Remote and Hybrid Work for Nonprofits: Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide

A Guide to Setting Up Remote Work That Works 

In the pandemic, many nonprofits had to switch to remote work. Now, people return to offices, as some still believe that you can’t be productive outside the office. But I’m here to show you how remote work can be just as effective, if you do it right. 

Step 1: Get a Microsoft 365 Subscription 

First, sign up for Microsoft 365. It gives you and your team the tools to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and emails all in one place.  

You can even get nonprofit discounts!

Step 2: Set Up Your SharePoint 

SharePoint and OneDrive let you and your team work together on documents, even in real-time. For example, your team can work on the same PowerPoint or document at once and leave comments for each other. You can keep all your files in one place and customise SharePoint to fit your nonprofit’s needs. 

Get help with this

Step 3: Make the Most of Teams 

Teams is where remote and hybrid work really happen. It’s great for meetings, messaging, planning, and file storage. 

The secret?

Create a “Virtual Office” by scheduling a recurring daily meeting for each team. Everyone clicks “join” when they start their day, making it feel like you’re all in the same place. This way, you can ask questions quickly, and it helps keep everyone focused. 

Set up Teams

So, we’ve covered the collaboration side. But how do you know what work everyone is doing? How do you know the staff are being productive? 

Step 4: Use Dynamics 365 CRM for Time-Tracking 

Dynamics 365 CRM has features for tracking tasks, cases, and time entries, so you can see how much work each person has done in a day or month. It even connects with Outlook, so an email request can become a tracked task right away. 

Costs for Nonprofits 

Microsoft offers grants and discounts to nonprofits, so you may be able to get Microsoft 365 for free or at a low cost. Here’s a quick look: 

• Small nonprofits: Up to 300 users on the Basic plan for free or upgrade plans starting at NZ $4.90 per user. 

• Large nonprofits: E3 and E5 plans available starting at NZ $15.40 per user. 

Dynamics 365 pricing also comes with discounts—eligible nonprofits can get it for as low as $45 NZD per user per month. 

Get help with discounts

Is Remote Work Worth It? Yes! Remote work is productive, flexible, and affordable for nonprofits, thanks to Microsoft’s support. We can help you choose the best Microsoft tools for your organization, helping your team work from anywhere while staying productive. 

Whether you need just a few tools or the full suite, we’re here to help you make the most of your budget. We’ve already helped dozens of nonprofits streamline their work with cloud technology. 

Set up remote work!