Nonprofit leaders are often forced to choose between delivering their mission and managing the administrative burden that funds it. At the Partnership Program, we believe you shouldn’t have to make that choice. In our latest collaboration with monday.com, we explored how project management software can streamline fundraising operations, from grant pipelines to donor engagement. As Alexander from monday.com noted during the session, “Nonprofit people are the best people… but usually trying to do way more work than is physically possible.”
Here is your guide to the tools and strategies discussed in the webinar, designed to help you automate the busy work and focus on the human work.
1. The Opportunity: Enterprise Tools for Free
The biggest barrier to adopting new software is often cost. Monday.com has addressed this with a program specifically for the social sector.
- The Offer: Eligible nonprofits receive 10 seats for free on the “Pro” tier (the second highest level).
- Expansion: If your team is larger than 10, additional seats are available at a 70% discount.
- Eligibility: The program is open to roughly 80% of nonprofits worldwide, provided they meet standard eligibility criteria.
- How to Apply: You can create a free account immediately, and then apply to join the nonprofit program via the “Eligibility” tab to convert your account to the free plan.
2. Grant Management: Never Miss a Deadline
Managing grants has become harder than ever, with strict deadlines and complex reporting requirements. The webinar showcased a Grants Management Template designed to centralize this process.
- The Pipeline: The template tracks grants through stages like “Active,” “Submitted,” “Awarded,” and “Declined,” functioning like a traffic light system to visualize your funding status.
- Automated Task Lists: When you add a new grant (e.g., “Winter 2025 Environmental Grant”), the system can automatically generate a checklist of sub-items such as “Draft Letter of Intent,” “Prepare Financial Reports,” and “Submit Grant”.
- Delegation & Collaboration: You can assign specific tasks to different team members (e.g., assigning the financial report to your finance lead) and communicate directly on the task item, eliminating lost email threads.
3. Donor Management: A CRM for Relationships
Donor engagement requires tracking both the people and the money. The webinar demonstrated a solution that splits these into two connected boards:
- Donor List (CRM): A profile for every individual donor, nurturing the relationship.
- Donations Board: A list of every single transaction.
Key Features:
- The “360-Degree” View: By clicking on a donor’s name, you can see a summary of all their donations and past interactions in one view.
- Email Integration: You can integrate Gmail or Outlook to send emails directly from the platform..
- Dynamic Templates: You can create email templates that automatically pull in data, such as “Hi {Item Name}, thanks for your donation of {Dollar Amount},” allowing you to personalize mass outreach efficiently.
4. Implementation: Start Simple
Adopting new software can be intimidating for small teams. The webinar offered two key pieces of advice for getting started:
- Importing Data: You don’t need to start from scratch. You can import existing donor lists from Excel or CSV files, mapping your old columns (e.g., “Name,” “Amount”) to the new board structure.
- Start Small: Don’t try to build a complex grant pipeline on day one. Start with a simple “To-Do” list for your week. As the team gets comfortable, identify specific pain points—like missed deadlines or lost emails—and introduce the tools that solve them.
Watch the Full Walkthrough
To see the live demonstration of building automations, sending mass emails, and customizing the dashboard widgets, watch the full recording below.
