Software Tools at a Small Non-Profit Organization
Entrepreneurship technology offers a wide range of products and services that can be difficult to navigate through when trying to decide on what to use for a startup. Most of the time, technology is creatively adapted to fit the needs of the organization’s situation. This is my main takeaway when talking with a marketing and communications specialist of a non-profit startup organization which has asked to remain anonymous.
The company was founded in 2017 and employs around ten people. It provides resources to other startups and acts as a center to guide entrepreneurs or potential entrepreneurs on how to get started with their business idea or how to access information and advice on varying aspects of startups such as intellectual property protection, accounting, contracts, human resources, and funding. The organization and all of the individuals who support it are also involved in some capacity of innovation and entrepreneurship. It has also developed partnerships on both local and global levels. However, the non-profit is in a peculiar situation structurally as it is an organization within a larger organization. In some instances, it is limited in its ability to use new technologies as it will have to go through specific protocols to gain permission to use the new technology. In other instances, it is free to use new technologies. The issues with permission and protocol are what has inspired new uses for some of the already-in-use technologies.
Microsoft Outlook is one of the main examples of creative uses. The organization uses it for its internal communications for email, document creation and sharing, project management, and especially for scheduling events. The company hosts events almost daily for different groups and organizations and may host as many as five different events in a day in its main room. Unfortunately, the company currently does not have an official booking system for it and relies on Outlook Calendar to book the time for the event and to confirm bookings with event organizers. This requires a lot of extra communication to verify and arrange event times.
In addition to using Outlook Calander for booking events, it has also resorted to using SurveyMonkey for booking requests. Users who would like to book the space for an event will fill out an application that was created using the SurveyMonkey platform. This information is then reviewed and transferred to the Outlook Calander which then requires the event booker to confirm the information and space when a calendar invite is sent to them.
However, to deal with the time it takes to schedule events, the company is now in the process of integrating LibCal, a product from Springshare, as its booking system. This will allow the event organizers to immediately see what times are available and submit a request to book the room which will automatically be processed. The intended result will be more efficiency in room bookings.
Another technology tool that the company has recently adopted is Canva. It is used to create marketing material such as infographics, posters, and postcards for sharing resources, events, workshops, and social media. The company has found this tool useful because it is easy to use, customizable for content and image size, and creates aesthetically pleasing results.
Additionally, the company uses Microsoft PowerPoint for creating marketing material which has been ‘surprisingly useful’ for creating infographics. Although, most of the time it is used to create slide reels that cycle through on the company’s projector in the main room that visitors come through.
Marketing material will also be added to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. However, to organize and schedule all of the company’s social media posts, it uses Hootsuite. This software has been helpful in providing peace-of-mind, as the marketing director can schedule social media campaigns weeks in advance. This takes away the worry of remembering to create a post at the last minute. The company also appreciates the analytics, such as the number of views, comments, and engagements, available through Hootsuite which makes it easier to make social media marketing decisions based on past results.
One main hurdle the company has been experiencing is finding the right Customer Relation Management (CRM) software. While the company has created relationships and partnerships on a global scale, the majority of it is tracked through human knowledge — it does not have its own existing CRM system. However, through the parent organization, it is provided with PeopleSoft for human resources and accounting but the system lacks project management tools and so the company refers to Microsoft Excel to manually track projects. Except, Excel is meant to be used as a tool for calculations and spreadsheets to create graphs and charts and is a poor tool for project management. The company has experimented with using Asana, however, it found the system’s interface unappealing to work with. As such, the company is seeking another option and is considering creating its own CRM system.
One potential solution to the lack of a CRM system may be to use Coda.io. Considering that the company is limited in what it can use due to the issues of gaining permissions, Coda.io could be a tool that can be worked around those permissions as it is cloud-based software that can be used similarly to creating an Excel spreadsheet. Only tracking progress on projects can be shared in real-time and calendar and communication is easily updated. The tools that are needed such as charts, graphs, timelines, budgets, tasks, to-dos, assignments of who is doing what can all be added and customized to what the company needs at the moment.
In all, the company has made some creative adaptations to entrepreneurship technology tools to fit with its needs. It has integrated Outlook Calander with SurveyMonkey to address its room booking needs, has adopted the use of Canva and PowerPoint for creating marketing material and Hootsuite to schedule social media posts, and has adjusted Excel spreadsheets to serve as its project management tracker. Although there may be better tools to service some of these needs that could decrease some of the complexity that has been created by integrating mismatched technology, the company is limited in what in what it can do. As such, its become a process of trial and error and limited time and money to figure out better solutions.
