People who start their own businesses are keenly aware of the need to be cost efficient. The less money and time you spend on inefficient processes, the more money can go toward your bottom line, and the more time can be devoted to core business strengths.
Similar principles apply in the nonprofit and charitable sector, because money and time not devoted to administrative tasks is money that can go toward the aims of the organization. You may not think of online forms and workflows as having a place in the world of nonprofits and charitable organizations, but often investment in workflow automation software brings a fast, positive return on investment.
Imagine Custom Online Forms that Adapt to Changing Needs
The limitations of paper forms make themselves apparent in due time. Perhaps they ask for information in a format that’s no longer meaningful, or they’re labeled with the date of last year’s event. Online forms are readily adaptable to changing needs, and there are no worries about reams of forms going unused in storage closets, because paper is cut out of the equation. If this year’s gala theme differs from last year’s, your online forms can reflect this. If your organization now has an Instagram account, you can easily modify online forms to include your Instagram handle and draw more followers.
Feed Data from Forms into Databases or Spreadsheets
Workflow automation software can not only create the perfect online forms, whatever your needs, they can interact with other software, such as database or spreadsheet software. When one event captain reports his or her fundraising results on an electronic form, the data from that form can be automatically fed into a spreadsheet so you can easily calculate statistics.
Conversely, if you need to draw data from spreadsheets or databases to fill in forms or produce custom reports, your workflow automation software ought to be able to accomplish this. Don’t settle for workflow automation software that requires programming skills to use effectively. Better solutions are available and affordable.
How Online Forms Can Streamline Charitable Projects
Instead of using paper sign-up forms for volunteers, use online forms that are always legible and won’t be lost in transit. Have all your fundraising volunteers record their donations via online forms, and you worry far less about data entry mistakes and miscalculations. If multiple forms are involved in carrying out an event, they can be linked into foolproof workflows so that no steps are omitted and events proceed smoothly for volunteers and participants. It’s easy to incorporate “lessons learned” into your workflows. You may realize that next time, each volunteer team should have a checklist for their responsibilities so everything is done on time.
Keeping Administrative Costs Down
With paper forms and the manual workflows that go with them, you have many expenses. Paper and ink cost money, and if the information on forms must be manually entered into a database, that process takes time and is prone to error. Handwriting can make a “4” look like a “9” so a critical phone number may be entered wrong, and coffee spilled on a form can render someone’s name unreadable. All these problems take time to discover, diagnose, and fix.
Online forms and workflows do away with virtually all these problems, saving money and time, and improving accuracy throughout any workflow. PerfectApps’ workflow software allows you to create beautiful custom forms either from scratch, or using one of the many built-in templates in the software. These forms can be assembled into workflows that are fast, accurate, and that notify key people when their input is needed.
Best of all, you can do all this without knowing the first thing about programming, because PerfectApps has an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. You can easily make sign-up sheets, collection reports, checklists, and more, in an environmentally friendly, paperless manner that’s faster and more accurate. Have a look at the PerfectApps demo to see how easy it is. You’re sure to think of several ways online forms and workflows can make your charitable or nonprofit organization more efficient and effective.
