Digital technology continues to transform the nonprofit sector, but like all sectors it comes with its own set of challenges. Microsoft recognise that although charitable organisations may not have access to funding like other companies, they still face the same business issues including managing data, processes and devices. For this reason, Microsoft has a range of licences and discounts that allow registered charities or organisations to take advantage of free, or much lower prices for Microsoft products, including Office 365, Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365.
In this article we cover the Power Platform. We will explain what to expect from the solution, how it can help charities and the Power Platform nonprofit pricing/licensing available.
About Microsoft Power Platform
The Power Platform is a collection of tools – Power BI, Power Apps and Power Automate (previously Microsoft Flow). Each of these tools is designed to support your business in different ways, however they all enable businesses to better analyse automate, manipulate and gain crucial insights from data. Historically, data collection or app development would have been achieved by IT or Development teams, but it was a lengthy and costly process.
The great thing about the Power Platform is that it is specifically designed for non-technical users, so that organisations can leverage the technology without coding knowledge. This approach is less costly and offers faster solutions than ever before, providing charities with the ability to create, automate and analyse data in new ways.
How Power Platform can help charities
Power Apps – This tool enables organisations to build bespoke business and mobile apps which solve business problems or make processes more efficient. Charities can use Power Apps to streamline multiple processes such as donor sign ups. A charity can create an app which allows donors to donate in a simple and easy way.
Power Automate – Power Automate allows businesses to automate repetitive tasks by creating workflows (known as flows) across various applications. Charities can utilise Power Automate for volunteer onboarding processes.
Power BI – Power BI is Microsoft’s data and analytics reporting tool, which pulls together data and presents it in visual, easy-to-read graphs and charts. Users are then able to drill down into the data even further, gaining valuable business insights. Charities can utilise Power BI in a multitude of ways including tracking referrals and visualising who is donating to the charity.
Eligibility criteria for the nonprofit licence
To qualify for discounted licences, organisations must be a nonprofit or non-governmental organisation (NGO) with recognised legal status in their respective country. In addition to this criteria, eligible organisations must also operate on a not-for-profit
basis and have a mission to benefit the local community. To see the full list of eligibility criteria, Microsoft has documented more information here.
Once you are satisfied that your organisation meets the criteria you can apply for nonprofit status via the Microsoft registration page.
| Column 1 | Standard pricing | Charity pricing | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Power Apps per app plan | £3.80 | £1.89 | 50.3% |
| *Power Apps per user plan | £15.10 | £3.80 | 74.8% |
| Column 1 Value 3 | £75.40 | £18.90 | 74.9% |
| Column 1 Value 4 | £11.30 | £2.80 | 75.2% |
| Column 1 Value 5 | £7.50 | £2.30 | 69.3% |
| Column 1 Value 6 | £15.10 | £6 | 60.3% |
*Currently eligible nonprofits can get Power Apps free for up to 10 seats (the “Per App” plan) and discounted pricing of £1.89* per user per month for additional users, which is 50% off the commercial price.
To learn more about Power Platform and other nonprofit licences available including Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365, contact us today.
