Tag Archives: Nonprofits

How to Create an Effective Staff Process (Pt 1): 4 Steps for Building a Framework

Staff Request Process – Featured Image

A while ago, I shared tips on how to build a staff process that people will want to follow. Because when you start getting overwhelmed with requests, a process is key to staying cool and organized.

We already did the first step of clarifying how these requests play out in our orgs today. We’ve got notes on everything that matters: the types of requests we get, the needs of our requestors, and our own team’s capacity. (If you haven’t read that first post, you really want to start here.)

Now that that’s done, we need to translate those points into a living, breathing process. That’s a pretty big leap, especially when you’re not used to doing it.

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10 Ways Your Nonprofit Isn’t Using Google Forms, But Could Be

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Whether your nonprofit is using it or not, let’s talk Google Forms for a second.

In case you’re not familiar, Google Forms is a survey app that comes with the Google Suite of products. Much like Google Docs and Google Sheets, it has its own place in the G-Drive and lets you easily build form surveys.

Google is not sponsoring this post. I’m not even claiming it’s the best survey tool out there. BUT, it’s worth highlighting for three very nonprofitty reasons:

  • It’s simple.
  • It’s free.
  • It’s accessible. Even if your org doesn’t use Google products, you could sign up right now to build your first form with no fuss.

This means that Google Forms has many applications for our work, regardless of how large or technologically sophisticated the org. A simple tool that can do all the things? Prettyyyy cool.

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7 Tips to Balance Database Management With Your Day Job

duck photo

What’s one thing that development staff, volunteer coordinators, operations managers, HR and Program people all have in common?

At any time, we can become our org’s database admin, too.

“Accidental admin” is the term we’ve lovingly coined to all the database managers who never signed up for this. Typically the consequence of multiple-hat syndrome, these are the nonprofit professionals who were standing closest to the system at the time when their org desperately needed an admin.

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The Unconference Model is Problematic. Here’s Why & What to Do About It

conference chairs

Gang, let’s talk about unconferences. Because I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings.

First, if you’ve never heard of an unconference, let’s start there. An unconference is a “participant-led” learning experience. It rebels against the typical conference structure, in that there’s no preset agenda.

Yep, you read me correctly.

There is no agenda for this conference, .until you show up to make it. The idea is that the audience –the people who this whole thing is designed to benefit–  put forth the topics they want to discuss. Hence, the ‘un’.

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9 Resources Every Nonprofit Salesforce Admin Needs to Know

Nonprofit Salesforce Admin Resources

Are you the Salesforce Admin for your nonprofit? Was that always meant to be your role, or is it one you’re assuming because #multiplehats?

We have a phrase for those in the latter. We call you “accidental admins”, because so often that’s what nonprofit database administration is. It’s also how many of us got our start in Salesforce land.

Whether you’re in this for the long haul or desperately looking to break free, Salesforce can be overwhelming. It’s a a complex product, backed by a massive ecosystem. Where does one start?

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How to Plan & Organize Your Nonprofit’s Email Campaign

Employed for Good – Email Campaign

Getting ready to send out an email campaign on behalf of your nonprofit?

If there’s one task that unites most departments, it’s the email campaign. Volunteer managers, fundraisers, program & comms staff all need to email our respective constituents. Even the ops/ tech staff don’t get a break: they’re often the ones getting those lists together for us!

But more on that later.

The point is, whether this is your first campaign or your fiftieth, this doesn’t have to be chaos.  A good process never hurt nobody, and you’ll definitely need one to execute something this important.

There’s a method to this particular nonprofit madness. Let’s talk email.

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