{"id":6697,"date":"2021-05-04T13:08:07","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T20:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/insidetrack\/blog\/?p=6697"},"modified":"2023-10-10T13:31:52","modified_gmt":"2023-10-10T20:31:52","slug":"transforming-how-organizations-sign-up-for-microsoft-nonprofit-offers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/insidetrack\/blog\/transforming-how-organizations-sign-up-for-microsoft-nonprofit-offers\/","title":{"rendered":"Transforming how organizations sign up for Microsoft nonprofit offers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
<\/div>\n

This content has been archived, and while it was correct at time of publication, it may no longer be accurate or reflect the current situation at Microsoft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Placing Microsoft\u2019s technology in the hands of people who help others just got easier, thanks to a makeover of the Microsoft nonprofit offers process.<\/p>\n

Nonprofit organizations like Team Rubicon have been on the frontlines of the coronavirus response, mobilizing to help distribute vaccines in hard-to-reach communities. To coordinate the complex logistics of getting volunteers and vaccines out quickly where they\u2019re needed, the veteran-led disaster response organization has leveraged technology tools like Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit and Microsoft Dynamics 365, which it obtained through Microsoft nonprofit offers that provide technology discounts and grants to people who need it most.<\/p>\n

\u201cCOVID-19 challenged Team Rubicon to flex and pivot in new ways as we expanded our capabilities to respond to the needs brought about by the pandemic,\u201d says Raj Kamachee, chief information officer at Team Rubicon. \u201cWe\u2019ve had to adapt and change how we approach our operations, and technology has been a huge part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Microsoft Dynamics 365<\/a> played a pivotal role.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough Dynamics 365, we\u2019ve been able to plan, launch, and manage operations remotely and in-person, allowing us to serve 9.7 million people in 2020,\u201d Kamachee says. \u201cSo far in 2021, we\u2019ve been able to support vaccination distribution in over 46 cities, while also responding to disasters across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than 240,000 nonprofit organizations have taken advantage of Microsoft nonprofit offers, such as free licenses for Microsoft 365, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Microsoft Azure cloud services, since the company launched its Tech for Social Impact program in 2017.<\/p>\n

However, the team that runs the program noticed a problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of nonprofit customers were coming to the site each day, but only a small fraction was completing the process,\u201d says Emily Fishkind, senior program manager for the Microsoft Digital team that supports Microsoft Philanthropies. Microsoft Digital is the organization that powers, transforms, and protects Microsoft. The team wanted to ensure that the experience had a logical flow and that Microsoft\u2019s eligible nonprofit customers were able to complete the registration process.<\/p>\n

\u201cNonprofits have been hit so hard during this pandemic,\u201d Fishkind says. According to data published in November by The Independent Sector<\/a>, more than a million people employed in the nonprofit sector in the US alone have lost their jobs. Seven percent of US-based nonprofits have closed their doors permanently.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really want to help galvanize them so they can meet their missions,\u201d Fishkind says.<\/p>\n

Tech for Social Impact and the larger Microsoft Philanthropies team set out to not only figure out what was preventing so many of these organizations from completing the registration process for Microsoft nonprofit offers, but to improve the overall experience for these special customers as well.<\/p>\n

[Watch this webinar to find out how user experience drives modern management at Microsoft.<\/em><\/a> Learn about how Microsoft uses machine learning to develop smart energy solutions.<\/em><\/a>]
\n