates, and prepare time reports in one place. Making it easy for teams to collaborate and share their ideas, suggestions, and files ProofHub saves time and effort. Nonprofits can easily add upcoming events and milestones in ProofHub to keep their team updated. So nonprofits no longer have to worry about upcoming events and dates. The easy-to-create ProofHub reports make it much easier for nonprofits to track their team's progress and improve performance.

ProoHub also offers a discount of 40% on ProofHub's Ultimate Control Plan to nonprofit organizations to help them focus on their mission. For this, they need to simply create a ProofHub account and send an email at [email protected] informing them about their nonprofit.

7. Social Media Tools

Creating a strong social media presence is very important for nonprofits. Why? It helps them attract and retain new donors, keep existing donors informed about their organization, and promote upcoming fundraising events. But doing all of this manually feels like running a hamster wheel. Hence, nonprofits need to invest in a free and low-cost social media tool that makes it easy to track and manage all accounts in one place.

Let’s look at some best social media tools for nonprofits:

Buffer

Buffer is a great social media tool for nonprofits just getting started or on a tight budget. Nonprofits can begin with its free plan, which allows them to manage 3 social media accounts and create 10 posts per month. Additionally, Buffer gives all registered nonprofits a 50% discount. Isn't that great?

Buffer allows organizations to customize their content to maximize their efforts and even recommends the optimal time to post. Nonprofits can also schedule their content in advance and analyze the performance of their posts. It’s a one-stop solution for nonprofits to get started with social media, save time by scheduling and generate automatic reports.

Hootsuite

Social media is an effective tool for nonprofits to promote fundraising events, grow their donor base, and create a volunteer network. With Twitter as a required option, nonprofits can connect three separate social media accounts using Hootsuite's free version. Hootsuite offers multiple features for nonprofits like:

• Monitor multiple social media accounts in one place
• Schedule posts in advance
• Measure and track results
• Engage in a conversation using the inbox
• Collaborate with team

Hootsuite is a goldmine for nonprofits since it helps them do everything. i.e., scheduling, posting, reporting at one place

8.Content Creation Tools

By creating and distributing valuable content, nonprofits can engage with a new and existing audience, encourage them to take action, and build long-term relationships with donors. However, content creation can be challenging for nonprofits with limited resources. But investing in a content creation tool can pay off significantly.

Here are some best and free content creation tools for nonprofits:

Canva

Creating content is not enough. You also need to make your content visually appealing. Why? Because it grabs the attention of readers and encourages them to take some action. Canva is a No.1 free graphic designing tool to help you create visually rich content.

Benefits of using Canva for nonprofits

• Free designing platform
• Create stunning social media posts
• Create Infographics and blog images
• Free templates to make content creation easy
• Hundreds of elements, icons, and graphics to choose from.

Canva is easy to use and doesn’t require special skills, so nonprofits don’t have to stress hiring graphic designers. Every nonprofit should add this tool to their content creation strategy with endless features and options to explore.

Canva also offers free Canva Pro to registered nonprofits. To know more, read their guidelines.

BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo is another great tool for nonprofits. The tools help nonprofits search for trending keywords, stories, and questions to create content around them. With BuzzSumo, nonprofits can create content that matters to their audience. Not only this, but nonprofits can also use BuzzSumo for competitor analysis. They can find competitors' top-performing content and gauge their content strategy. This will help them stay ahead of their competitors.

Today nonprofits also leverage the benefit of influencer marketing to maximize their reach and encourage the audience to contribute to their cause. But finding influencers who care about the cause is hard. That's where BuzzSumo can help by finding influential players in just about any topic or industry.

BuzzSumo also has special pricing for registered nonprofits and charities. If that's not convincing, what else will be? Check it out now.

It’s Time To Scale Your Nonprofit Business

Running a nonprofit business shouldn’t be expensive. Hence, the tools and resources mentioned above will help nonprofits expand without worrying about their budget.

Even if you have a budget and access to robust marketing tools, sparing your wallet by using these free tools will do no harm.

Some tools also offer a free trial. Check and trial the tools or software mentioned above before making an upfront payment.

Which of the above tools were you already using for your nonprofit business? Do you have any other tools in mind other than those mentioned above, let us know in the comments.