Guest blog post by Tanya Varanelli
A Little About Me
Thank you to Apparo for inviting me to share actionable tips and best practices for Google Workspace for Nonprofits. I’ve been using Google products personally and professionally for years and can confidently say they’re intuitive, user-friendly, and versatile. I’ve spent most of my career supporting nonprofits and have been an independent consultant for over two years. As a volunteer Tech Therapist with Apparo and now an Expert Link partner, I’m passionate about helping nonprofits succeed with technology. I’m thrilled to share strategies I’ve implemented with local nonprofits to streamline operations, enhance collaboration, and scale effectively.
Google Workspace for Nonprofits: Actionable Tips and Best Practices
Google Workspace for Nonprofits is a game-changer for many organizations in our community. Whether you’re just starting with this powerful suite or looking to optimize it further, this post highlights actionable tips, best practices, and feature highlights. This webinar focuses on five ways nonprofits can use Google Workspace to thrive.
Why Google Workspace for Nonprofits Matters
Effective technology use allows nonprofits to expand their capacity, make a greater impact, and foster a collaborative team culture. Google Workspace for Nonprofits is free and offers an ecosystem of connected tools to enhance information access, transparency, collaboration, data security, and scalability.
Getting Started with Google Workspace for Nonprofits
If your nonprofit already uses Google Workspace products, you can activate the Nonprofit version to use these products for free, saving up to $144/year for each team member. You only pay discounted rates if your organization needs more storage.
To begin:
- Review eligibility requirements – nonprofits in good standing qualify.
- Request a Google for Nonprofits account and await verification.
- Activate products through your organization’s administrator account at Drive.google.com.
Five Tips and Best Practices
1. Google Drive Management
Centralize file storage to ensure staff, volunteers, and board members can access what they need. It’s important to understand the difference between the default My Drive and Shared Drives. Shared Drives is the best hub for files accessible to multiple team members. You can create multiple drives for specific teams or projects (e.g., a board drive).
2. Google Drive Organization
It may be helpful to structure your organization’s Shared Drives by functional areas. For example:
- Admin Drive: Stores day-to-day operational files. Team members can be granted access to the whole drive or specific folders and files within the Drive.
- Board Drive: Holds governance documents and shortcuts for board members.
- Fundraising Events Drive: Contains event materials accessible to volunteers while keeping sensitive donation data separate.
3. Content Creation and Collaboration
Google Workspace’s cloud-based tools allow for real-time collaboration. This means that teams can work in apps like Docs, Sheets, and Slides at the same time and edits will be automatically saved.
4. Admin Console
Administrators manage user accounts, domain settings, security, and device access. Set up two-step verification, create mailing lists, and enforce security policies in an easy-to-use dashboard.
5. Gmail
There are so many features and settings to support productivity, there could be a whole webinar dedicated to the topic! Reach out to Apparo if you are interested in this topic. Some of the features discussed in the webinar include:
- Offline access
- Templates and auto-replies
- Labels, filters, and inbox sections to organize emails
- Integrated task management
Additional Tips and Tools for Nonprofits
- Layer shared team calendars in one view for streamlined scheduling.
- Explore add-ons like Canva, Zoom, Slack, and Google Keep to extend Workspace functionality.
- Google Ad Grants: Attract donors and volunteers with in-kind advertising. [see Apparo’s webinar to learn more https://youtu.be/p1MmS1d3CX8]
- YouTube Nonprofit Program: Use video storytelling to amplify your mission.
- Google Earth and Maps: Visualize data and share impact stories.
Next Steps and Resources
To get the most out of Google Workspace for Nonprofits:
- Appoint a tech champion to support your team.
- Review Google’s Quick Start Guide for Nonprofits.
- Connect with Apparo for more help at [email protected]
- Watch my Apparo Google Workspace webinar here
Google Workspace for Nonprofits empowers organizations to scale, collaborate, and achieve their mission with confidence. With these tips and resources, your team is ready to make the most of these incredible tools.
Let’s get started!