We have used Microsoft Cloud to support our electronic filing capabilities and ensure we have access to real-time documents and information from anywhere we have computer, mobile, and/or internet access. The Microsoft Cloud product has allowed us to streamline our file retention capabilities and ensure our team has broader access to files than when stored on traditional servers.
Pros
File sharing.
File storage.
File retrieval.
Cons
Capability with Google products.
Ease of use for older users.
Different interface.
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit is well suited for non-profit settings requiring one coordinated and one-stop-shop for electronic file management, especially of Microsoft file types such as Microsoft Word documents, Excel sheets, and PowerPoint presentations. Some scenarios where it is less appropriate are for those who need to transfer or share files across different platforms outside of the Microsoft Suite of products.
VU
Verified User
Director in Research & Development (201-500 employees)
We use Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit to host our email server for our organization. It enhances communication, provides a platform organization sharing of all important documents and files.
Being a small nonprofit, and there being expenses for most things, this is a solution that helps us accomplish more for our mission. As you can imagine, this helps save a decent amount of money from month to month.
Pros
Support - quick and usually easy
Minimal amounts of down time - if any
Generally easy to use Admin Center
Cons
Back end email signature coding
Likelihood to Recommend
I have recommended Microsoft for Nonprofits to other Nonprofits that we work with. I have helped to implement it for a couple of them. I want to share the good things that Microsoft has to share for nonprofits like ours. I understand the struggles of paying for things and not having enough money at times to do everything I would love to be able to provide.
Our organization suffers from a complete lack of visibility of our sponsors, donors and other organizations that financially support our mission. We have no donor management system beyond basic email marketing capabilities and our executive management and board have no "single pane" to visualize our current financial status.
Pros
The product marketing is engaging
Overall training is rigorous but thorough
Cons
The system is ridiculously hard to implement, requiring too many tiers of Microsoft cloud services to be enabled.
The technical aspects of the product are far too complex for anyone with standard cloud-based app training to implement.
The non-profit "qualification" system is poorly designed.
Likelihood to Recommend
This software is not appropriate for small to medium sized non-profit organizations. It requires an incredible technical "lift" to deploy, and our third-party vendor could not do it successfully. Larger organizations with mature IT support staff well-versed in Microsoft cloud deployment would have a much easier time managing and maintaining this system. The technical cost is too much for a small business to undertake.
Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit has significantly improved the way our organization and especially the department I represent manage our data. One of the key business problems Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit addressed was the ability to centralize and control the data in Sharepoint. It is incredibly helpful how the access level can help data management and process efficiency.
Pros
Data Management
Security
Organization
User Friendly
Smooth and Simple interface/User Experience
Cons
Streamlining the Security Features (Authentication)
Simplifying some of the Sharepoint features
Expanding flexibility in Project Management Features (Planner)
Likelihood to Recommend
Well-Suited Scenarios:
The Way data is managed and secure, as well as how easy and intuitive the environment is and how smooth can be to pretty much do anything with all the different features.
Less appropriate(Opportunities for improvement):
Expanding project Management Features since all fields even nonprofits needs a high level of project management/Product Management at some point especially when designing programs and elaborating the process that would transform all the theory into reality.
We help nonprofit clients with strategy, data, and software. By helping them obtain the Microsoft for Nonprofit deals, we aid them to scale and more effectively manage their operations, data, and users. It also helps us be able to manage all our clients in one place. The downside is that administration can be rather technical, and it's cumbersome at times to figure out how to go from a free trial to a full approved nonprofit account. Customer service is so-so.
Pros
Great discounts on powerful tools
Productivity tools all in one place
Helps our clients scale
Cons
Going from free trial to a full approved nonprofit account is confusing
Customer service is so-so
Pricing can be confusing
Likelihood to Recommend
The customer service aspect of Microsoft for Nonprofits is somewhat hit or miss. While there are instances of helpful and prompt support, there are also times when the service falls short of expectations, leaving us needing more robust and consistent assistance.
VU
Verified User
Consultant in Professional Services (1-10 employees)
threshold.world is a launch and implementation patner for the Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit.
Pros
Connecting dollars to outcomes
Robust constituent model that efficiently manages individuals, organizations, and households
Covers all giving types with ease
Provides an extensible interface and platform far superior to legacy cloud platforms
Cons
Improve partner onboarding experience to serve customers
Improve batch gift entry capabilities
Likelihood to Recommend
There is no other cloud platform that provides the breadth and depth of the Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit. It is very well suited for organizations that look for integrated CRM, efficient constituent management, omnichannel fundraising including truly integrated (not loosely connected by a company's brand) marketing, and gift processing.
Key sector areas that are well served by MC4N include healthcare fundraising, mid to enterprise nonprofits, foundations, and health and human services case management organizations.
Microsoft for Nonprofit, volunteer management and engagement is proving to be a valuable asset for our organization, streamlining volunteer management processes and enhancing recruitment and retention efforts. The user-friendly interface simplifies task assignment, volunteer tracking, and communication. Real-time analytics and reporting also enable data-driven decision-making, optimizing our volunteer programs for greater impact.
Pros
Integrates well with other MS products
Starter portal and application decreases build time, and has a cost saving
The platform is adaptable and we can tailor the features to our needs
Cons
The volunteer application process out of the box is not sufficient for most organisations.
We had to build a reference process to vet our volunteers, there was nothing out of the box.
Onboarding tasks were focussed internally rather than externally.
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft for Nonprofit provided a solid foundation for our development efforts, facilitating the creation of a tailored solution. While it offered a strong starting point, we encountered several missing features that necessitated customization. Despite this, the system's flexibility and integration capabilities proved valuable in streamlining our volunteer management processes.
We are one of the first professional service firms focused solely on nonprofits to partner with Microsoft’s Technology for Social Impact group. We’re helping nonprofit organizations select Microsoft solutions and working with other Microsoft partners to develop and optimize their applications for the nonprofit sector. We implement Fundraising & Engagement, and Dynamics Marketing to address the challenges that nonprofits face in these areas and support their missions.
Pros
Constituent managment.
Gift management.
Marketing and outreach.
Cons
Continued improvement in integrating with nonprofit technology (e.g., digital fundraising, digital advocacy, etc.)
Improvements to dashboards and reports with more out-of-the-box templates for nonprofit use cases.
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit is well-suited as a fundraising CRM for organizations of all sizes that have the internal skills and capacity to manage an Azure tenant and related services (e.g., security, etc.) The system is a good fit for nonprofits who are open to adopting the Nonprofit Common Data Model as well as new processes that are based on best practices. The system is less appropriate for organizations with limited internal IT infrastructure or without access to additional resources that can address sector-specific needs outside of fundraising, volunteering, and marketing through customization.
We work with nonprofits on all aspects of the Microsoft tech stack to accelerate mission outcomes. We find new ways to incorporate digital technology into operations with personalized solutions to fit a nonprofit’s unique needs. Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit provides the essential foundational tools for fundraising and volunteer management while also improving evidence-based decision-making powered by rich data capabilities, AI, and machine learning.
Pros
Improve their marketing effectiveness, build donor loyalty and ultimately increase funding to support the Nonprofit's missions
Robust security measures like data encryption, multi-factor authentication and threat detection to protect organizations from breaches and threats.
Payment processing powered by Azure and integration with popular credit card gateways
Make volunteering with your organization easy by providing a one-stop shop for volunteers to view engagement details, complete training and onboarding, and find future opportunities.
Better understand the people who serve your organization and their volunteer journey, from event attendance to attrition levels to donor conversion.
The Program impact dashboard enables nonprofit staff to measure the results of their organization’s impact so they can report to funders, apply for grants, and make informed, data-driven decisions.
Cons
Extensibility of payment processing
Planned giving module needed
Batch upload for recurring donations
Language translations in top markets
Peer to peer and crowdfunding capabilities
More extensive membership management capabilities
Likelihood to Recommend
It currently well suited for organizations that plan to leverage the IATs, Moneris, or Stripe credit card gateways.
The Contingent has used Microsoft for Nonprofit to unlock capabilities in areas where we've felt completely stuck in the stone ages in. Fundraising and Engagement, supercharged by Mission CRM has allowed us to take our donor and grant management to the next level, where prior to a year ago, we were using a desktop platform that had no cloud-based equivalent that would meet our organization's needs. For Volunteer and Constituent management, we're still growing to solidify use cases, though we have initiatives such as Every Child (see <a title="Link: https://everychildoregon.org" href="https://everychildoregon.org">https://everychildoregon.org</a>, <a href="https://everychildarkansas.org">https://everychildarkansas.org</a>) and Emerging Leaders (see <a href="https://emergingleaderspdx.org">https://emergingleaderspdx.org</a>) that engage community members, yet we've been continuing to assess the right ways to unpack and utilize the capabilities that would best serve our stakeholders, volunteers, community members and our team.
Pros
Providing a basic framework for nonprofit organizations who've been limping along or have capped out with their current platforms to consider switching to amplify and multiply their capabilities, reach, and impact
Increasing the accessibility for both citizen developers and tech teams to extend a platform, so long as there are clear parameters (business use case) and thoughtful design and architecture planning
Sharing some core infrastructure that accelerates the use of important tools to further the mission of nonprofit organizations
Cons
Provide a concierge service to learn about use cases and shine a light on key features to begin unpacking
Interactive guide for new users to better understand how to kickstart their journey
Perhaps use AI to decipher and translate use cases to propose the technical solution or feature to utilize
Likelihood to Recommend
It seems Microsoft for Nonprofit could be best utilized by organizations looking to make an investment and go all in, rather than those who may be still in their infancy and just need quick, inexpensive tools to start. I'm thinking for nonprofit organizations with fewer than 30 people, it seems unlikely that they would prioritize and invest enough energy and resources proportionately to effectively utilize the functions that would add the most value, as the tools could be perhaps best implemented via partnering with a consulting firm (i.e. Wipfli LLP or others).
