By Katherine Turner, Digital Marketing Specialist at Cureo, a nonprofit collaboration software that helps nonprofits and communities work better, together.
The success of a nonprofit is impacted by how well it can coordinate the work of a variety of teams that include staff and external stakeholders such as board members, volunteers, and community partners. Online collaboration tools can dramatically improve the effectiveness of these teams, e.g. for fundraising, community partnerships, events, and others, leading to better fundraising, improvement in outcomes, and more efficient use of limited organizational resources.
1. Community Partnerships
Think of the term ‘collective impact.’ In order to truly affect change for the good in a community, multiple service organizations and stakeholders, all of which have different focuses, must work together. True success lies in having everyone working together with the same expectations.
Online collaboration platforms are key to this success, and in return, can help your nonprofit raise more funds through the power of connections. However, when it comes to collaborating with people outside of your organization, it may be difficult to get everyone using one common platform. Simplicity of use and ease of access is a must. That’s where Cureo’s nonprofit collaboration software comes in.
Cureo allows those involved in a nonprofit community from internal staff to board members, volunteers, and community partners to effectively collaborate through one simple platform. With no logins, no software to learn, no third party websites to remember, anyone can interact with content from Cureo simply by replying to an email. Simple and accessible.
cureo.com
2. Internal Efficiency
‘Silos’ are very common in nonprofit organizations and breaking down these functional barriers is necessary for success. Having an online collaboration tool that allows you to connect to all aspects of your organization will help by getting everyone on the same page.
An intranet is a great option to expanding your internal efficiency. An intranet is a private network belonging to an organization. The site requires access permissions, which allows you to securely share information with those in your workplace. Resources involved in your nonprofits initiatives can be places here and accessed by those necessary through a login and password.
myhubintranet.com
3. Common Interest Groups
Many nonprofits are in need of a free and easy way to collaborate online and reach people interested in their mission. A common place where they can talk about their goals, share their story, reach volunteers, and create events; making for a simpler way to market your organization along with collaboration.
Facebook Groups are commonly used in the nonprofit sector. Facebook groups are free, the majority of people already have Facebook, and their knowledge behind it is exponential. These groups can be public, where nonprofits can reach an unlimited number of people who share a passion for their mission, creating an amazing networking and marketing platform. They can also be private, where nonprofits can solely collaborate with specific aspects of their organization, such as board members and committees.
facebook.com/groups
4. Board Engagement
Board members are volunteering their time to support your organization, so it’s important to collaborate with them effectively, while maintaining the simplicity. An online collaboration tool will help keep your board working together properly and ensure your on the path towards making your nonprofit succeed. An option for specific board collaboration is a board portal.
Determining if a board portal is right for your organization should be the first step. Finding a platform that is affordable for your nonprofit while showcasing the ease of use for your busy board members is key. Also consider the training involved and how you are going to introduce this platform to your board.
boardeffect.com
5. Volunteer Involvement
Did you know that volunteers are more likely do donate to your nonprofit organization than anyone else? It’s highly important to engage with these volunteers through an online collaboration platform to help your nonprofit succeed.
Using an online volunteer signup form is a great start to effectively collaborating with philanthropists interested in volunteering for your organization. The majority of these platforms are free to use and they can be shared anywhere, making it super simple for you to reach more people. Plus, specific platforms don’t force your volunteers to register, which will make them happy during the signup process.
