Find the best Project Management Software for Nonprofits

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monday.com

monday.com is an award-winning work and project management platform that helps teams of all sizes plan, prioritize, manage, and execute their work more effectively. The platform offers solutions for a wide range of use-cases such...Read more about monday.com

4.6 (4663 reviews)

44 recommendations

Wrike

Wrike is a cloud-based project management platform for teams of 20+ that is suitable for both large enterprises and SMBs. It supports remote work for various teams. This solution comes with Gantt charts, calendars, workload view f...Read more about Wrike

4.3 (2592 reviews)

37 recommendations

Adobe Workfront

Adobe Workfront is a collaborative work management solution that addresses the challenges of disconnected teams, siloed tools, and the relentless pace of enterprise work. Workfront includes capabilities to capture and plan, assign...Read more about Adobe Workfront

4.4 (1421 reviews)

32 recommendations

NetSuite OpenAir

NetSuite OpenAir offers buyers a collection of applications designed to support every stage of the professional services delivery lifecycle. Offered as Software-as-a-Service, the platform includes applications to manage projects, ...Read more about NetSuite OpenAir

4.0 (39 reviews)

22 recommendations

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Quickbase

Quickbase is a no-code collaborative work management platform that empowers citizen developers to improve operations through real-time insights and automations across complex processes and disparate systems. Here's why Quickbase i...Read more about Quickbase

4.5 (294 reviews)

19 recommendations

Project Insight

Project Insight (PI) is award-winning work & project management software that helps companies manage and visualize projects, allocate personnel, streamline accounting, and track what work is being done throughout their entire orga...Read more about Project Insight

4.4 (60 reviews)

15 recommendations

WorkOtter

WorkOtter™ is purpose-built, by Project Managers for Project Managers, and helps PM professionals to deliver more successful project outcomes and align their work to the strategic objectives of the organization. Our solution is si...Read more about WorkOtter

4.9 (199 reviews)

13 recommendations

Coexsys Timekeeping Cloud

Coexsys Timekeeping Cloud is an enterprise grade timekeeping solution designed to fit for all types of organizations. Businesses benefit by using Coexsys Timekeeping to cut operating costs, measure employee productivity, staff as...Read more about Coexsys Timekeeping Cloud

No reviews yet

2 recommendations

PMware

PMware offers a "ready-to-use" enterprise-class project, portfolio, resource and collaborative work management platform. The software combines robust planning, resource management and in-context collaboration on a single platform ...Read more about PMware

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1 recommendations

Trello

Trello is a visual collaboration tool for planning tasks and projects. While commonly used by agile software development teams, the solution is also used in other departments such as marketing, sales, support and HR. The web-based...Read more about Trello

Basecamp

Basecamp is an efficient collaboration tool used by thousands of teams across the globe. Teams use Basecamp to keep track of assignments, work together on documents, plan projects, chat, and more. Basecamp is opinionated. It's b...Read more about Basecamp

Jira

Jira Software is a business process management tool used by agile teams to plan, track and release software. Jira Software supports Scrum, Kanban, a hybrid model or another unique workflow. Jira enables users to create project r...Read more about Jira

Evernote Teams

Evernote is a web-based project management tool that offers project collaboration, scheduling and task management functionalities within a suite. This solution is designed to cater to businesses of all sizes. Evernote allows ...Read more about Evernote Teams

GitHub

GitHub is a project management and code sharing platform that allows users to share their codes with others and create/iterate using collective intelligence. The software can be used for different kinds of coding assignments inclu...Read more about GitHub

Box

Simplify your tech stack and save on cost with the Content Cloud: a secure, easy-to-use platform built for the entire content lifecycle, from file creation and sharing, to co-editing, e-signature, classification, and retention. An...Read more about Box

Clockify

Clockify is a cloud-based time tracking solution designed to help businesses monitor employee productivity, attendance and billable hours. Key features include time audit, reminders, data export, customizable reporting and permiss...Read more about Clockify

ClickUp

ClickUp is a cloud-based collaboration and project management tool suitable for businesses of all sizes and industries. Features include communication and collaboration tools, task assignments and statuses, alerts and a task toolb...Read more about ClickUp

Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a work execution platform and collaboration tool with a familiar spreadsheet-like interface that helps teams plan, track, and manage projects in real-time. Smartsheet features include a range of project management to...Read more about Smartsheet

Todoist

Todoist is a to-do list and task manager for professionals and small businesses. Combining tasks, projects, comments, attachments, notifications, and more, Todoist lets users streamline their personal and team productivity and wo...Read more about Todoist

Lucidchart

Lucidchart is a cloud-based solution that helps small to large enterprises manage projects, data visualization, and diagramming processes. The centralized platform enables users to create visual diagrams of business processes and ...Read more about Lucidchart

Buyers Guide

Last Updated: March 16, 2023

For any nonprofit organization, time and money are extremely valuable resources, and they are often scarce. As a project manager, you must ensure that the funds allocated to a project are used efficiently and that each member of your team stays updated on the progress. However, working with a mixed pool of full- and part-time employees and volunteers can make this a challenge.

These challenges can be addressed by project management software. This type of software allows you to organize information for each project, track its underlying tasks, and monitor the time and funds spent on it. It also helps streamline workflows and makes it easier for your team members to share information and documents.

We've prepared this guide to help you find the right project management software for your nonprofit organization. Here's what we'll cover:

What is project management software for nonprofits?

Common features of project management software for nonprofits

What type of buyer are you?

Benefits of project management software for nonprofits

Key considerations when buying project management software for nonprofits

What is project management software for nonprofits?

Project management software for nonprofits is a tool that teams can use to track project progress, collaborate on tasks, and manage resources and costs.

User-dashboard-in-Asana

User dashboard in Asana (Source)

Common features of project management software for nonprofits

Project management solutions can offer basic (e.g., time tracking and task management), mid-level (e.g., reporting, project planning, document management), or advanced (e.g., resource management, portfolio management, risk management) capabilities.

The typical features of a project management solution are:

Project planning

Define scope, timeline, and budget for projects, and assign projects to team members. Also, break a project down into smaller tasks and set short-term goals.

Task management

Create tasks; add descriptions; set timelines, priority, and level of effort; and assign them to users. Team members can update task status and/or details and leave comments. Some solutions also include features for converting emails to tasks, setting dependencies, and creating task checklists.

Time tracking

Track time spent by each team member on each task, and collect the data in a single sheet or repository.

Project collaboration

Work together over shared tasks, projects, calendars, and dashboards. Stay updated on user activities, and tag peers on items. Also, allow sharing of files, chatting, and inviting guests to participate.

Project tracking

Track progress made on a project, and view active and completed tasks. Also, track milestones and stay on top of what's in the pipeline.

Reporting

Understand the status of projects with a quick Gantt chart view or dive deeper with detailed reports. Also, track team performance, and compare estimated time to actual time spent and/or estimated spend to actual cost.

Resource planning

Allocate staff and funding to projects and monitor their usage. Also, prioritize and redistribute resources based on the requirement.

Self-service portal

Create self-service portals for team members to access project information and perform related tasks.

Scheduling and calendar

Schedule tasks and activities for team members and allow them to update timelines. Visualize this information on a shared calendar so team members can view each other's schedules and timelines.

Permissions

Control access to project details so team members can view projects (and information) pertinent to them. Some solutions also allow making hidden projects for sensitive work.

Document management

Add files to projects and tasks as attachments, or store them in a central location and share them with relevant team members.

What Type of Buyer Are You?

Nonprofit organizations of different sizes have different requirements from a project management tool. For instance, not all will need advanced features to handle multiple projects simultaneously. It's important to understand the needs of your nonprofit before choosing a solution.

In general, nonprofits that need project management software fall into one of the following categories:

Grassroots organizations:

  • Annual budgets of up to $1 million

  • Small team of employees and volunteers

  • One location

  • May not have a dedicated IT budget or personnel

For such buyers, we recommend exploring free project management solutions as well as free task management solutions. If these tools don't meet your needs, then explore cloud-based project management solutions that are priced on a per user/per month basis

Small and midsize nonprofits:

  • Annual budget of $2 to $10 million.

  • A few fixed employees as well as some part-time employees and volunteers, working on one or more projects at a time.

  • One or more locations.

  • May have a dedicated IT person and budget earmarked for IT needs.

For such buyers, we recommend basic to mid-ranged project management solutions. Choose one that is cloud-based and ask if the vendor lets you add volunteers for free.

Large nonprofits:

  • Annual budget of $10 million or more.

  • Large team of full- and part-time employees and volunteers.

  • Multiple projects running in multiple locations at the same time

  • Dedicated IT personnel and earmarked budget for IT needs.

For such buyers, we recommend advanced project management solutions. Both cloud-based and on-premise solutions can work for you.

Benefits of project management software for nonprofits

Project management software helps nonprofits create plans for projects, streamline tasks, and track progress, improving efficiency and effectiveness. Its key benefits are as follows:

Efficiency in planning resources: Have clear visibility into the funds and staff allocated to each project. Use available resources efficiently, and plan ahead for any shortage of staff or funds.

Improved communication: Break virtual departmental borders and bring everyone onto the same page. The person-in-charge of fundraising, for example, can see what the marketing team has planned for the next month, and plan their fundraising activities accordingly.

Systematized workflow: Streamline workflow and create step-wise processes for completing tasks. For example, once your content team has created the content for a newsletter, designers can be automatically notified, and the next steps can begin.

Reduced effort on repetitive tasks: Create process or task templates for repetitive tasks such as sending newsletters and reminders for fundraisers or updating social media posts.

Key considerations when buying project management software for nonprofits

With so many solutions on the market, it can be confusing to figure out what your nonprofit needs in a project management solution. To help you find the right solution, we've listed some key considerations you should keep in mind:

Assess your project management requirements: Before you select a vendor, ask yourself if you're looking for a project management tool or simply a tool to track your to-do's. Check out our article on the difference between to-do list, task management, and project management software to understand all three solutions better.

Use a features checklist: To avoid over- or under-purchasing, create a checklist of features and evaluate solutions basis that. Our project management feature checklist can help you with this process.

Evaluate pricing plans: Choose a pricing plan that fits your needs; don't buy an advanced tool simply because you can afford it.

Check for nonprofit discounts or donation: Some software vendors offer standing discounts or donations to nonprofits. Read our article on how to get nonprofit software discounts, and see if you can get such a discount.

To further understand the features and benefits of project management software for nonprofits, call our advisors at (844) 852-3639 for free, no-obligation help. They'll help you narrow down your options by listening to your requirements and recommending the best-suited solutions for your business.

Note: The applications selected in this article are examples to show a feature in context and are not intended as endorsements or recommendations. They have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication.