Cloud Storage: If citizens get involved in nonprofit organizations, the technology must also be suitable. File hosting specialist explains the advantages that cloud storage offers specifically in this environment.
How should one fight for the environment? With the weapon of rhetoric or with the power of technology? As different as the approaches may seem, they have one thing in common: the passion of new generations for the future of our globe.
Volunteering Is Trendy
More and more people are volunteering. A pro bono activity in the Linked-In profile will be professionally rewarded. Hot social issues spread at the click of a mouse. Fundraisers can be organized via Facebook. Everyone can make an impact thanks to the internet.
Aware of the far-reaching consequences of global phenomena, the new generations act as doers and hands-on. They are looking for meaningful activities and want to rethink with their open mindset. They are not satisfied with a good salary but are willing to participate in civil society.
All of this takes place against the background of digitization, the actual driver of change. It creates new platforms for social participation and enables volunteers to participate in voluntary projects. One thing is clear: All of this opens up new opportunities for nonprofits – provided they can adapt their activities to their unique needs. The cloud has a special place in all these innovations, which offers unprecedented access to initiatives. Below we have collected real-world examples of how cloud solutions can help your organization increase productivity and efficiency.
Free Employees From Annoying Administrative Stuff
No cumbersome file handling, no time-consuming mailing, no reconciliation of document versions – cloud storage can simplify all administrative work and relieve your employees from a considerable burden. Be it donation receipts, personal data of your beneficiaries or your supporters’ financial data, everything can be neatly organized in virtual filing cabinets and made available at any time from anywhere. In return, your passionate helpers have more time to devote themselves to their core concerns.
Boost Civic Engagement
Whether it’s an urgent domestic social issue, providing medical assistance in war zones, or providing a free legal advice service to those most in need, the driving force behind any nonprofit organization is the social sensibilities of its members. To encourage more volunteers for their mission, nonprofits must advertise using the means with which the “digital natives” are familiar.
Volunteers who store their pictures and documents in the cloud will not necessarily be enthusiastic about having to copy and sort records. Those who are used to working with others via communication platforms would rather avoid unnecessary trips and appointments. And if you use a tool for collaborative document editing daily, you will react frustrated when you have to send the versions back and forth as a volunteer. This is perhaps more true of nonprofits than corporations: they can achieve more significant social impact by facilitating new member participation and information sharing with data sharing solutions.
Voluntary Work – Across Borders
Digitization can bring about the dissolution of the limits of voluntary participation. Cloud storage is the central data source for nonprofits, which is available in the cloud at all times and from any device. In this way, the support of beneficiaries is no longer limited in terms of time and space. Since the work is organized via the cloud, volunteers from remote regions can also be involved.
On the one hand, this opens up new opportunities for participation, enables mobile working in line with the spirit of the times and, on the other hand, allows data to be exchanged between several participants securely and efficiently. This often involves the well-coordinated collaboration of locally deployed resources and domestic employees who, thanks to the cloud, can access the most critical information and files via a central storage location. In this way, a humanitarian organization can be just as effective in a war zone as in this country. And fulfill their mission around the clock.
A Digital Breakthrough Using Data Sharing Tools
In the age of growing data, no nonprofit organization can avoid using cloud storage tools. Otherwise, they will miss out on significant participation opportunities. It is even advisable to start directly using data exchange solutions. Because this can pave the way to the digital world, the advantages are obvious: With seamless processes for saving and sharing important files, easier collaboration and uncompromising security, you can successfully address your goals and target groups.
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