In this episode of the Nonprofit Jenni Show, Jenni shares her top 15 favorite free (and almost free) tools for your nonprofit to check out before 2020. Even if you’ve heard of some of these resources before, you’ll hear some handy reminders of features you may have forgotten about or overlooked!
15 Free (and Almost Free) Nonprofit Tools to Use in 2020
1. Canva for Nonprofits
You’ve probably heard of Canva, the online app which lets you easily create flyers, social media images, event programs, and all kinds of other graphics. But if you haven’t filled out this application, you are not signed up for Canva for Nonprofits; you just have a regular Canva account. With Canva for Nonprofits, you can create a brand identity kit which includes:
Approved logos
Approved fonts/typefaces
Standard templates for your letterhead, slideshow presentations, etc.
Approved photos which you have permission to use (such as photos of clients who have signed a release form)
This is super handy when you have several people creating marketing materials for your organization and want to make sure your brand remains consistent.
RoundUp App
Think of this app as the new, fun version of monthly recurring donations. For younger donors, it may sound crazy for you to ask them to commit to donating $40 per month through recurring gifts… But it sounds a lot more manageable if you ask them to round up each of their purchases to the next dollar, with their spare change benefiting your nonprofit! Learn how to use RoundUp App with no up-front fees.
3. Facebook Fundraisers
Many nonprofit leaders have told me they don’t encourage their donors to set up Facebook fundraisers because they don’t know how to view donor information once someone makes a contribution. I understand this concern because you want to be able to thank these donors and convert them into recurring donors! Here are some instructions for getting that donor information.
Facebook fundraisers are an easy way for your board members and Development Committee to get practice with peer-to-peer fundraising. I would also strongly encourage you ask every board member to host a Facebook birthday fundraiser for your organization.
4. Facebook Events
This is a free way to raise awareness for your events and for your organization in general. If two or more of your Facebook friends select that they are “Interested” or “Going” to a Facebook event, the event is much more likely to show up as a suggested event on your account. This way, your event reaches people who may have never heard of your organization before. Learn how to create Facebook events on your nonprofit page. I encourage you to set up Facebook events not just for your fundraising events, but also for open houses, volunteer training sessions, and even regular fundraising campaigns which don’t have an in-person component.
5. Google Docs
You probably use Google Drive features like Google Docs all the time, but this is a simple idea I’ve recommended to all my clients recently: Create a new Google Doc that is shared with your key staff and/or board members, and include standard email templates they can use for all the emails you find yourself sending frequently. This way, you don’t have to waste time retyping the same standard emails over and over again, and you don’t have to worry about accidentally forgetting key information. Example email templates may include:
Reminders for upcoming meetings and events
Checklists of things your board members need to bring to each meeting
Follow up emails to send to prospective volunteers after you meet with them for the first time
Thank you emails sent to vendors and sponsors
6. Zoom or Google Meet
These apps offer free webcam meeting space, which can be great for one-on-one or even group board meetings. I use Zoom for “webcam coffee” meetings when I just don’t have time to meet someone in person, or Google Meet if I need to include more than one other person. Both of these apps are extremely easy to use if you need to meet with someone who isn’t super tech-savvy because you can email them an invitation link, and the only thing they have to do is click the link to be logged in.
7. Otter
I love this free transcription app. One way to use the app is to transcribe meeting notes, and the app actually recognizes different voices for everyone in the room. I most often use Otter to help me draft out blog posts, long emails, and other types of copy while I’m walking my dog or doing chores around the house. Then I’ll email the text file to myself so I can go back and make minor edits later before publishing the copy. Find Otter on your favorite app store.
8. Volunteers
How can you utilize volunteers to their maximum potential in 2020? There are always new ways you can be using volunteers’ enthusiasm! For example:
Writing thank you notes
Reorganizing your office
Soliciting silent auction donations
Yard work
Skilled work, such as prepping crafts for your kids’ program, free marketing work, accounting support
Ambassador program
Letter writing campaigns
9. Boomerang
This is a more reliable system than Outlook and Gmail’s random reminders about emails you’ve sent which haven’t received a response yet. For example, if you send an email to a board member asking them to schedule a meeting with you, you can set up a Boomerang to send the email to the top of your inbox if they don’t respond within a certain number of days. This way, you don’t have to remember to follow up with them later. You can also schedule messages to be sent at a later time or date. Find Boomerang for Outlook or Boomerang for Gmail.
10. Calendly
Easily schedule meetings by allowing people to add appointments directly into your calendar. Calendly can sync with your normal calendar app (like Google Calendar or your iPhone’s calendar app) so you don’t have to worry about moving over all your information. You can also set rules for the times people can schedule meetings with you. For example, you can say that you only want meetings to be set between 12 pm and 5 pm, or that you need to keep a half hour buffer space between each meeting. Check out Calendly’s free and affordable packages.
11. 48in48
Apply to get a free website makeover through 48in48.org. They gather skilled volunteer tech professionals to build 48 nonprofit websites in 48 hours, at no cost to your organization. You also go through a training program to make sure you know how to use the website effectively.
12. Google Ad Grant
Whenever you search a phrase in Google, the first few results are generally ads. Your organization may qualify to get $10,000 in free Google ads every single month, forever, which is an awesome way to promote your programs, events, volunteer opportunities, etc.
The difficult part of Google ads is you have to either learn how to navigate the Google ads system and maximize the ad reach on your own, or you can hire a professional grant manager. I highly recommend you check out my friends at Nonprofit Megaphone, who can obtain the Google ad grant for you for free, and then manage the grant for you for the first month. After the first free month, you can talk about their affordable grant management and SEO services. I love Nonprofit Megaphone and talk about them all the time on the podcast! (I do not receive a commission if you use Nonprofit Megaphone.)
13. Your current donor management system
Make sure you review all the tools included with your donor management system before 2020. Many of my clients don’t realize their system can include all sorts of cool functions that can save them time in managing their relationships. For example, did you realize you can tag people as donors, volunteers, and even as corporations so you can better segment your supporters in marketing campaigns? Did you realize you can send blind copies of emails to your donor management system to better track all communications with your donors? Set aside an hour to go through your donor management system’s website, bookmark some how-to webinars, and scroll through their help articles to make sure you’re maximizing its effectiveness.
If you don’t have a donor management system yet, I recommend checking out Little Green Light, which is my favorite system. Their program was built by nonprofit Development Directors who know exactly what functionality you need from a donor management system. Also, you can get $150 off your first year if you use the code JENNI when you download your free trial! (I do not receive a commission if you purchase Little Green Light.)
14. TechSoup
Take advantage of TechSoup’s extensive resource library including articles and webinars to help you learn how to use new technology at your nonprofit. Also, TechSoup partners with giant tech companies to get huge discounts for vital items like computers, the Microsoft Office suite, etc., so you should go browse their store whenever you need new hardware or software!
15. Other organizations!
The most important resource you need to check out for 2020 are other organizations working in your space. I cannot emphasize this enough! The only way nonprofits can succeed in fulfilling their mission is through meaningful collaboration with other organizations. Through collaboration, you can:
Ensure shared resources (such as grants, in-kind donations, and even volunteer time) are used to their full potential. This will help you avoid competing with other nonprofits for the same resources, donors, and even clients.
Ensure you aren’t duplicating services which do not need to be repeated throughout the community. If one organization already offers stellar spay/neuter services to pets, think about the other wraparound services which they can’t provide, such as coordinating foster homes for homeless pets or providing training programs for rescue dogs with high anxiety.
Leverage other organizations’ networks to spread awareness about your mission, events, programs, and more.
Do you need more support planning for 2020?
Don’t forget, Nonprofit Jenni offers free initial consultation calls to help with your management, marketing, and development needs. Schedule your free half hour call now to talk through your upcoming fundraising campaigns! And don’t forget to subscribe to the Nonprofit Jenni Show to have new episodes automatically download to your mobile device, tablet, or computer.