TechSoup@PND
Through an arrangement with TechSoup, PND is pleased to offer a series of articles about the effective use of technology by nonprofits.
Collaboration Tools for Foundations
April 2, 2014In the latest article in our TechSoup@PND series, Idealware's Laura S. Quinn reviews six kinds of online tools that can help funders coordinate their efforts over time and distance....
Phones on a Shoestring Budget
March 4, 2014Despite the increasing popularity of email, social media, and other online networking tools, organizations still depend on the telephone for a good portion of their communications. But technology has also brought dramatic changes to telephone service, and the options for purchasing a new voice communications system are more numerous than ever before — and more confusing. Idealware's Laura S. Quinn and Kyle Henri Andrei break the issue down into key questions and available options that will help your organization make the best choice....
The Basics of Grant and Prospect Research
February 26, 2014Software tools are only one part of researching grants and prospects. Each process requires a different approach, and defining those approaches can help provide context to better understand the specific tools that can help; in this article, IdealWare's Kyle Henri Andrei describes some of these approaches that can help you identify and research funders and make tracking your results more manageable at the same time....
Comparing Microsoft Office to Open Source Alternatives
December 13, 2013Idealware's Laura Quinn and Kyle Henri Andrei compare three open source productivity suites with Microsoft Office....
Are You Ready for Microsoft Office 365 for Nonprofits?
November 7, 2013TechSoup's Ginny Mies explains the benefits of Microsoft's Cloud-based office software suite for nonprofits, and provides a features comparison chart to help your organization get the right plan....
A Few Good Constituent Relationship Management Tools
September 18, 2013Idealware's Elizabeth Pope explains how CRMs can help nonprofits manage relationships with constituents and provides a comparison of four major products on the market today....
In Search of Better Data About Nonprofits' Programs
July 24, 2013Idealware executive director Laura Quinn looks at funders' reporting requirements, and what most grantees realistically are able to provide in the way of high-quality data related to impact and effectiveness....
A Few Good Print-On-Demand Tools
June 13, 2013Idealware's Kyle Henry Andrei describes the different kinds of Print-On-Demand services, or POD, available today and how to choose one that meets your organization's needs to create and distribute printed resources.....
Four Great Resources for Foundation Technology
May 29, 2013Jim Lynch, co-director of TechSoup's GreenTech program, introduces his company's new software donations for foundations resource and describes other tech services and resources targeted specifically to grantmakers....
What's New With Microsoft Word 2013
April 12, 2013The newest version of Word, Microsoft's ubiquitous word processing application, has a host of helpful new features that go beyond its shiny new look....
What's New in PowerPoint and OneNote 2013
March 19, 2013In PowerPoint 2013, Microsoft's presentation software, you will find new tools, sharing features, and a redesigned interface. OneNote 2013, Microsoft's note-taking software, goes mobile and gets some new features for taking richer notes. Streamline projects at your charity or library with the updated design and new features of these two programs....
Microsoft Office: What Your Org Should Know
February 27, 2013While it would be nearly impossible to list all of the changes in the newest version of Office, this article gets the ball rolling by addressing those that are most useful to nonprofits, charities, and libraries....
The Story of a Social Media Policy
January 17, 2013As nonprofits wrap up the old year and look to tell their stories, Jim Lynch describes the kinds of hardware, apps, and services you can use to create and disseminate mobile video, with examples of how charities are using video to build support and make a difference....
Using Smartphones and Portable WiFi Hotspots to Tell Your Story
December 20, 2012As the year winds up and nonprofits look to tell their stories, Jim Lynch describes the kinds of hardware, apps, and services you can use to create and disseminate mobile video, with examples of how charities are using video to build support and make a difference....
Creating a Social Media Policy
November 14, 2012Andrea Berry and Ben Stuart offer some good tips for developing a social media policy for your organization that provides clear guidelines about how and when to use it, what staff should and shouldn't do, and how to navigate the blurry line between the personal and professional....
A Few Good Blogging Tools
October 18, 2012There are many good reasons for nonprofits to keep a blog: to publicize expertise on a topic in your issue area, educate constituents, promote your work, share your story from behind the scenes, and, last but not least, make your organization easier to find through search engines. Here are a few good tools that can facilitate your blogging....
How Crowdsourcing Helps Your Nonprofit
September 14, 2012Since the earliest days of the Internet, people have used crowdsourcing to solicit and organize others to participate in projects in small ways....
An Introduction to Microsoft Project 2010
August 11, 2012Trenton DuVal, contributing editor at NetSquared, provides a tutorial of Microsoft's project management software and an overview of its usefulness in the nonprofit workplace....
