Lea Remigio

Software I love (and maybe couldn’t live without):

• Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive…and many other Google products. I’m a big fan of G-Suite and promote it whenever I have the opportunity. It is free for non-profit organizations and relatively simple to administer. Plus, for email, you’ll not find better built-in, effortless spam detectors.
• Trello – frequently called a “project management” tool, I don’t think it’s quite robust enough for most software implementation projects. However, it’s a fabulous little tool (Kanban board) for managing small personal projects and responsibilities; really easy to pick up and use without a guide or training. It’s been helpful to me for documenting department and office procedures and operating policies. The free version is pretty robust. Sign up at Trello.com.
• SnagIt – screen capture tool for Mac and PC.  It’s not free, but worth every penny. Download it from techsmith.com for a one-time cost. The only downside to an installed screenshot tool like this is that your operating system updates (I install them rather frequently on Mac OSX) may disable the version you paid for.
• Jing – another screen capture tool for Mac and PC. It’s free! Unlike SnagIt which creates an image file you save on your computer, Jing uploads your images and assigns them a unique URL for sharing in emails, instant messaging or even software support tickets you need to file. If you use Jing to capture screenshots from your client case management system, be sure not to capture you client names, SSNs, DOB or any combination of such confidential information because you are uploading the image to the web and there’s no guarantee that data will remain secure. This product is also from techsmith.com.
• Microsoft Excel – Aside from the obvious uses, filters and pivot tables are killer features. I love Google Sheets, but it is not robust enough to replace Excel when doing advanced data analysis.
• A secure password manager. I choose a password manager named LastPass. Sadly, in recent years, the Premium version of this software doubled in price; I used to pay less than $25 annually for the subscription. Because I work almost exclusively with web-based information systems and tools, many times with client sites that don’t even belong to me, the cost is worth it.
• Basecamp – One of my favorite project management software tools. It’s web-based and great for collaboration. It also contains a time tracking module as an upgrade, plenty of file storage, and can handle dependent milestones. It will send email notifications to assigned resources before the milestone date arrives. It is simple and intuitive, but unlike Microsoft Project, it won’t handle budgeting. There’s a free version that can get you started. basecamp.com
• Omnigraffle and OmniOutliner. These are two productivity applications that, sadly, are only available for Mac and iPad. Omnigraffle creates brilliant diagrams, which is handy when documenting workflow processes and wireframes. OmniOutliner is just a great outline creation tool which allows you to embed screenshots. It blows away the Microsoft Word outline tool for ease-of-use. Although both of these applications have export-to-PDF options, they are not beneficial for collaboration with PC, ChromeOS, or Linux users. Check them out at The Omni Group website. A decent web-based alternative is LucidChart.
• Spideroak – secure cloud backup. The Spideroak client you install on your desktop encrypts your data before transfer. You can determine the backup frequency, but mine has been set to “automatic” (any time I save files to my computer, the Spideroak client sniffs it out and backs it up to my online account) for years and I’ve never noticed any interference with other applications that I run. A single account will accommodate any number of computers, making it easy to back up and synchronize your laptop with your work computer and can really comfort a bicycle commuter with a laptop in a backpack. 🙂 Spideroak even provides secure share rooms that can be made public if needed, allowing you to share sensitive information on the fly with your board members or clients. It runs on all common operating systems EXCEPT for Chrome OS. Set up the free 2GB account and give it a test drive at Spideroak.com.

Software I would recommend for your shortlist of potential solutions:

• Google Apps for nonprofits. I know, it will be hard to peel your users off of that old Outlook email client, but once you get them trained on gmail features like tags, conversation view of email strings, and the powerful search tool (including attachment indexing for keyword searches inside attachments), they will be hooked. Google Hangouts/IM, Google Drive which can now synch with your computer directories, and Google calendars for easy sharing are all part of the incredible Google Apps toolset. AND IT IS ALL FREE FOR NONPROFITS. 
• Salesforce for Nonprofits – There’s an out-of-the-box starter pack available for nonprofit organizations that will jumpstart your web-based, customized Customer Relationship Management data system. Small, qualifying nonprofits can get 10 user licenses for free. There is a very large and diverse group of freelancers or large consulting firms who can assist with implementation or daily administration of the system for you or Salesforce offers its own online training curriculum called Trailhead, which is free and easy to learn for someone on your staff who has some dedicated time. The relational database platform is incredibly configurable and can be built without development costs to track whatever types of data your organization needs. It also offers an API to connect to many other web-based software systems such as Quickbooks, WordPress, and many G-Suite apps.
• LegalServer platform for legal aid case management. Developed by PS Technologies and Network Ninja. This configurable software just keeps expanding and improving, which will get your legal aid office running smoother than a for-profit law firm. Learn more about the software and the great companies who develop it at LegalServer.org.
• Eccovia Solutions -A configurable, web-based platform for social services organizations of all types, this software has been primarily used as an HMIS (Homeless Management Information System) solution for recipients of HUD’s Continuum of Care/Supportive Housing grants. Eccovia Solutions meets or exceeds the HUD Data Standards. It’s been a while since I’ve worked with this application, but last time I saw it, I found it to be the most configurable out-of-the-box web-based software shy of Salesforce. Keep in mind, however, that more configurable options will always mean a higher learning curve for system administrators.
• Zendesk – web-based helpdesk ticketing system. If your user base is large enough to need a ticket tracker, Zendesk is worth the annual subscription cost. It contains automatic triggers and email notifications that can save your helpdesk associates a ton of time and eliminate communication issues with the users who need help. The company support is first-rate – the Zendesk support staff uses (what else?) Zendesk to manage their own huge helpdesk. I converted the last helpdesk I managed from Jira to Zendesk because the administrative burden was more manageable and less technical in nature.
• GivingFuel for online donation forms. Generally, fund raising is not one of my areas of expertise, but I have used this web-based software to create online donation forms and liked it a lot. Customer support is very responsive. The application is just configurable enough to be easy to pick up and learn. If you are looking for an affordable online donations engine, consider GivingFuel.