Sie sind auf Seite 1von 6

TURNING SHAREPOINT INTO A POWERFUL TOOL FOR NONPROFITS

TURNING
SHAREPOINT
into a

POWERFUL TOOL
FOR NONPROFITS

TURNING SHAREPOINT INTO A POWERFUL TOOL FOR NONPROFITS

Expert Technology Spotlight


Microsofts latest version of SharePoint is more than just a file sharing or collaboration tool. SharePoint is now
hosted online as part of Microsofts Office 365 suite. It is a powerful intranet that nonprofits use to centralize
information. Packed with components such as file storage, records management, enterprise social networking,
project management, and reporting tools, SharePoint is geared toward improving daily operational efficiency
and bringing your organization closer together. And for nonprofits, its free as a donation from Microsoft.
Erin Rogers, a Cloud Data Consultant at Tech Impact, has over seven years of corporate experience using and
implementing effective SharePoint sites, which she now puts to good use working in the nonprofit sector.
I love my job. Everything we do as an organization improves not just our clients work, but undulates throughout
the communities in which they operate, Erin says. And SharePoint is a big part of that impact for many of the
nonprofits Erin works with every day.
SharePoint streamlines an organizations workflows, reduces the number of clicks, and aggregates all the
relevant information organizations care about, which can improve efficiency.
Frequently, Erin sees nonprofits using a smorgasbord of applications that are not cost or time effective, and
sometimes that are not secure enough for the data that is being handled.
Many of the nonprofits I work with are emailing
spreadsheets or documents to a whole team of people
who need to provide a portion of information or make
edits, and then one person ends up having to merge all
of the feedback, Erin continues, Often, this results in
overlooked information and a loss of data integrity.
Erin worked with one organization that was emailing
33 spreadsheets as attachments, some containing
over 300 columns, to collaborators. Imagine trying to
generate reports with that much information spread
throughout multiple spreadsheets and multiple versions
of each spreadsheet--it gets messy. By working with
Tech Impact the organization was able to consolidate
their data down to 16 worksheets with 100 or fewer columns, and moving 5 of those worksheets to SharePoint for
collaboration and reporting.
When Tech Impact implements SharePoint, its a truly customized experience, because not all nonprofits have
the same needs or work the same way. Erin says that the key to a successful implementation is working directly
with the people who will be using it and making sure that it works the way they do.
By working directly with nonprofit staff members, Erin and the Tech Impact team are able to document workflows
and generate a functional organization chart, which Tech Impact uses to create a data map and data dictionary.
All of this information then gets translated into a powerful SharePoint site, specifically customized to the
organization.
We dont sell technology based on the fact its a great piece of technology. We identify a need and see if
SharePoint is a good fit by getting feedback from users. At Tech Impact, we believe in helping organizations find
technology that is the right fit even if it means we are not always the right solution, and when we are not, we help
them find a better solution.

TURNING SHAREPOINT INTO A POWERFUL TOOL FOR NONPROFITS

6 SharePoint Myths Debunked


MYTH 1: SharePoint only works for small teams.
Well, yes, of course it does, but a great intranet is scalable to an organization of any size.
In fact, SharePoint is actually a more powerful asset when used by an entire organization,
because it centralizes all of the efforts being made by departments and teams individually,
allowing directors and even staff members to see their nonprofits impact and success as a
whole. Departments or teams can be divided into sub-sites and project workspaces within
an organizations SharePoint site to keep unit-level information and collaboration aggregated
in one common space to allow for teamwork.
MYTH 2: Document sharing is the only thing useful in SharePoint.
This is like saying a selfie stick is only good for taking selfies Ill have you know its also a
great back scratcher. But seriously, SharePoint is so much more than a document storage or
document sharing tool. SharePoint is a robust intranet, loaded with comprehensive tools for
project management, reporting and analytics, enterprise social networking, team collaboration,
system and database integration, organization-wide news, programmable workflows, document
management, and eDiscovery. And because SharePoint is cloud-based, it can be accessed from
anywhere, including on a mobile device--all you need a web browser.
MYTH 3: The SharePoint interface is not mobile friendly.
Since SharePoint is cloud-based, it can be accessed from anywhere,
including on a mobile device--all you need a web browser. This is a feature
nonprofits love because staff in the field are able to easily connect to
SharePoint on any device. Plus, the content will scale to the devices screen
width, making it easy to navigate even on a smartphone!
MYTH 4: Running SharePoint in the cloud is a security risk.
Did you know SharePoint is HIPAA compliant? GASP! How can SharePoint be more
secure than our file cabinet? Thats right, SharePoint is capable of protecting some
of the most sensitive information, including medical information. With SharePoint in
the cloud, your data is secured on Microsoft servers, which are regularly backed up
and maintained by Microsoft.
MYTH 5: The interface and information architecture is clunky and confusing to navigate.
This is actually true for just about any website, application, or software that has
navigation--you can end up with link spaghetti, which isnt as appetizing as it
might sound if youre reading this right around lunch time. Many organizations
want to arrange their SharePoint navigation the way their shared drive was set
up, which is not typically the most effective approach since often times these
drives are labeled by date, user, project, department, or some combination.
Tech Impact actually works directly with nonprofit staff and management to
learn how the organization works on a day-to-day basis and helps set up and
customize SharePoint so that it works in a way that is familiar and intuitive to the
staff.
MYTH 6: Organizations must have a SharePoint expert or IT team to maintain SharePoint.
Not anymore! With SharePoint running in the cloud, software and security updates are
maintained by Microsoft. Top-level administrators or content creators working within
SharePoint only need to worry about keeping the information within their SharePoint sites
organized and up-to-date. So having a team of nerds is completely optional, and here at
Tech Impact we always have some nerds to spare if your organization needs additional
guidance or enhancements down the road. Tech Impact has an affordable Help Desk
service to handle customer support needs as well as a Data Management service.

TURNING SHAREPOINT INTO A POWERFUL TOOL FOR NONPROFITS

Top 10 Features Nonprofits Love


1. Power Business Intelligence (Power BI) allows you to create and share detailed reports, view visual

interpretations, and customize a reporting dashboard so you can always see the information that is
important to your organization. For example, your nonprofit could view volunteer data on a world map to
see where most of your volunteers are located, or generate a line graph with 2 datasets, comparing the
ages of your female and male donors.

2. Yammer is a secure social networking application, specifically designed for businesses. Yammer

can be used by your entire organization and allows you to tag people into a conversation to facilitate
teamwork. Nonprofits love the ability to create Yammer groups, where teams can easily collaborate no
matter where they are located.

3. SharePoint Newsfeed allows staff can post to your nonprofits SharePoint newsfeed to share

information, success stories, project progress, and more with everyone. The newsfeed is a great way
to keep everyone at the organization connected to your nonprofits mission and impact in real-time no
matter where in the world they are located. Plus, staff can comment on newsfeed posts to keep the
conversation going, making even a large organization feel smaller.

4. Team sites can be used to create sub-sites within your organizations SharePoint to allow teams to have

a private space to collaborate and aggregate resources, such as files and conversations related to
the teams projects or duties. A team site can be customized independently of the organizations main
SharePoint site, so that teams can easily work the way they need to in order to accomplish goals.

5. File sharing & storage is another great feaure. Not only does SharePoint act as a shared drive, but you

can also edit presentations, documents, and spreadsheets directly in SharePoint thanks to Office 365.
Not only is it easy to make updates to files, but you can also assign file permissions, collect signatures
on documents, and share files with others within your organization all within SharePoint.

6. Workflows automate regular business processes or SharePoint site management using workflows. A

workflow is like a miniature application that is customized to complete a specific task when specific
conditions are met. For example, route a document to a list of people in a specific order to collect
approvals, signatures, or comments. And the best part? You dont have to be a programmer to create a
workflow in SharePoint, thanks to the Workflow Designer.

7. eDiscovery & Records Management tools help your nonprofit keep detailed file records that can be

used for eDiscovery and audit reports using the Records Management Center to route documents.
Using meta tags, workflows, and user information, you can define where particular types of documents
should be filed.

8. Project timelines are used to create a visual map of each projects phases, the tasks within each

phase, steps for each task, assign steps or tasks to specific users, and set up deadlines. Plus, multiple
teams can simultaneously work in SharePoint and upper-level management can track efforts of the
organization as a whole based on these project timelines.

9. Sync document libraries from SharePoint to your computer to easily access information even when

you are not working within SharePoint. Once youve made edits to a document, you can easily sync your
changes with the version in SharePoint.

10. Project mailing lists are great for teams so that members of a team can easily communicate. Mailing

lists can consist of staff members, clients, business partners, volunteers, and more to keep all vital
members of a team, both inside and outside of the organization, up-to-date.

TURNING SHAREPOINT INTO A POWERFUL TOOL FOR NONPROFITS

5 Ways to Ensure Successful Training and Adoption


1. Get managers to lead the way.

How do you say no to your boss? Staff are more likely to adopt SharePoint if management is already
has. If your nonprofits leadership is promoting the system and leading by example within SharePoint,
then staff will put more trust in the new system and make a greater effort to become acclimated.

2. Introduce components in phases.

Remember when your parents were teaching you how to ride a bike and then suddenly just let go
without telling you? Well sudden change in the workplace can be just as scary, minus the skinned
knees and childhood trauma of course. One of the best ways to ease the transition to a new system is to
implement components of the system gradually. By allowing SharePoint to grow with user adoption, you
ease the transition.

3. Hold short, weekly training sessions.

At the start of a weekly team meeting, take a few minutes to walk staff members through a specific
part of SharePoint. Over time, staff will be able to use the system more effectively. If meetings at your
organization are rare or staff spend most of their time in the field, send out brief video tutorials your
users can watch at their convenience. There are a ton of free resources and tutorial videos on the
Internet and on Microsofts website.

4. Ask users for feedback regularly.

Staff should be consulted throughout the implementation process to make sure SharePoint is set up to
function the way your staff members already do. After implementation, encourage feedback from your
staff to continue making improvements to the system as your organization grows or changes. Making
the key users apart of the process gives them a personal investment in SharePoint and will lead to a
successful user experience.

5. Customize and brand SharePoint until it looks like a part of your organization.

A brand is more than a look or logo, its an experience--even for your staff members. Make it easier for
your staff to embrace SharePoint by branding the interface. Your users are probably already familiar
with your organizations website, and seeing a familiar UI will add some ease to the transition.

Tips for Turning SharePoint into a Powerful Intranet


Create sub-sites for teams.
Use the top navigation bar to link sub-sites.
Route documents that require review or
approval from multiple people using a
workflow.
Add Yammer to facilitate collaboration.
Post success stories and announcements to a
your SharePoint newsfeed.
Organize each sites navigation into logical
categories.

Dont clutter the homepage; keep it simple.


Edit files directly from SharePoint with Office
365.
Create project timelines to track progress and
keep staff on task.
Connect outside systems, databases, and
websites to aggregate data.
Use the custom reporting to share your impact
story with the world.

TURNING SHAREPOINT INTO A POWERFUL TOOL FOR NONPROFITS

LAS VEGAS OFFICE

The Innevation Center


6795 Edmond St., Suite 300/Box 10
Las Vegas, NV, 89113
CALIFORNIA OFFICE

Sobrato Center for Nonprofits


330 Twin Dolphin Drive, Suite 131
Redwood City, CA 94065
DELAWARE OFFICE

Community Services Building


100 W. 10th Street, Suite 1004
Wilmington, DE 19801
NEW YORK OFFICE

Centre for Social Innovation New York City


601 West 26th Street #325
New York, NY 10001
PENNSYLVANIA OFFICE

Tech Impact Global Headquarters


417 N. 8th Street, Suite 203
Philadelphia, PA. 19123

CONTACT US
Toll Free: 1-888-798-1350
(In SEPA): (215) 557-1559
Fax: (215) 689-4949
Email: info@techimpact.org

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen