Articles: Collaboration

Idealware articles, like those in our Few Good Tools series, give nonprofits concise, critical information on the software choices available for specific organizational functions and goals. We compare software options, offer real life examples and case studies, and give you the tools to make the right decision based on your specific needs.

Articles: Collaboration

  • Comparing Google Apps to Microsoft Outlook
    By Laura S. Quinn and Jay Leslie,
    July 2011

    The Google Apps donation program provides organizational email, calendaring and document sharing as a free alternative to Microsoft Outlook. How do the two applications compare in the face of typical nonprofit needs?

  • Boosting Board Collaboration: Software to Support Your Board

    By Chris Bernard, Senior Editor,
    March 2011

    Can software help your board collaborate more effectively?  It likely can -- potentially, anything from scheduling meetings to share documents or even to meet online.  This Idealware article was written for the inaugural issue of NTEN: Change, the new quarterly publication of the NTEN. Thanks to NTEN for their support.

  • A Few Good Online Survey Tools
    By Eric Leland,
    February 2011

    Online surveys can be a huge help in understanding what your constituents think and how successful your programs are, without breaking your budget. Last year we spoke to five nonprofit staff members to understand how existing online survey tools compare—this is an update of that article with current information about the tools’ features and pricing.

  • Out of the Classroom: Considering eLearning Software

    By Colin Pizarek and Chris Bernard,
    October 2010

    eLearning modules -- multimedia modules that provide students information in an interactive, multimedia-rich way -- can be an interesting way to teach staff or constituents.  But how do you create them?  There's a whole class of software packages that help you create the core elements like text, graphics, narration, animation, and interactivity.  

  • Six Views of Project Management Software
    By Laura S. Quinn,
    June 2010

    There are many software applications that can help with project management tasks - but also many different opinions about what types of functionality you might want.  In this article, revised in June 2010, we round up the types of software and the vendorswhat nonprofit  project managers to understand what software has been useful to them.

     

  • Enlisting Your Supporters to Fundraise For You: A Case Study
    By Andrea Berry,
    October 2009

    How can online friend-to-friend fundraising help you to raise money and engage your staff and volunteers? This detailed case study looks at how one small school raised $3000 from mostly new donors with a minimal investment.

  • Using RSS Tools to Feed Your Information Needs
    By Peter Campbell,
    March 2009

    The Internet gives you access to a virtual smorgasbord of information. From the consequential to the trivial, the astonishing to the mundane, it's all within your reach. This means you can keep up with the headlines, policies, trends, and tools that interest your nonprofit, and keep informed about what people are saying about your organization online. But the sheer volume of information can pose challenges, too: namely, how do you separate the useful data from all the rest? One way is to use RSS, which brings the information you want to you.

  • Comparing Options for Collaboration Software
    By Laura S. Quinn,
    January 2009

    If you’re looking for software tools that can help your group collaborate, you’ll find a lot of options. There are many different types of solutions that support many different types of needs. This article compares your options.

  • A Few Good Email Discussion List Tools
    By Chris Bernard,
    December 2008

    Many organizations would like to foster community and information sharing using email discussion lists. What software packages can help? We asked six nonprofit experts about the systems that have worked for them.

  • Online Project Management Software in the Real World
    By Michele Murrain and Laura Quinn,
    May 2008

    Managing all the dates, documents, tasks and people associated with a project can be daunting, but online project management software can help. We present three case studies of nonprofits who have used packages like Basecamp, Central Desktop and Trac to help manage real projects.

  • A Few Good Tools for Sharing Files with Distributed Groups
    By Laura S. Quinn,
    March 2008

    You’ve finally hired two new staff members to join your successful nonprofit. The trouble is, your new colleagues are in Chicago and your headquarters is in San Francisco. How will you share documents? Is there a better solution than constantly emailing attachments?

  • Using Wikis for Internal Documentation
    By Jeremy Wallace,
    March 2008

    Documenting your organizational procedures can be a big help, but this information often languishes in obscurity and goes slowly out of date. Jeremy Wallace talks about how wikis - easily editable websites - can help.

    Most organizations have (or at least should have!) internal documentation that outlines procedures, best practices, and tips to help make everyone’s job easier. For instance, an organization might write up:

  • Characteristics of Successful Online Communities
    By Andrew Cohen,
    February 2008

    Successful online communities require more than a software package. In this article, we outline the strategies and features that can help you build online message boards, social networks, or other conversation based sites that become vibrant, useful communities.

  • A Few Good Online Conferencing Tools
    By Laura S. Quinn,
    January 2008

    Adding visuals to a phone conference can make a big difference - perhaps by showing a document, software application or slides. Or maybe you want to conduct a more formal online seminar—sometimes called a Webinar. There are a number of affordable software packages that can help. We talked to five nonprofit professionals about the tools that have worked for them.

  • Behind Closed Web Sites: A Look at Three Nonprofit Intranets
    By Laura S. Quinn,
    September 2007

    Secure, staff-only websites, called intranets, are widespread in the business world and increasingly common among nonprofits. What are NPOs doing within these private Web sites? What are the benefits, and the costs? We profile three different administrative intranets.

  • Better Organization through Document Management Systems
    By Peter S. Campbell,
    January 2007

    Is your organization drowning in a virtual sea of documents? Document management systems can provide invaluable document searching, versioning, comparison, and collaboration features. Peter Campbell explains.

  • 15 Ways to Use Software to Improve Your Organization's Knowledge Management
    By Laura S. Quinn,
    September 2006

    You may have seen signs that knowledge isn't flowing easily through your nonprofit: Staff can't find documents, or research things that others already know, and decisions are made without full information. Software can't solve all your problems, but it can probably help.

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