{"id":653,"date":"2015-09-23T14:31:07","date_gmt":"2015-09-23T18:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog2wrkdev.wpenginepowered.com\/how-nonprofits-can-use-app-integration-to-impress-donors-and-increase-impact\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T06:24:36","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T10:24:36","slug":"how-nonprofits-can-use-app-integration-to-impress-donors-and-increase-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog2workato.wpengine.com\/how-nonprofits-can-use-app-integration-to-impress-donors-and-increase-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"How Nonprofits Can Use App Integration To Impress Donors and Increase Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For years nonprofits have been buckling to the intense pressure from funders\u2019 to spend as little as possible on overhead. This, however, leads them to report lower-than-actual overhead rates at times, or to cut overhead to the <\/span><\/a>detriment of the organization.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The Stanford Social Innovation Review calls this<\/span><\/a> a vicious cycle:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA vicious cycle is leaving nonprofits so hungry for decent infrastructure that they can barely function as organizations\u2014let alone serve their beneficiaries. The cycle starts with funders\u2019 unrealistic expectations about how much running a nonprofit costs, and results in nonprofits\u2019 misrepresenting their costs while skimping on vital systems\u2014acts that feed funders\u2019 skewed beliefs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Image Source<\/i><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The Stanford Social Innovation Review\u2019s research<\/span><\/a> concludes that \u201ctaking action at the first stage\u2014funders\u2019 unrealistic expectations\u2014could be the best way to slow or even stop the cycle.\u201d However, this is easier said than done, as the unrealistic expectations of donors and trustees is an old and well known problem that is unlikely to go away soon. \u00a0Nonprofits have already sought to educate the donors on the necessity of administrative costs with low success rates.<\/span><\/p>\n

Luckily, since the publication of the study by the Stanford Social Innovation Review in 2009, another and more effective solution has presented itself. Technology, specifically the rise of cloud applications, has changed the way nonprofits can organize and run. Cloud based apps don\u2019t require nonprofits to make upfront capital investments and they are easy to setup and use, thus reducing implementation and IT costs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Which Apps Are Best For Nonprofits?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Apps help nonprofits (and for-profits) operate more efficiently, cutting administrative costs associated with keeping running the business on paper and spreadsheets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cloud apps are becoming cheaper and easier to use without technical knowledge. A 2012 survey found that<\/span><\/a> 90% of nonprofits had adopted cloud technology in some way – from top apps like Salesforce, QuickBooks and Eventbrite that have targeted product offering or pricing for non-profits or fund raising, donor and pledge management apps like Raiser\u2019s Edge and Click & Pledge that are created \u00a0for non-profit.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the first installment of this series, I compiled a comprehensive overview of the top apps that are helping nonprofits<\/span><\/a> today. While these apps have all been designed to be the best in their space, most do not offer an easy and robust solution for sharing data and working together.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Case For App Integration and Automation<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Nonprofits are involved in multiple activities that influence each other. The goal of these activities is to raise money for program expenses, and to do this efficiently. A typical non-profit will be involved in:<\/span><\/p>\n\n