Some time ago now, we posted a massive list of web-based tools to help non-profits do more with less. Well, with so many new applications and websites popping up every day, and the world ever changing, it’s high time to do it again!
You’ll find a variety of tech tools in this 2-part round-up: something to fit every non-profit’s budget and a wide range of your practical day-to-day needs – from volunteer and member management, to web publishing and document sharing, to back office tasks, project management, and more. (Part Two of this series can be found here.)
Accounting, Time-Tracking, Expenses, Billing
In the original 100 Online Tools for Non-Profits, we looked at Admin Bandit, Billing Boss, Billing Manager, BudgetBuilder, Cashboard, CurdBee, FreshBooks, MoneyMinder, Ronin, and Zuora. Here are a few more time-and-money management tools to consider:
ActiTIME (www.actitime.com)
Try the hosted version free for 30 days (pricing starts at $30/month for 5 users thereafter), or check out the downloadable freeware (Windows or UNIX) designed for small teams of up to 10 users. This includes all the basic features, but can be upgraded later with the management and accounting modules for $449 each.
Elementool Time Tracking (www.elementool.com/contact/tt.html)
Monitor projects and resource performance, define different tasks, compare estimated time requirements with actual time reports, calculate the project cost based on the time reports submitted by the users, create Gantt charts and more. One of a suite of Elementool business tools, Time Tracking starts at $89.99/month.
Freckle (www.letsfreckle.com)
Freckle is designed for solo workers and small-to-medium teams, with prices ranging from $12 to $48/month, depending on the number of users. A browser bookmarklet lets you quickly pop up a timer; tag and log your hours right from there when each task is done. A limited free account is also available: 1 user/1project/no invoicing or SSL. 30-day free trial on all plans.
FreeAgent (www.freeagentcentral.com)
This web-based software is designed to help small business, partnerships and solo entrepreneurs who are not accountants to stay on top of all aspects of their finances, from estimates and proposals to invoices, expenses, bank statement reconciliation, profit and loss reports, and key dates for tax preparation. Pay as you go at $20/month with no contract, no limitations, and full data portability. 30-day free trial.
Harvest (www.getharvest.com)
Harvest lets you track time and send invoices from one integrated application, with employee timesheets, online payment collection, and strong visual reports to help you track your organization’s resources. Free 30-day trial. Prices range from $12/month (1 user) to $90/month (10 users); add additional users for $10/month/user extra.
Intervals (www.myintervals.com)
Intervals is web-based project management software that “marries time tracking and task management in a collaborative online space.” Pricing is by active project – starting at $20/month for 15 and 2 Gb of document storage. A limited free plan (4 users, 1 client, 1 project active, no SSL or document storage) is also available.
OfficeClip Web Timesheet & Expenses (www.officeclip.com)
Part of the OfficeClip business suite, you can download and install Web Timesheet and Expenses on your computer or use the hosted version online. A free trial is available. Costs for the OfficeClip applications will depend on the version and tools selected, number of users, file space, etc. – check the website for a pricing calculator.
Timesheet (www.timesheet.com)
Timesheet.com by Tenrox is an easy-to-use web-based tool that integrates with all major accounting, payroll and CRM application, as well as Outlook and SharePoint. Real time dashboards and reports let you instantly see all project time, cost and billing information. Contact the company for a demo and pricing information.
Xero (www.xero.com)
Xero, for online accounting, bank reconciliation and invoicing, bills itself as “the world’s easiest accounting software.” Prices range from $19/month (up to 5 invoices each for accounts receivable and accounts payable, and 20 reconciled bank statement lines per month) to $29 (unlimited) and $39/month (unlimited, multi-currency). Available add-ons. Free trial.
Xpenser (xpenser.com)
Expense tracking and management that lets you record your expenses immediately from any device by voice, email, iPhone, SMS, Twitter, IM, and more, then edit on the website and, optionally, export to your bookeeping software. Standard text messaging rates will apply to cell phone users, but Xpenser itself is free.
Fundraising Software, Online Payments, Donor Management
In addition to 4aGoodCause, ActiveGiving, Antharia|onDeposit, DonateNow, Donor Perfect, Donor Tools, eTapestry, GiftTool Solutions, Orange Leap, and Sage Fundraising 50, which we listed previously, you might take a look at these options:
ChipIn (www.chipin.com)
Non-profits and individuals can set up an “event” or cause for which to collect money, then promote their campaign page. A a simple Flash widget can be embedded on most web sites to keep supporters updated on fundraising progress.
Crowdrise (www.crowdrise.com)
Crowdrise is “an innovative, crowd-sourcing community” that lets charities “raise money in new ways by turning their grassroots supporters into grassroots fundraisers.” Only US-based 501(c)3 nonprofits may use Crowdrise to raise funds.
DataIdeal (www.dataideal.com)
Online donor management software for small to medium-sized non-profits, lets you track contact information and history (including grant proposals) as well as tracking donations, printing and emailing receipts, and managing expense reports. The donation manager module alone can be used free for up to 250 contacts; paid packages for more contacts and with access to more features range from $9.95/month to $99.95/month.
eCharityBox (www.nadanu.com)
A good-looking, brandable, truly “turn-key” fundraising solution for $49.95 per month plus 3.5% per transaction, eChaityBox includes iPhone, BlackBerry and Facebook apps as well as your web site and mobile web site donation tool. 60-day trial is available.
Alternatively, have a look at MyCharityBox – also from Nadanu.com. MyCharityBox is a “one-stop shop” to process payments and track donations, with social media tie-ins to help your supporters promote the cause. The platform itself is free; a processing fee of 3.5% plus $0.25 per transaction is charged on received donations.
FirstGiving (www.firstgiving.com)
FirstGiving provides tools to manage peer-to-peer fundraising, grassroots campaigns, and donor communications, as well as visibility into your data so you’ll see what’s working best. Easy-to-use fundraising pages (free) let your individual supporters share and promote your cause. Secure processing of donations incurs a 5% FirstGiving fee (re-invested in the platform) and 2.5% credit card merchant fee; admin $300/year. US-registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations only.
GiftWorks (www.missionresearch.com/giftworks/)
Complete fundraising software, tracking multiple donations and pledge payments for every donor, with prices starting at $499 and paid upgrades to new versions. GiftWorks is software to download and install on your computer, not web-based, but the addition of GiftWorks Anywhere ($75 per user/month plus setup fee), lets your colleagues access and use your GiftWorks software through the internet.
give2gether (www.give2gether.com)
Online fundraising platform offers customizable campaign pages, easy integratation with your social media and email marketing, strong analytics and reporting. Free 10-day trial. Contact the company for pricing information.
MyGivingSolutions (mygivingsolutions.com)
Web-based donor management and communications software aimed at churches of all sizes, as well as non-profits in general. It offers a user-friendly controls unlimited users, automatic thanks and receipt emails, robust reporting tools including graphic displays and tracking by location. Donor management software only is $39/month; with online giving functionality, the price ranges from $59 to $99/month.
Document Editing/Sharing, Meeting and Collaboration Tools
Previous entries in this category were Basecamp, Central Desktop, EtherPad, Goplan 2.0, Manymoon, MyCommittee, PBworks, ProjectDesk, WebEx WebOffice, and Writeboard. There are a great many interesting and inventive tools for collaboration and sharing, no matter what kind of group work you’ve got to do – and more coming out every day, it seems. Here’s just a sampling:
Box Net (box.net)
Share, manage and access all your business content online or by mobile. (See Uploading and sharing large files with Box.net to learn how Box.net can extend your Wild Apricot website.) Personal accounts are free, or go $15/user per month for a Business account, with 3+ users, more storage space, desktop sync, enhanced collaboration options including password-protected sharing, and more. Free 14-day trial.
ClutterPad (www.clutterpad.com)
ClutterPad is an online project management and collaboration tool that includes: todo lists, calendars, messages, chat rooms (and private chat), contacts, document version control, and an online file manager. Prices start at $19/month for small groups (up to 15 projects with 25 users per project). There’s also a free plan available (1 user, no storage). One-month free trial on any paid plan.
DeskAway (www.deskaway.com)
30-day free trial on all account. Free accounts allow you to manage 1 project with 3 users and file storage up to 25MB. Prices start at $25/month for 35 active projects, 2 GB storage, 10 project templates, and unlimited users. All plans include email reminders, reporting, time tracking, branding, backup & personalized email support, and lots of other goodies. DeskAway offers a 30% discount to non-profit organizations.
EditMe (www.editme.com)
“The original hosted wiki solution,” EditMe offers an easy way for even non-techy people to build collaborative websites and wikis that are actually easy to use. Plans are priced at $5/month for Starter, then go to $19, $39 and $79/month for increased storage and functionality. All plans allow unlimited users. Nonprofit employees may contact EditMe for “significant discounts” on a year’s commitment to any paid plan above the Starter level.
Huddle (huddle.com)
Powerful project management and collaboration tools include whiteboards, discussion forums, file sharing, calendars and task assignment, even phone and web conferencing within your secure online workspace. Price: $150/month for 1-10 users, or $15 per user/month annually for 10+ users with enhanced security and integration. The Huddle Foundation offers Huddle completely free to selected registered charities: visit http://www.huddle.com/charities/ to see if your organization is eligible. Free 14-day trial.
LucidChart (www.lucidchart.com)
Easily create flow charts, wireframes, and all kinds of other diagrams online, and collaborate with others in real time. Free for 1 user with 2 collaborators, 25 MB, limited document complexity. Paid plans start at $4.95/month Personal, $9.95/month Professional, and from $25/month for the multiple-user Team edition. Free 14-day trial is available for any plan.
Skrbl (www.skrbl.com)
This easy-to-use online whiteboard. Free version allows 1 user with unlimited guests. A new “Team Edition” ($10/month, introductory price) includes enhanced whiteboards, co-browsing, document annotation, video phone, Skype, text chat, and more, for up to 5 users and unlimited guests:.
TeamBox (teambox.com)
This project management and collaboration tool uses “social” features like activity streams, threaded conversations, alerts, RSS feeds, etc. to help you keep close tabs on your tasks and projects. Free for the first 3 projects, with plans priced from $12/month to $99/month. All plans allow for unlimited users.
Tonido Webshare (tonido.com)
“Tonido is a software and service that once installed on any computer (Windows, Linux or Mac), can make files and media in that computer available anywhere through a web browser or from mobile phones (iPhone, Android or Blackberry).” WebsharePro offers enhanced features for $29.95; the basic Tonida Webshare is free.
Twiddla (www.twiddla.com)
Browse websites in a shared, real-time whiteboard, annotate, share files, and chat with the people you invite to your brainstorming session. No account is needed to start a “meeting”: Twiddla is free.
Conferencing and Webinars
For online meetings with small groups of contacts, it’s hard to beat the pricing and convenience of Skype for conference calls and group video chat.
If what you really need is more along the lines of Web Conferencing for a sizeable group, however, here are the 3 tools I’ve seen used most often for recent nonprofit webinars:
As well, Fuze Meeting (www.fuzemeeting.com), Instant Presenter (www.instantpresenter.com), and GoToMeeting (www.citrix.com) have shown up from time to time. Much depends on the size of group and the sophistication of the features you need, when it comes to choosing the right service.
For a detailed guide to live streaming, webinar and employee collaboration tools, see also Sizing Up 15 Top Web Conferencing Services, originally created by TechSoup Global, recently updated and expanded by J.D. Lasica and Kim Bale.
Multimedia Sharing, Online Courses, Presentations
Google Presentations and Zoho Show, along with Issuu, Scribd and Slideshare are all “old friends”, of course. And we’ve talked before about tools like Animoto, Prezi, and other cool aids to content creation and distribution. Now, here’s a quick grab-bag of yet more tools to jazz up your presentations, to share multimedia content, and even to help you train your staff and volunteers, in real time or on demand:
280Slides (www.280slides.com)
Create presentations online from your own materials, share online, download to PowerPoint, and more. Free.
Adam (adamsapp.com)
Add videos, HTML, stylized text and more to “hotspots” in your PDFs or image files, to create a dynamic web page from your static documents. Free.
Empressr (www.empressr.com)
Create dynamic presentations with rich media features like streaming video and audio, store them online, embed anywhere, share publicly or privately. Free.
GoToTraining (www.citrix.com)
Provide an interactive online course. Invite and register attendees, accept payments, broadcast your desktop, provide course materials and tests, and record the session for later use as on-demand training. Free 30-day trial.
KinetiCast (www.kineticast.com)
High-end online presentation tool designed for business-to-business sales. Prices start at $24 per user/month. Free 15-day trial.
Learnable (learnable.com)
Make (or take) an online course, free or paid, with this easy-to-use new learning environment from Sitepoint.com. Non-profits might very well use Learnable to train staff and volunteers, raise funds by sharing your expertise, and/or raise the profile of your organization.
Mindflash (www.mindflash.com)
Create an online training course from your existing presentations and videos. Free “Lite” version for up to 10 trainees. Free 30-day trial on all paid plans.
MyJugaad.in (myjugaad.in)
Instantly create an embeddable slideshow sourced from any RSS feed, from your own list, or from sites such as del.icio.us, Digg, Google News Yahoo, Flickr, Youtube, etc. (It’s a bit hard to explain in a few words, so have a look at the FAQ.) Free.
Overstream (www.overstream.net)
Add subtitles in any language to any online video. Free; donations welcome.
PreZentit (prezentit.com)
Create (and collaborate on) presentations via your web browser; share online, keep private, or download your presentations. Note: the existing version of PreZentit is no longer supported, but they’re working on a new one. It’s worth keeping an eye out for the launch, if the previous version (excellent) is anything to go by.
ReelSurfer (reelsurfer.com)
If your non-profit produces any amount of video or is sitting on under-utilized video archives – for example, recordings of speakers and events – do check out ReelSurfer. It extends the value and accessibility of your video content with captioning, lets you and your users create embeddable “viral clips” to share online, and much more. 30-day free trial.
SlideRocket (www.sliderocket.com)
High-quality web-based service to create and share your presentations online. SlideRocket Lite is a free version with 250MB storage and 15MB file size limits. SlideRocket Pro is $24 per user/month with more storage and enhanced features, including analytics, audio narration, offline presentation, brand control, viewer registration, web meetings (up to 25 users) and more. Free 14-day trial.
Slidesix (slidesix.com)
Share your presentations (PowerPoint, KeyNote, PDF, OpenOffice.org formats) online, add narration, external video, tags. Slidesix offers embeddable widgets, user groups, collaboration and analytics features in Slidesix Labs. Free.
Stupeflix Studio (www.stupeflix.com)
Combine images, videos, soundtracks, titles, transitions and preview instantly. Free basic account with an extra charge for HQ or HD video; Personal plans start at $29/year; commercial plan with unlimited HQ/HD is $39/month or $299/year.
Udemy (www.udemy.com)
An online learning website, similar to Learnable, where anyone can teach or take a (free or paid) web-based course: upload presentations and videos, write articles, host live classroom sessions. Free to join.
Vcasmo (vcasmo.com)
Vcasmo is a presentation-sharing site that shows video on the left of the viewer’s screen and slides on the right, so you can effectively narrate your slides as if giving a live presentation. Free, but there may be limitations on storage space.
Bonus: Non-Profit Resource Center
Here’s one more website for you to check out, while we’re talking about sharing content online:
IdeaEncore (www.ideaencore.com)
The IdeaEncore Network is a “user-generated knowledge management and online file sharing system”: download documents from your peers in the nonprofit community, or post your own files and links (free or for sale). Registration is free.
But wait, there's more...
In 100 More Online Tools for Non-Profits - Part 2, we’ll be looking at tools for mailing list management and email/text marketing; events management and scheduling tools; membership and contact management systems (CRM); discussion forums, message boards, and other online communities; website builders and content management systems (CMS); and even a few “all-in-one” software solutions for non-profits.
Meanwhile, what tools have I missed in Part One? As always, please share your tips in the comments.