Microsoft recently announced an update to the Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit, which offers advanced cloud technologies to nonprofit organizations at an affordable price point. This is great news; technology can and should be used to advance societies and cultures, and making that technology accessible to non-profit organizations and developing areas around the world is a common goal shared by many governments and commercial enterprises. Certainly, the need exists: the impact of climate change, a growing food crisis, global financial instability, and systemic racial inequity, to name a few of the issues facing the global community. 
Organizations that serve these needs must adapt by changing, adding, or expanding the services they provide to remain relevant to the communities they serve. At the same time, the face of fundraising for the nonprofit sector has changed. According to the 2021 Blackbaud Charitable Giving Report, overall giving has increased steadily over the past three years, with online giving remaining steady since the pandemic. The report noted that the average age of donors has increased from 62 to 65, meaning that these organizations need to focus on attracting younger donors and donor retention. In addition, the growth of online giving (up 42% since 2018) requires that charitable organizations add support for web-based and mobile donations along with their traditional channels.
With Giving Tuesday and the holiday giving season quickly approaching, nonprofit and charitable organizations should take a look at the tools they use to retain their current donors, manage their online strategies, and attract new audiences.
Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit combines Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Azure, and LinkedIn using the Nonprofit Common Data Model. Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit is a modular solution that helps organizations of all sizes with fundraising campaigns, deliver programs based on need, and provide measurable data using AI and machine learning to aid in decision making, all on a powerful, secure, and compliant platform. The latest release includes support for marketing insights, training, documentation, and support resources for fundraising and engagement and managing volunteers to facilitate onboarding and adoption.
In order to help nonprofits utilize their existing technologies and resources, Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit provides connectors for a number of data applications. Most recently, Microsoft announced a Salesforce connector that allows Salesforce clients with NPSP data to use Microsoft’s analytics capabilities in Azure and Power BI.
The Marketing Insights provided by Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit help with fundraising and engagement efforts by creating comprehensive profiles of their constituents and facilitating collaboration between the organization’s development and marketing groups. Microsoft has also added an import process that aggregates and validates donation datasets for a complete view of their donors.
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Want to learn more? Contact the nonprofit experts at HSO to discuss how we can put technology to work for your non-profit and the people you serve.
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