Over the years, the Funding for Good team has used and tested dozens of software tools for nonprofits and small businesses. Along the way, we’ve found a few tools that we absolutely love.
So today, we’re pulling back the curtain and sharing some of our favorite tools.
As a bonus, many of these tools come in free or low-cost versions—and include discounts for nonprofit organizations.
A Caution: Always Pilot Nonprofit Tools First
Most of the productivity tools we include here have free and paid versions. We recommend starting with the free versions as a pilot test. Before spending any money, you want to be sure you like a tool and can effectively integrate it into your workflow.
Because let’s face it, technology doesn’t always save us time. I’ve seen plenty of situations where a fancy new tool was rolled out too quickly, without stakeholder input. In the end, the effort sucked time, energy, and creativity from the client’s team.
We all work differently, so make sure each tool works for you and your organization’s unique needs.
Our Favorite Free (or Low Cost) Tools for Nonprofits
- Asana – One of the top tools we can’t live without in our daily work with nonprofits is Asana. Think of Asana as your partner in program management, process control, cross-team communications, and more! Asana offers a 50% off discount for nonprofits who use paid plans. But we’ve found many groups are well-served with the free version.
- Dropbox – Dropbox is hands-down the best file-sharing and management software we’ve used. With Dropbox, there’s no need to run painful backups of your documents. That all happens automatically as Dropbox syncs your files between your desktop(s), the cloud, and with your team. You can also easily control who can access which folders.
- Grammarly – One of our favorite free tools that we recommend to all of our clients, Grammarly is like a copyeditor in your pocket. Better than Word’s built-in spelling and grammar checker, Grammarly can actually help you polish your writing. We love it so much, we use the paid version, but we know plenty of folks who are happy with the free version only.
- Google Workspace – Google Workspace has become a must-have tool for nonprofits and many businesses alike. With affordable pricing for nonprofits, Google Workspace not only features customizable email domains, but tools like calendars, video meetings, and documents (for those who are fans of Google Docs and Sheets).
Additional free tools to consider:
- Mailchimp – If you’re just building your email list, Mailchimp is one of the easiest-to-use beginner tools. Mailchimp lets you create professional-looking emails (without requiring a design degree). If you have less than 500 contacts, you’re eligible for a free Mailchimp account. From there, pricing is based on the number of contacts, users, and monthly email sends. There is a nonprofit discount available for premium plans.
- Canva – For those nonprofits without an in-house or on-call designer, Canva can be a helpful resource for creating professional-looking graphics and presentations.
- Slack – If you’re looking for instant communications with your team—beyond email or Asana—Slack has become the go-to tool for many nonprofits. We don’t personally use Slack here at Funding for Good, but we’ve heard good things, especially from clients with far-flung teams.
Upgrading to Paid Versions of Free Tools
While free versions of these tools are often powerful enough on their own, sometimes it’s worth upgrading to paid or enterprise versions.
For example:
- Sensitive data: If your organization handles sensitive data on a platform or is the target of intentional attacks, premium versions of tools may provide more security.
- Number of users: Free versions often limit the number of users and/or the amount of data stored. If your team is growing, you may need to grow your software/subscription budget too.
- Additional functionality: Paid versions of software often provide additional functionality not available on free plans. Just remember to evaluate whether you really need—or will use—the added functionality.
What Free Nonprofit Tools Are You Using?
Are you using a free or low-cost productivity tool that isn’t listed here? Let us know the name and what you love about it, and we’ll add it to our roundup!
