Fentons have been providing IT consultancy to non-profits and UK charities since 2007. During this time we have identified tips to help small nonprofits save and raise money with technology.
Tech Tips for nonprofits
Tip 1 – Microsoft Office 365 for Free!
Microsoft provide one of the most generous software donation programs available whereby qualified non-profits can receive Office 365 Nonprofit E1 or Office 365 Nonprofit Business Essentials as a free donation.
Alternatively nonprofits can upgrade to the more advanced features in Office 365 Nonprofit E3 or Office 365 Nonprofit Business Premium at outstanding discounts. Below is a brief illustration of these Office 365 nonprofit option plans:
Further information on eligibility and options can be found on the Microsoft website: https://products.office.com/en-gb/nonprofit/office-365-nonprofit-plans-and-pricing
Tip 2 – Huge Software and Hardware Savings
Tech-trust (formerly tt-exchange/CTX) is the only technology donation program in the UK and provides huge savings of up to 92-96% on a wide range of products from world-leading technology companies such as Microsoft, Citrix, Cisco, Adobe, Autodesk and Symantec.
Registered charities can easily sign up for an account to this donation program and instantly start saving money on future software and hardware investments.
Tip 3 – Nonprofit Technology Suppliers
If you cannot find the product you’re looking for on the tech-trust you might find it on the tt-software site which allows charities to purchase software at deeply discounted rates. Alternatively we recommend seeking discounted quotes from one of the 3 largest UK non-profit and charity retailers:
Academia is a software licensing, hardware and training supplier to charitable organisations. They offer discounted pricing on products and services for charities and non-profit organisations.
Eduserv offers licences for software and on-line resources for UK charities and other not-for-profit organisations.
Pugh Computers is one of the UK’s largest suppliers of software to the nonprofits. They offer qualifying charities discounted pricing on many software vendors.
Tip 4 – Nonprofit IT Resources
Looking for IT help and consultation in a private business dominated market can be challenging but fortunately there are many firms in the UK (including Fentons) that offer nonprofit discounted rates.
IT resources that specialise in assisting nonprofit organisations can be hard to find which is why these helpful websites are available to keep charities and nonprofit organisations informed:
IT For Charities is an on-line software, hardware, services, resources and IT Directory for UK Charities. This is a great place to start when looking for a nonprofit IT specialist.
Charity Digital News is the leading news site specialising in technology within the UK charity sector, an important site to follow for most nonprofit employees.
We will add to this blog as and when we come across further cost saving tech tips for nonprofit and charity organisations. In the meantime if your non-profit organisation requires IT guidance please get in contact for a free telephone and on-site consultation – we’re always keen to help.