6 Types of Software That All Nonprofits Should Have

Laptop screen with software running.
Photo by Desola Lanre-Ologun

Find yourself managing a nonprofit organization?

Which is likely a yes because you are here reading this. While there are many things with running a nonprofit, it is consistent that most nonprofit owners are looking for ways to save money and invest in the appropriate software that can help you save both time & money in the long run. Despite the fact that there are many other software tools that can make your life simpler, these are our top six choices for the software tools that every nonprofit organization ought to have in their toolkit.

Donor management software

If you work in the field of fundraising, you understand the importance of having a trustworthy donor management system. Using this kind of software, you will be able to maintain a record of all of your donors, including their contact information, the amount they have donated in the past, and any other pertinent information. Donation requests, thank-you notes, and overall fundraising activity can all be managed efficiently with the help of a donor management system. Additionally, a number of these programs integrate with well-known accounting software, making it possible for you to manage both your contributions and your expenditures in the same location.

  1. DonorPerfect is non-profit software that helps manage donor relationships and fundraising. The software tracks donors, processes gifts, manages campaigns, and plans events.
  2. NeonCRM helps non-profits manage donor, fundraising, and software relationships. It tracks donors, sends emails, and integrates social media.
  3. Salsa CRM is software for small to mid-sized non-profits that helps them manage donor and fundraising relationships. Features include donor tracking, email marketing, event management, and social media integration.

Accounting Software

Accounting software is another type of software that is an essential tool for any organization that focuses on nonprofit work. Whether you manage a small company with only a few transactions per month or a larger company with complex finances, accounting software can assist you in keeping track of your income and expenses and ensuring that your books are in order. This is true regardless of the size of the company that you are responsible for managing. Numerous accounting software packages, such as QuickBooks and Xero, are designed to meet the unique needs of charitable organizations. Among other things, these packages offer the capacity to keep tabs on gifts and grants and to generate reports for donors.

  1. QuickBooks is popular non-profit accounting software. Budgeting, donor tracking, and financial reporting are included.
  2. Xero is another non-profit accounting software. Bank reconciliation, expense tracking, and invoicing are included.
  3. Acclipse is cloud-based accounting software for non-profits. It can handle financial reporting, events, and donors.

Email Marketing Software

Despite the time commitment required to manage your email list and send out newsletters, email marketing is a useful tool for nonprofit organizations. This is true despite the fact that sending out newsletters and managing your email list both take time. Email marketing software can be of assistance in this regard. Using software of this kind makes it easy to manage your subscriber list, create and send emails that have a professional appearance, and track the success of your marketing campaigns. In addition, the majority of email marketing programs provide a variety of resources, including templates, to make getting started as simple as possible.

  1. Mailchimp is the most popular email marketing platform for non-profits. It offers free and paid plans for companies with fewer than 2,000 subscribers.
  2. Constant Contact is great for email marketing. It provides templates, design tools, and analytics to help businesses create and measure email campaigns.
  3. Campaign Monitor is a complete email marketing platform that has a range of features specifically designed for non-profits. These include tools for automating tasks, editable templates, and software integrations with other nonprofit applications.

Project Management Software

If your company oversees any programs or projects, you are probably well aware of how challenging it can be to keep track of all the different moving parts involved. Using software to manage projects will assist you in maintaining control and keeping things organized. You are able to create project plans, delegate tasks, monitor progress, manage resources, and organize budgets when you use software of this kind. By doing so, you will be able to maintain your concentration, which is critical to successfully delivering your programs on time and without exceeding your financial constraints.

  1. Asana helps organizations plan, track, and collaborate on their work. It offers powerful and flexible features like task lists, project calendars, and team communication tools for non-profits.
  2. Trello uses a visual “card” system to help teams track progress and collaborate on projects. It’s ideal for small teams or organizations that need a lightweight work management solution.
  3. Basecamp offers to-do lists, file storage, and messaging tools for project management and team communication. Due to its ease of use and comprehensive features, it’s popular with non-profits.

Volunteer Management Software

Volunteers are crucial to the success of many nonprofit organizations, but it can be difficult to coordinate their efforts. You are able to schedule volunteers for shifts, keep track of their hours, and monitor their contributions with the assistance of software designed specifically for volunteer management. You are able to maintain a high level of interest and motivation in your volunteers by communicating with them using software such as this. In addition, many of the programs that manage volunteers provide resources for recruiting new volunteers and integrating them into the group, which makes it simple to increase the size of your team.

  1. VolunteerMatch using this software non-profits can find local volunteers. A volunteer search engine, upcoming opportunities, and tools for organizing volunteer applications and scheduling are included.
  2. VolunteerHub is software for organizing volunteers for events and projects. Shift scheduling, online registration, and communication are included.
  3. YourVolunteers has online registration, scheduling, and communication tools for managing volunteers. It can generate reports and track volunteer hours.

Operation Management Software

Software in the operation software category helps businesses manage daily tasks and boost productivity. This can include everything from accounting and financial management to project management and human resources.

Operation software for nonprofits has many benefits. One of which is that it can reduce staff workload and help you save time. By automating some tasks and providing a central repository for important data and documents, operation software can help you work more productively and efficiently. This can free up more time for your staff to focus on the crucial work of and helping the community.

Operation software can help nonprofits manage their finances and track their progress more effectively while also saving time and boosting productivity. Operation software provides real-time financial data and tracking tools to help non-profits make better decisions and allocate their resources more efficiently.

  1. HelpOpX provides an all-in-one solution to manage and run day-to-day tasks in communities. They are known to be a great solution for smaller nonprofits with 1 or 2 staff members. It includes a mass text message outreach tool, case management software, member & volunteer database, impact reporting, internal & external referral network, and more.
  2. Zoho One includes project management, HR management, and CRM for non-profits.
  3. NetSuite offers non-profits financial management, inventory management, and e-commerce. Donations and fundraising tools are included.

These are just six of the many software tools that can help your nonprofit become more effective and efficient. There are many more. Having the appropriate tools at your disposal can make it easier for you to maintain order, save both time and money, and focus on the activities that are most important. Don’t be afraid to test out new software and see how it can help your company because you shouldn’t hold back from doing so.


Having a burning question you want to ask? Ask us in our “HelpOpX: Building Stronger Nonprofits Together w/ Q&A” Nonprofit Networking Group here.

More information about HelpOpX? Visit www.helpopx.com today.

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