That technology has revolutionized the way we consume, work, and communicate is nothing new. Nowadays, a disconnected society is almost unimaginable. Therefore, any company or entity that wants to develop and maintain its competitiveness knows how essential it is to immerse itself in digitalization to optimize processes, ensure more credibility, and attract and impact its target audience.

Contrary to what many people believe, non-profit institutions also depend on technological support to have more fluidity, ensure financial resource savings, present the work developed in a convincing way, and win over new donors and volunteers.
It is also necessary to highlight that adopting digital processes goes far beyond using computers that create and record spreadsheets. Currently, there is a series of useful and specific solutions to organize, streamline, and facilitate the management of an entity.
If you want to discover what they are and how to bet on these tools, you are in the right place! Continue reading and check out the article that the CodeBlog team prepared for you.

The strategic use of technology for NGOs

#CodeTip: Before applying digital resources in an institution, it is necessary to conduct prior planning, analyze all available tools, check if they align with the goals and objectives of the entity, and then outline ways to make the most of them.
Thus, it is much easier to identify the most suitable opportunities to make the work sustainable and effective.

Discover, in the following topics, some tools that help boost public reach, automate tasks, and ensure the functioning of the activities of third sector institutions with transparency and professionalism.

Social Media

According to the 2018 Global NGO Technology Report, social media is one of the most adopted tools by NGOs and entities wishing to establish a communication strategy focused on increasing fundraising.
According to the study, 93% of NGOs around the world have a Facebook FanPage, 77% are active on Twitter, 56% are present on LinkedIn, 50% have an Instagram profile, and 36% publish regularly on their blogs.

In addition, 71% of the surveyed entities stated that social networks are effective channels for fundraising. On the other side, 25% of donors rated social media as the tools that most inspire them to give.

It is worth remembering that the survey was conducted in 2018, so it did not cover the pandemic period, when digital channels became even more important for connecting people with causes. The trend is that, currently, these rates are even higher.

In general, the numbers speak for themselves and reinforce the huge potential reach of social networks. If your organization is not yet part of this scenario, it is probably wasting opportunities to connect with the public, create feelings of identification, and, consequently, encourage more people to support the causes embraced.
Most of these media are free, easy to access, and have a large number of active users.
Choose the most suitable channel and start presenting your projects, highlighting the actions carried out, and the positive social impacts that your institution provides to society right now.

Online Donation System

In addition to social networks, which facilitate contact between an institution and its public, there are specific platforms to collect donations: these are the online donation systems.
This software is capable of operating completely online, allowing organizations to obtain donations remotely, without donors having to leave their homes, face traffic or lines, with total practicality and security.
Generally, the systems are integrated into the organizations' own websites, and provide a complete dashboard with relevant data and information such as: number of donations made, statistics, total daily, monthly, and annual collections - facilitating control and enabling the monitoring of numbers in real time.
Another advantage is that these tools authorize local and international donations, and also offer various payment formats such as bank slip, digital wallets, PIX, debit, and credit cards.

Infrastructure

Spreadsheets, papers, and files are definitely a thing of the past! After all, they do not allow integration, simultaneous access, and are more prone to loss or misplacement caused by theft, carelessness, or even natural disasters. To operate in today's scenario, it is important to implement a technology core capable of meeting the demands of the institution, offering administrative support, controlling financial investments, reporting the amount available in cash, and the values that will come in. Having organized numbers is essential for accounting for activities to supporters.
For this, it is worth relying on management tools, such as ERP, which provide comprehensive features and possibilities, optimize control, promote more productivity, and reduce failures.

Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a revolutionary tool that offers a multitude of benefits for NGOs. In practice, this solution allows remote access to files and enables the execution of processes completely online, ensuring that everyone on the team is properly connected and can perform their tasks even at a distance.
In addition, the tool also contributes to reducing costs for an institution, as it does not require complex installations on computers and is stored in its own databases, eliminating the need to implement and maintain a local IT infrastructure.
By betting on cloud-based services, institutions take advantage of a wide variety of features and can create, store, and access files from anywhere at any time, without any kind of physical barrier.

Want to know more about how cloud computing can transform your institution's processes? Click here and get in touch with the team of specialists at Codebit. It will be a pleasure to talk to you and present all the advantages of this innovative solution.
Furthermore, keep an eye on Codeblog, soon, we will have many updates to share.

A big hug and see you in the next post!