Why Do Non-Profit Organizations Need Project Management Software?

Non-profit organizations enjoy a market share of over $270 billion and there are over 10 million non-profit organizations across the world.

These organizations execute various philanthropic activities around the world where volunteers and team members usually work in the field.

Nonprofits need teams to work together on various projects. These projects include events and campaigns which require staff, volunteers, donors, and other community members to implement highly-important projects in rural and disaster-stricken areas.

These activities require powerful project management software enabling non-profit organizations to maintain coordination and communication between team members.

To make a project successful it must be executed on time and within budget. Furthermore, it would require online project management tools to keep all parties updated throughout the execution of the project.

(Source: financesonline.com)

In 2022, the majority of charitable dollars went to religion (27%), human services (14%), education (13%), grantmaking foundations (11%), and health (10%).

Top 5 Best Practices for Non-Profit Organizations to Ensure Successful Execution of the Project

1. Ensure Proper Resource Capacity

Nonprofits employed nearly 11 million people in 2022, which is an increase of 3.2 million from 2016.

Plan the right number of resources for your project. As nonprofits work on a tight schedule and budget they need the exact number of people to deliver the project successfully.

It can either be created during the proposal writing phase or during the inception phase when budgets are finalized.

Although nonprofits are needed to show ambition and capability to gather projects, they also need to refrain from stating astronomical figures so that they can incur the expenses they need during the project lifecycle.

When you have to include project charters, requirements, milestones, deadlines, and deliverables you need to start planning for the right resources for your project.

To plan the right number of resources you need to gather insights from previous projects. This is where a project collaboration tool is needed; you can plan your projects, collaborate, create tasks, track tasks, and generate insights that can help you determine the right number of resources for your future projects.

2. Integrate on-premise project management software

Project management software is highly valued in the corporate sector; however, it can be highly beneficial to non-profits as well.

Project management tools can make it easier for team members to work remotely. It also contributes to lower overhead costs and operating expenses for non-profit organizations.

Non-profit project management software like Orangescrum enables team members to manage various tasks, including email communication, chat communication, conducting online meetings with sponsors, getting approvals, managing budgets, and collecting funds all in a single platform.

3. Maintain Risk Register

A risk register is a tool and process which enables project managers to identify and monitor any risks that may crop up during project execution.

Proactively addressing these issues makes risk management an important part of project management.

Any issues that could arise during the project’s life should be recorded during the inception phase and monitored during implementation.

Using nonprofit project collaboration tools like Orangescrum you can log, anticipate and generate insights for proper risk mitigation.

It enables you to identify risks and devise alternate plans in case the mitigation efforts do not work.

You also send updates to the team members and project managers when issues crop up to fix them at the earliest.

4. Project Monitoring and Evaluation

Every non-profit organization includes goals that need to be accomplished in a given time frame and budgeting.

However, setting project goals and objectives is not enough as you also have to deliver them successfully.

In order to compare actual performance and objectives you also have to integrate project monitoring activities into your project execution.

Next step, you have to evaluate the project so that you can determine what you did well and what could have been improved.

Project monitoring and evaluation enable project managers to generate valuable insights and determine the success of a project through quantitative data.

These data and insights are also helpful in determining the cost estimates when asking your sponsors and donors.

The insights also help in improving the project execution processes and methods for future projects.

5. Keep a Record of the Lessons Learned

Project managers are aware of the need of documenting each step of the project execution which includes elements of the lessons learned during execution and the benefits their teams, organizations, and others acquire.

It also enables them to plan future projects accurately. These are valuable insights and observations which were recorded during the successful or unsuccessful execution of the project.

Keeping a record of the lessons learned from past projects represents the organization’s dedication to effective project management and a chance for project managers to gain knowledge from the experiences of other team members.

30% of annual giving happens in December, with about 10% of all annual donations coming in the last three days of the year.

(source: maximizemarketresearch.com)

Why Do Nonprofits Need Project Management Software?

According to a survey done by the project management institute, only 16% of nonprofit projects are completed; 53% of projects go over budget; and 31% of projects get canceled.

The all-in-one project collaboration tools like Orangescrum can enable nonprofits to overcome challenges to be able to better execute their projects.

With Orangescrum Non-Profit Project Management Software You Will be able to:

• View all tasks in a snapshot quickly and easily on a single page.
• Get an overview of all the tasks including – ongoing tasks, upcoming tasks, and finished tasks.
• Save time and energy by automating repetitive tasks and spending more time on the other important aspects of project development.
• Store all your information in a central place from where it can be accessible to all the team members and sponsors.
• Manage the calendar with mentions of deadlines and milestones.
• Keep track of the project’s progress.
• View your upcoming to-dos
• Link tasks to the right owners and restrict access to those who are not part of the project.
• Manage the tasks and responsibilities of each team member.
• Manage resources to save time and money.

(Sources: Fidelity Charitable)

Top Benefits of Project Management Software for Nonprofit Organizations

1. Remote Work Management:

Remote work is gradually becoming the future of project execution. Moreover, non-profit organizations work with various remote volunteers.

On-premise project management software such as Orangescrum enables nonprofit organizations to easily handle all of their tasks and work from remote locations.

Project management software enables project managers to send letters to sponsors, get approvals, raise funds, and manage other tasks from a single platform.

The tool can also be configured to send push notifications and reminders so that you perform important tasks without missing out on any of them.

You can furthermore schedule meetings with delegates, gather volunteers, track assigned tasks, and conduct seminars with sponsors.

Even if the tasks are different, you can manage all the tasks and manage the successful execution of the projects using project management software.

2. Facilitate Effective Communication

Irrespective of the distance between you and team members you can effectively communicate with your team members with the help of project management tools.

It enables you to stay on track with each task and determine what’s going on by attending meetings from anywhere.

Nonprofits typically carry out various functions and tasks across multiple remote locations.

They also perform various activities throughout the year.

Project management software enables team members to remove communication barriers that significantly reduce the risk of project mismanagement.

3. Easier Task Tracking

One of the biggest benefits of using project management software is the ability to track each and every task assigned to various team members easily from remote locations.

You can monitor the progress of each project with custom project dashboards which provide a snapshot of all the activities and their status neatly organized in a single platform.

This enables team members to easily view the progress of each task as well as handle any upcoming hurdles in the development phase.

Project management software for nonprofits enables them to get detailed reports of all tasks in real time without having to run around for updates.

It also enables you to track email activities saving you a ton of time and effort.

4. Central Storage and Management of All Information

With on-premises and cloud project management software, you can store all your projects in a single centralized location.

You can refer to and review past projects from the same platform in case you need information regarding your fundraising services.

Instead of un-systematically searching through old physical files for information, you can search the project from a single project collaboration tool.

With the task management tools such as Orangescrum, you can use advanced search filters that will make things even more easier. You can store important files, documents, and letters for future use as well.

5. Be Consistent With Your Project Delivery

A majority of work performed by nonprofit organizations is done in phases so they need to maintain consistency of their work and ensure a smooth delivery of projects.

Many nonprofits conduct events yearly where they usually have to repeat the same tasks every year for example annual charitable festival.

With project management tools you can create the project once and use the same format or process each year so that you don’t miss out on anything.

On-premise project collaboration tool for nonprofits enables them to store all the files and documents in a centralized location for future reference.

You can also use reports and insights generated from your past events or projects to set up goals for your future projects.

Conclusion

Project management software has become an integral part of nonprofit project success. It allows you to track, plan and collaborate on important projects in a single place.

Moreover, when you opt for an on-premise solution such as Orangescrum you can customize the features and workflows to best fit your own project needs.

Orangescrum also provides third-party integration which enables you to import work from other productivity tools and makes way for easy onboarding.

Are You a Non-Profit Organization Looking to Manage All Your Projects on a Single Platform?  – Try Orangescrum Today