Resources are scarce in a nonprofit space and as a result the person doing the admin, also needs to do a variety of other tasks like helping with office management, finances, policy and HR matters. Reducing admin through digitisation saves time and can help your organisation to work smarter instead of harder.
Valcare’s Office Manager, Liezl Tolkin, shares the five top tools that she uses to make her administrative tasks easier, faster and paperless.
Google Drive
Saving documents and information on laptops or desktops is not sensible.
Computers can crash and you could lose all your information and documents.
Google Drive is an easily accessible cloud storage space for all your files and documents and it’s a great way to ensure that if your computer gets damaged or stolen, you don’t lose any work.
Another benefit of Google Drive is that your team can share their files with one another, so if an employee leaves the organisation, you still have access to the work.
Google Drive is free as part of the Google Workspace for Nonprofits package.
Click here to read more about it.
Google Forms
This is a free information gathering tool, where you can create registration forms, surveys, data collection forms and quizzes to send to your audience database via a link.
All responses are captured and analysed in the backend of the tool where they are accessible only to the person who has created the form or those who have been given access. You can easily export the data as Excel sheets to manage responses.
This is a step up from having to go through piles of paperwork trying to analyse data, find patterns or manually recording RSVPs to events.
Click here to read more about Google Forms and use the functionality for free.
Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is a group of office tools, which includes Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Publisher (PC only), Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint to mention a few.
TechSoup Southern Africa offers discounted and free Microsoft 365 tools to nonprofit organisations.
Click here for more information on Microsoft 365 and to see if you qualify.
SignRequest
SignRequest is a secure and legally binding e-signature tool that enables you and your partners to sign contracts and other documents fast and without the hassle of having to print, sign and scan.
If you have ever had to wait days to receive a signed document, then this is a tool worth having.
SignRequest offers both free and paid plans.
Click here for more information on SignRequest.
Dext
Dext is a platform for accountants and bookkeepers offering an easy way to capture invoices and receipts safely onto the cloud.
This platform integrates with most accounting software and is free on the Dext Prepare Plan.
Click here for more information on Dext.
Article compiled by Liezl Tolkin; Office Manager at Valcare.
