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A Buyers Guide to The Best Free Non-profit Project Management Software
Due to the fact that nonprofit organisations depend on successful and well-managed fundraising campaigns, it is critical that individuals who oversee them operate with efficient project management software – preferably free to save money.
When there is so much planning and effort involved, the older techniques of project management don’t work as well. The usage of project management software may help non-profit organisations simplify the administration of tasks, resources, and the completion date of their projects. The good news is that many project management software offer free plans for users and organisations.
Every company, whether for profit or not, must have a system for keeping track of project workloads at all times. Nonprofits’ success depends on their capacity to successfully manage project time and maintain open lines of communication.
Additionally, project management software may be used to plan and manage projects, allocate resources, monitor progress, and more.
Looking for specific features? Explore our comparison tooling.
At a glance:
- Smart Sheet: Best overall Project Management software
- Monday Project Management: Most user-friendly
- Wrike: Best invoicing
- ClickUp: Most comprehensive
- Teamwork: Most affordable
Best Overall
✅ Endlessly customizable and quite powerful
✅ Supports automations, input from web forms, proofing and approvals.
User-friendly
✅ Planning and setting objectives with the team.
✅ Flexible and customizable in terms of setting up a workflow.
Best invoicing
✅ Can manage both projects and ongoing work.
✅ New intelligent features flag projects at risk of slipping.
Comprehensive
✅ Keep an overview.
✅ Extensive customization of virtual workplace.
Affordable
✅ Great customization options.
✅ Billing and invoicing included.
✅ Free account available.
How to choose the best project management software for non-profits?
Good project management can be hard to achieve. In the absence of a project management strategy, non-profits may face the risk of failure. Because only a tiny number of charity projects are really finished on schedule and on budget, charity projects are notoriously difficult to execute. One-third of all charitable activities fail because of this.
In the event that a project does not meet its objectives, the reputation of the organisation may be badly tarnished. As a consequence, nonprofit organisations must ensure that the software that they use to perform their projects is of the highest quality.
Selecting project management software requires consideration of a number of factors. You need to know exactly what the software demands and how you propose to undertake the project plans. In order to effectively execute a project, you must take into account the needs and expectations of your target market. Before you begin, consider the restrictions of your project and alongside the tools that you may want to utilise. Choosing management software requires consideration of a number of important factors.
- Price: The price of a product is an important consideration since it will give you a fair idea of whether or not it fits your budget needs, in the case of nonprofits it is preferable that the software be free. You should consider both the expense of the tool and whether or not it saves time. Compare the tool’s features to those of a similar kind to assess whether you’re getting your money’s worth for the product. With the right software, your company might save significant amounts of time and money.
- Sharing and Collaboration: There must be a mechanism in place that promotes the exchange of information between project managers and the relevant people. The goals you establish for yourself and the people you discuss them with will have a significant impact on the tools you use. When working on a project that requires a great deal of communication, consider how much sharing and collaboration the product facilitates.
- Integrations: In order to maximise efficiency and ensure data integrity, all systems must be networked. By reducing the complexity of inter-system links, system changes may be less disruptive. This is something to bear in mind if you’re the project leader.
- Ease of Use: In order to get the most out of your investment in project management software, you want it to be as simple as possible to use. Any project management starting point needs basic project management tools. Simple software may help you save time and effort. The quality of the user experience determines whether or not you will continue to use a product.
- User Count: Like price, the number of users has a direct influence on the project’s budget and end outcome. Keep in consideration both the present and future scopes of the project when selecting a project management solution.
- Time: Project management software’s capacity to save time is a key selling factor. Time saved is less money spent.
Your most critical concerns are your projects timescale, budget and goals. You have the final say on what project management software fits your aspirations best. You may make an informed decision on which software is best suited to the job at hand.
Best Project Management Software for Non-profits
- Smart Sheet: Best overall Project Management software
- Monday Project Management: Most user-friendly
- Wrike: Best invoicing
- ClickUp: Most comprehensive
- Teamwork: Most affordable
Smart Sheet Review: Best overall Project Management software
For non-profits, tracking project objectives and results may be aided by platforms such as Smartsheet. It is extremely easy for users to navigate the system.
Records, plans, regulations, funds, and even event planning may all be kept track of. A dashboard provides access to all the information you need. Shared and sent rows prove to be time-efficient and can replace emails created through an email programme.
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You can manage several projects and activities at once using Smartsheet. You’ll never miss a deadline again because Smartsheet maintains track of your schedule. Using a mobile app, you may access and modify your project from any location. This programme is ideal for those who like working with spreadsheets.
Smartsheet not only collects reports from several sheets, but the program’s flexibility makes it simple and adaptable for organisations of all sizes to use. Using “to-do” list reporting, you may rapidly see which customers and projects most need attention at any given moment.
To help the team work more efficiently, each row of the spreadsheet may have a linked document, proof, reminder, or chat option. Smartsheet’s broad features make it easier to organise and handle vast quantities of specific data.
Many activities, including project management and tracking, may be accomplished with Smartsheet. Businesses may grow quickly if they use this strategy. Users may execute tasks more quickly and simply thanks to an intuitive interface. Important data may also be presented visually.
Monday Project Management Review: Most user-friendly
Non-profit organisations may trust Monday.com since it is easy to use, not only this, but it is easy to share and collaborate on boards and projects with your coworkers. Automations and connections that are easy to use are also included with Monday. It is possible for charities to achieve the results they want by being able to keep track of every aspect of the campaign and its records.
Monday.com’s dashboard makes it easy to see what each member of your team is working on at any one time. It has an excellent customer relationship management (CRM) software alongside classification, that are both easy to make use of due to the system’s design and customer relationship management technologies.
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Monday.com is a wonderful resource for anybody working on a project who wants to analyse information, make comments, or discuss ideas with other people. Using Monday.com, you will get email alerts and be able to contact various government offices. The more deadlines you can see, the easier it is to keep on track.
Access to a single workspace, whole teams and boards, may be gained via the use of this software. A vast variety of data may be organised in columns. Current approaches may be used to record and engage people in current activities.
Using Monday.com’s templates, you can easily create new processes. Since the process of creating new papers can be standardised, using a template saves time. Project portfolio and team management templates may be downloaded free of charge on Monday. Monday.com’s templates may be customised to meet your individual requirements.
Wrike Review: Best invoicing
For a free project management application, Wrike is a great option. Task and schedule management, as well as integrated reporting for collaborative work, are all features that make Wrike an excellent solution. Project administration is made easier by the amazing calendar management tools that allow users to better organise their schedules. Wrike’s project management software can help you get work done fast and efficiently.
A single dashboard, document upload and download capabilities as well as real-time updates are all provided by Wrike to your team. There is flexibility in customising dashboards and budgeting tools.
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Using Wrike, you may collaborate with others on a wide range of projects and come up with new ideas. Thanks to this software, managing projects has never been simpler, from corporate strategy to product development.
Companies use Wrike because of how easy it is for several parties to work together. Wrike may be used to manage a team in addition to product development and project management. People’s capacity to work together on projects within Wrike may rise, as communication and file sharing become more widespread. Using Wrike’s unique capabilities, companies can plan and budget more effectively.
ClickUp Review: Most comprehensive
Since non-profits aren’t making a profit from their projects, ClickUp is an invaluable, cost-effective tool. ClickUp retains a strong sense of functionality, with an experience that you can personalise. It sacrifices nothing its low price.
With ClickUp, you may freely share projects and costs with anybody at any moment. There are frequent updates and fixes for any issues that may develop.
Despite the fact that there are more established project management systems, ClickUp has been praised for its bug tracking, product management, and general application development capabilities. In one single package, you’ll find almost everything you’ll need. When compared to other types of software, this one has a far lower total cost.
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ClickUp’s cloud-based collaboration platform enables real-time monitoring of numerous corporate functions, including marketing and sales.
In addition to compliance and financial reporting, job assigning and project management, ClickUp can assist in many other areas.
Clients may use ClickUp to monitor all parts of their online company in order to meet their project management objectives. Notifications may also be sent through pop-ups or emails. In terms of accessibility, it’s a fantastic choice. Accounting, website design, marketing, and asset management may all be handled in one area.
Teamwork Review: Most affordable
When it comes to managing projects, tools like Teamwork are essential. You may use it to keep track of what has to be done. Because of its simple design, teams may interact from any place.
The current version of every project in a folder may be accessed by anybody. Delegation and assignment of responsibilities are also possible. A user-friendly interface makes it possible for managers of all sizes to keep tabs on key metrics like results and productivity.
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Teamwork is a platform for organizations that adapts to the demands of its users. It’s wonderful for getting things done as a team and making key choices that go toward completing project goals. It has a user-friendly interface that is simple to use. Additionally, it provides an easy-to-navigate overview of each project’s progress, without the need for complexity.
It’s a great way to fulfil your objectives and make important decisions as a team. It’s easy to use because of the user-friendly UI. There are no complicated options to fiddle with, and it’s easy to see how each project’s development is progressing.
Zoho Review – Honourable Mention
It is possible to organise and manage all project data using Zoho’s excellent database. When compared to the competitors, it’s one of the most affordable solutions.
Just two examples of its useful user interfaces include QuickBooks and Google applications. With its integrated project module, it may be used on any platform, independent of the operating system.
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If you’re looking for a large variety of high-quality connections, Zoho is a great choice. Because of its extensive charting features, this application may be used to improve efficiency on a broad variety of jobs. To keep track of how long you’ve been gone from the site, there is a timer on the page.
Zoho is a wonderful option if you need high-quality connections that can be used for a variety of reasons. You may decide not to use this project management platform to handle all of your activities, and trustworthy integrations are critical to attaining that goal. This tool produces excellent charts, and you can automate many parts, which is ideal for planning ahead and saving time.
Summary – The best project management software for non-profits
Customers may find this Software to be a fantastic advantage since it allows organisations to manage all of their projects, promotions, staff, and tasks from one location.
Smartsheet’s users have complete freedom in how they set up their workstations. Smartsheet’s forms make it easy to enter data. It’s a great tool for individuals who need to keep costs down while yet need a user-friendly software application. When a large number of sheets and reports are produced at the same time, it may be easier for teams to interact.
Here are some alternative substitutes, though, if you’d rather use anything else:
Customized and private boards may be created for your organisation on Monday.com using the features that you want. This is something you can do on Monday. With Monday.com, you and your team can create a personalised board for your project and work on it together.
Wrike users have access to a wide range of advanced features, making it an excellent option for project management. Project managers love it since it’s always up to date and complete.
You can organise and schedule your work with ease with this project management programme. It’s also a great tool for collaborating with others and exchanging information. This tool makes it possible for large groups of people to stay on top of the project at all times. In addition to generating Wikis, this application includes a broad variety of important integration options that are not yet available in any other Wiki-related product.
This method may be used to keep track of both projects and freelancers. Using this tool, you can easily keep track of how many hours you’ve worked and create calendars that everyone can see. Make it simple for others to assign tasks and responsibilities to a project by using this tool. This company’s management solutions may be used to monitor other projects using the same user interface.
In contrast to Zoho, the other solutions on our list are more difficult to incorporate. Widgets and third-party solutions both make it simple to add and remove tasks. Using this app’s great charting capabilities, each action may be displayed in a variety of ways.
There are many benefits to centralising your project-related data. The previous method of project management will seem like a failure in comparison to this new one. Your day will be much simpler if you use the finest project management software available.
Consider using a free trial to check that your engineering tasks are done to the highest standard before making a final selection on a software package.
Project management software for non-profits firms FAQs
Why is project management software important?
Project management software is very helpful to track all of the steps of the projects that you are managing. You will be able to see all of the stages and steps of your project as well as the tasks that have to be completed within each stage when you use this kind of software. This is an important product for project management because everyone working on the project will be able to see everything they need to know about it at a glance. Being able to create shared timelines, calendars and tasks can be very helpful for any kind of project.
What are the uses of project management software?
This kind of software tool is made to help businesses and groups track tasks, timelines, calendar activities, and more in one location. Project management tools help large groups to collaborate more effectively and to maintain communication during all of the stages of the tasks that need to be done for a job. These kinds of tools can also help with invoicing and billing and they can help with communication with vendors and freelancers.
What are the types of software management for projects?
Most project management software tools are designed to track deadlines and work that a group is sharing. This can mean that freelancers, vendors, and other external workers can use the tool as well as internal team members. The other kind of software tool for this need is one that allows for invoicing along with project timeline management and team collaboration. Most of these tools will be made to offer all of the same features but invoicing and time management tools are typically only included in some of these softwares.
What are the main characteristics of software for project management?
These softwares are made to offer timeline management tools, task creation, and management tools, project widgets that allow for document links and uploads to be shared, and they offer shared calendars. The best of these tools will also allow invoicing and billing management. You will be able to track every kind of action that is needed for your project to be a success.
What are the types of activities in project management?
Project management requires sharing information with other team members and as a project manager, you must be sure that every aspect of your project is completed correctly and on time. Project management also requires invoicing and billing and work with freelancers and external workers of all kinds. The right project management software will make it possible to track all of these activities with ease in one location. Being able to share all the relevant information and timelines for a project in one location is critical to its success.
What are the Key Features of Project Management Software?
Project management software offers all the tools and features that are needed to manage a project with ease. You will get access to shared calendars, timelines that help track deadlines, sharing locations that allow for link sharing, access sharing, and document downloads. You will also get chat and discussion functionality that allows for everyone to talk about who needs to do what within each task. Task creation and management is also a part of these tools and with some of these softwares you can even track invoicing and billing.
