If having a big heart was all you needed to run a successful non-profit, those who work in this sector would have the easiest jobs ever!
But the reality is that running a nonprofit takes just as much hard work, financial organization, and strategy as running a business. The goals may be different, but no matter which important cause you aim to raise funding and awareness to, there are a few core aspects that every nonprofit must keep track of to succeed.
Luckily, ClickUp is the perfect platform to provide the kind-hearted humans behind these organizations the tools needed to hit their goals while growing their missions!
Random acts of kindness
One of ClickUp’s founding core values is, and always will be, Random Acts of Kindness.
Whether it’s providing loans to small businesses, wellness kits for people experiencing homelessness, or anonymously donating funds, we don’t feel the need to advertise in bright lights every time ClickUp does a good deed. I mean, that’s the entire point of altruism, right?
However, something we always want to be transparent about is our dedication to supporting the teams and organizations that make Random Acts of Kindness their full-time job. Any nonprofit that joins ClickUp is eligible for a special discount on one of our paid plans—and there are a ton of reasons to join!
Let’s get into some of the core ClickUp features that can help an organization avoid some of the biggest challenges facing nonprofits today, all while building the strongest team possible.
The 7 best ClickUp features for your nonprofit
1. Custom Statuses within Views
👉 What it is: ClickUp’s Custom Statuses are available in every view—from List to Calendar—to let everyone in a task know what has been done and what needs to be done. You can customize your statuses to be as specific as you need, or simply apply preset statuses from a template!
👉 Problem it solves: Internal miscommunication among teams
Whether your department is focused on securing funding or ordering t-shirts for volunteers, having full transparency through every step of the task’s progress saves hours that might have been spent asking around for information or losing track of daily priorities.
2. Multiple Assignees
👉 What it is: ClickUp’s Multiple Assignees is the feature that lets you put as many people as you need on a task, where everyone can comment, collaborate, and work together.
👉 Problem it solves: Remote working challenges
When many volunteers and employees have people-focused tasks, having a clear view of who else is working on the project makes things transparent and organized. Having assignees know exactly who their teammates are improves accountability, communication, and collaboration.
3. Time Tracking
👉 What it is: ClickUp’s Time Tracking feature is a tool that lets you manually or automatically track and record the time you spend on any task or project.
👉 Problem it solves: Inefficient planning and burnout
Unfortunately, burnout is a problem felt by many nonprofit employees all over the world. Caring so much about their cause combined with working overtime can be extremely hard on a person, so it’s recommended that time—especially overtime—is tracked, along with days off to recharge.
But besides taking care of dedicated employees, productivity is dependent on knowing exactly how long tasks take. Time is money, especially with a nonprofit.
4. Formula Fields
👉 What it is: Formula Fields allow you to calculate any given fields within a task using both simple and advanced formulas. Put together budgets and reporting by calculating donations, hours spent, and more!
👉 Problem it solves: Low transparency on upkeep costs and how funds are distributed
Just because it’s a nonprofit doesn’t mean financial planning is a non-factor—quite the opposite, in fact! Not only is it critical to know what upkeep costs are and how much money is coming in, but this kind of transparency is exactly what people need in order to trust a nonprofit.
5. Integrations
👉 What it is: Integrations are tools that connect your favorite outside apps to your ClickUp Workspace so you have absolutely everything you need under one digital roof.
👉 Problem it solves: The need for implementing up-to-date technology tools and solutions
Events, fundraising, and onboarding are all things that are now done digitally, which was a big departure for the nonprofit world in 2020. By incorporating apps with specific uses into your mission, you set your team up for reaching the audience you need—digitally.
6. Form View
👉 What it is: Forms in ClickUp is a fully-customizable tool that lets you create forms that, when they’re filled out and submitted, turn into organized tasks connected to the project they were made for.
👉 Problem it solves: Inefficient, disorganized outreach and data collecting measures
Forms can be used for so many key nonprofit needs: volunteer applications, event RSVPs, donor outreach, employee surveys, and much more! The best part is that no matter what your Form was created for, every response becomes a new task linked to the project it belongs within—this means no more losing track of responses or context!
7. Public Sharing
👉 What it is: Public sharing allows you to share a public, read-only version of tasks, docs, or entire views to keep everyone on the same page—regardless if they’re part of your organization’s Workspace.
👉 Problem it solves: Lack of direction and poor communication with external parties
Volunteers are a huge part of what makes a nonprofit run, but it’s not realistic to expect every one of them to join ClickUp just to work with the organization. One of the biggest challenges is retaining volunteers, and one way to do that is to make sure it’s as easy as possible to apply, then actually join the team as a volunteer worker.
In ClickUp, you can share things like volunteer schedules, codes of conduct, and goals with anybody inside or outside of your Workspace!
Big change starts with small steps
Nonprofits are a crucial component in making the world a better place, and the hard work that goes into building, running, and growing them is not lost on us.
From the executives securing major donors to the volunteers spending hours cold calling, we see you and we appreciate you.
When you can start without the extra challenge of using outdated tech and tools, you help your organization become a well-oiled machine that can not only keep up with the trends in effective non-profit management but also grow your cause.
It all starts with one step, and that step could be as simple as creating a ClickUp Workspace…and don’t forget to scoop up that nonprofit discount! ❤️
Questions? Comments? Visit our Help Center for support.