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Team Welter

Apr 09
0

Automate Nonprofit Processes with Excel 2019

By | Nonprofit | No Comments

Excel has come a long way since its introduction into the business world in 1985. The 2019 edition includes 12 updates that transform it from a simple spreadsheet tool into a robust office software capable of 3D rendering and more. Here, we present the highlights of the latest version of Excel.

Five Exciting Highlights of the New Excel 2019

  1. Automated workflow: The new version of Excel connects through Microsoft Flow, which enables data to be retrieved from other applications and stored and manipulated in Excel. Data can be programmed to send to others as well, via third-party applications. Flow can gather data from any third party application including ERP systems, CRM systems, weather forecasts, and more, so the potential for its use is enormous.
  2. 3D images: This new feature is hard to put into words, so you might want to check it out for yourself. Excel now enables you to incorporate pictures from their database into your spreadsheets and rotate them to form 3D images. There’s a video of this available from the Journal of Accountancy that shows you just this new feature in action.
  3. Build custom functions: If you know JavaScript, you can now build custom functions into Excel. Excel already lets users create functions with Visual Basic, but now Microsoft has enabled JavaScript programming. It’s more widely available and commonly used than Visual Basic, and offers a great deal of flexibility in Excel.
  4. Map and chart improvements: Map improvements allow you to display maps in many ways, including flat or curved displays. Chart improvements include color-coded heat maps, the ability to control axis information on funnel charts, and more.
  5. Form improvements: If you use Excel to prepare forms, you’re in luck! Form improvements in the 2019 edition include the ability to produce surveys, polls, and quizzes. You can use Excel similarly to other popular form tools and integrate the responses into spreadsheets for easier use. To apply the new form improvements, visit Microsoft online New Form.

Other improvements to Excel include co-authoring, which enables people collaborating on documents to include their names, 500 new built-in icons to create dashboards and infographics, and full SVG support, which means that graphics won’t pixelate as they once did. It’s bringing Microsoft Excel up to data in many ways.

Excel for Nonprofit Organizations

Microsoft Excel continues to be a popular software choice for nonprofit organizations. It’s inexpensive, plays well with other Microsoft software, and provides a standard format for sharing information with colleagues, consultants, and others who may require access to your data.

Although it is limited compared with specialized systems for nonprofits, the enhancements to the 2019 version of Excel make it an excellent tool for many standard functions in the nonprofit office environment.

  1. Basic reports: When used in conjunction with an accounting program, Excel can be used to create charts, graphs, and other reports that make data easy to understand.
  2. Grant tracking: Use Excel spreadsheets to track grant applications, progress towards completion of grant applications, and other vital metrics.
  3. Mailing lists: Mailing lists can be tracked on spreadsheets too. Name, address, and other information merges smoothly with label-printing functions in Microsoft Word to enable you to generate your mailing labels and get news sent out promptly.

Microsoft Excel has definitely come a long way since its early days. It’s much more than spreadsheets. It’s an office productivity tool that helps you organize, work with, and share data of all types.

Welter Consulting

Welter Consulting bridges people and technology together for effective solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software and services that can help you with your accounting needs. Please contact Welter Consulting at 206-605-3113 for more information.

Apr 02
0

The Importance of Social Media Policies

By | Nonprofit | No Comments

Do you know the name Justine Sacco? Justine made the news when she made what she considered a joke on social media. The PR executive sent a poorly worded tweet out on her feed, and the world saw it. They also condemned it. We won’t bother repeating it here (and we don’t want to) but suffice to say, it’s not the kind of attention you want for your nonprofit organization.

Justine’s story, and that of many other people who made bloopers on social media, underscore the need for all businesses, but especially nonprofit organizations, to have social media policies in place. These policies should be carefully crafted and reviewed with everyone associated with your organization. An ounce of prevention, especially in the case of a nonprofit and social media, is worth a pound of cure. In an age when one poorly worded tweet can ruin a woman’s career, a poorly timed or badly worded social media post can shatter the hard-won reputation of a nonprofit organization.

What Are Social Media Policies?

Social media policies are guidelines that spell out when, how, and what may be shared on social media. They certainly apply to the people guiding social media efforts at your organization, but they should also guide all employees who post online.

People may not realize that even during their “off hours” they may still be viewed as a representative of the organization. Certainly, people have the right to free expression. But when that free expression crosses the line into casting doubt on a nonprofit organization’s mission, vision, or efficacy, it should be taken seriously.

Policies on social media may include:

  • What is—and what’s not—acceptable to share on company pages
  • Guidelines for public posts on employee social media pages
  • Guidelines for board members and others involved at an executive level with an organization

Don’t Just Prohibit Social Media Behaviors – Encourage Good Ones, Too!

Policies are fine, but there’s another side to the social media coin: social media can be used to encourage positive behaviors, too.

For example, employees and board members may be great advocates for your organization’s mission. Instead of worrying about what they will say and how they will say it, provide them with appropriate graphics and messages to share across their social media pages.

It doesn’t take long to generate 10-20 messages that the organization approves and that can be widely shared by everyone at your nonprofit. By providing people with positive, share-worthy items, you’ll help steer the message in the right direction without coming down too hard on people who honestly want to promote the organization (but may not have the best way of doing it).

Choose Social Media Representatives

Like all public-facing or marketing initiatives, there should be someone who can represent the organization well and guide the content appropriately. Choose one or, at most, two people to handle your overall social media work. These people should be trusted members of your marketing team and deeply involved in the organization’s work so that they can message it adequately across social media.

Guide Use of Images, Memes, and Third-Party Content

Another often overlooked aspect of social media posts is the sharing or use of third-party content. Sharing links to approved third-party content is appropriate. For example, an environmentally-focused nonprofit may develop a list of recommended websites from which team members may find and share links on social media platforms.

However, copying pictures from the internet and using them to illustrate your social media posts isn’t legal and may construe copyright infringement, unless the images are licensed for social media use. It’s safest to use images you’ve taken yourself or pictures which have a clear license agreement and are licensed to your organization.

Social Media: Use Wisely

Social media offers numerous ways in which nonprofit organizations can connect with the world and share their mission. Used wisely, it offers a great way to promote your cause, connect with members and donors, and share great information. With the right guidelines and policies in place and strong leadership at the helm, you can have a strong social media presence.

Welter Consulting

Welter Consulting bridges people and technology together for effective solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software and services that can help you with your accounting needs. Please contact Welter Consulting at 206-605-3113 for more information.

Mar 19
0

Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Ask for In-Kind Donations

By | Donations, Nonprofit | No Comments

In-kind donations refer to products or services donated directly to a nonprofit organization. These are tangible gifts given to your organization. Some nonprofits dislike in-kind donations because they feel it limits their flexibility to find the exact items they need. They don’t want to turn away gifts, but when the gifts aren’t appropriate, it’s hard to get excited about an in-kind offering.

Instead of fearing in-kind gifts or shunning them, how about embracing them? With so many news stories today about operating budgets misused at both for-profit and nonprofit organizations, many people prefer to give in-kind, rather than cash donations. Figure out how to leverage in-kind donations rather than avoid them, and you’ll be able to meet your organization’s goals while making people feel good about their contribution.

Be Specific About Your Needs

The first step to run an in-kind donation event is to identify what you need. Be very specific about the items. Don’t be afraid to create and publicize a list with brands, sizes, colors, and specifics about the gifts needed.

A local animal shelter runs two in-kind gift events each year. They provide lists of items that can be purchased inexpensively at discount stores that will be used at the shelter.

Some items, such as bleach, mops, sponges, and pails, are listed as generic items. But they also list brands of cat litter, dog and puppy food, and cat and kitten food that they prefer. Although they won’t turn away gifts of other kinds of pet food, these specific brands are used when veterinarians prescribe specials diets to animals that have been abused. By stating this in their flyer, the shelter gently educates the public, asks clearly for what they need, and receives plenty of donations. They stage in-kind events in the spring at the YMCA and, in the fall, at the local car dealership and hotel chain. Special “meet and greet” days featuring adoptable pets and volunteers give the events a personal feeling.

Best of all, because the events are for a nonprofit, the local radio station loves to cover them, giving both the nonprofit and their sponsoring organizations a lot of free publicity. It’s a great way to stage an in-kind event that helps the shelter, generates publicity, and raises awareness of the local charity.

Think Big

You don’t have to think small when it comes to in-kind gifts, either. You can list large items such as vehicles, office furniture, and computers as part of an in-kind gift strategy. Using the animal shelter example, be specific about your needs. If you do receive items that aren’t on the list, see if you can use them. If you can’t, thank the donor anyway, and find a way to dispose of them.

Establish Accounting Policies

Don’t forget to establish accounting policies around in-kind donations. You must account for in-kind contributions; they aren’t freebies. Donations above $250 must be recognized with a receipt but giving a receipt with the appropriate and necessary information for the donor’s tax records is appreciated.

An accounting policy for in-kind donations should include guidelines to ensure that all donations are:

  • Documented with a receipt, and a copy of the receipt kept on file
  • Evaluated and given an appropriate dollar value
  • Treated consistently
  • Verified in the accounting records

The IRS features a resource center called Tax Information for Contributors which includes many useful documents to guide you as you track contributions.

When your nonprofit has many needs, it can be difficult to think beyond an immediate cash influx via donations. Sometimes, however, people want to give tangible goods. An in-kind campaign helps you achieve your nonprofit goals while encouraging the public to support your organization.

Welter Consulting

Welter Consulting bridges people and technology together for effective solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software and services that can help you with your accounting needs. Please contact Welter Consulting at 206-605-3113 for more information.

Mar 12
0

How to Build Your Nonprofit Technology Plan

By | Nonprofit | No Comments

How does your nonprofit choose the software it uses? Do you use what’s available at no cost or came with your computer and hope for the best? Or have you purchased software from an office supply store and find that it just doesn’t fit the needs of a nonprofit?

It’s not uncommon to find that off-the-shelf accounting packages, for example, don’t quite match the needs of your organization. Accounting for nonprofits must take into consideration different revenue sources and requirements. Sometimes adjusting packaged software is like fitting a round peg in a square hole. It works, but there are gaps.

The key to ensuring nonprofit efficiency and productivity lies in a nonprofit technology strategy. Planning purchases in advance ensures you’ve covered all your organization’s needs while handling its finances with care and consideration. It helps you build up your technology the right way, focusing on the primary organizational needs while preparing for future needs, too.

Five Questions to Ask to Build a Nonprofit Technology Plan

We’ve put together these five questions to help you get started building your nonprofit technology plan. Gather your team together and review this list of questions to find the right software for your needs.

  1. What are the tech needs of your organization? You may wish to take an inventory of the current software packages you are using. Include all departments or groups in your inventory and ask everyone to list the software they have on their desktops or organization-wide.
  2. Who needs what? List all the functional areas in your organization and then the types of software each needs. All groups need word processing and basic spreadsheet software, but perhaps only the accounting department needs access to accounting and financial management software, and marketing needs access to graphic design and/or specialized CRM software.
  3. Do you need to integrate new or existing software? Today’s solutions emphasize integration for good reason. It helps boost efficiency, saves time, and improves all aspects of your workplace. If you have a current package for accounting and finance that you like, for example, you may wish to find a CRM system that integrates easily with it so you can track member communications against donations and other data. Integration enables you to do much more with the data you have and to work more effectively across teams.
  4. Are you considering specialized nonprofit software? Software developers familiar with the nonprofit world develop packages that fit the needs of an organization better than standard off the shelf ones. These packages take into consideration the various revenue streams common to a nonprofit, variations in fiscal years and accounting, and many other areas. Software designed specifically for nonprofits may save you time and money and help you ramp up more quickly than purchasing a package meant for a for-profit and adapting it for the nonprofit world.
  5. What training do we need? Sometimes nonprofits think they need new software when they can use their existing software to meet their needs—with the right training. You may wish to explore training solutions to use your existing software more efficiently. Or, if you’re buying new software, learn about the training options available from the software vendor. The more you know about your software, the more use you will get out of it.

Write Up Your Plan

A written plan offers a robust roadmap of technology solutions that can be shared among team members, board members, and others who can advise and guide your purchases and budget needs. It doesn’t need to be an elaborate plan. List your goals, budget, software needs, and who needs them. Then, decide which teams or individuals will begin the exploration process to find the right software packages for your nonprofit.

Nonprofit software has come a long way from the days of single-use packages that need frequent updates. Today’s cloud-based solutions run over the internet, so anyone with a web browser can access them. They don’t need fancy hardware to run, and they are very user-friendly. Find out more about nonprofit software solutions or get help with your nonprofit tech strategy from the experts at Welter Consulting.

Welter Consulting

Welter Consulting bridges people and technology together for practical solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software and services that can help you with your accounting needs. Please contact Welter Consulting at 206-605-3113 for more information.