The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits

December 2018 FOREWORD

Dear Reader, Nonprofit organizations are now looking to project management as a way of improving their effectiveness and better fulfilling their missions. With the maturation of Cloud-based solutions, and the growing prominence of Software-as-a-Service, a new generation of project management tools are now available for organizations of all sizes. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for the project management practice to be driven by IT. In fact, many organizations create a PMO, or Project Management Office, out of their existing IT department. However, as highlighted in this report, the most important step in improving an organization’s project management is not the technology solution they select but the culture and people that make up the organization. There are no one-size-fits-all project management applications. Each one is somewhat unique, and well suited to a particular approach to project management. Any organization that seeks to be more effective in how it manages projects will benefit from this report. Whether you are interested in learning more about project management fundamentals, want to gain specific knowledge about project management best practices, and/or would like to review the survey of available solutions, this report will provide much needed guidance. Our goal at Community IT is to help nonprofit organizations achieve their missions through the effective use of technology. We are a proud sponsor of this report and long term supporter of Idealware in helping to further that goal. Sincerely,

Johan Hammerstrom, President and CEO Community IT Innovators | www.communityit.com How Was This Report Funded? Maintaining editorial integrity and impartiality while funding reports in the technology sector demands rigor. Idealware works hard to meet those demands, as well as the expectations of our audience. We take the following steps to maintain editorial integrity and impartiality: • Idealware employs a blind system of sponsorship—the research team is not made aware of a report’s sponsors or advertisers until publication. • Idealware is responsible for all of the research and editorial content of this report. • Vendors of systems included in this report or any of our reports do not pay for inclusion. Sponsorship has no bearing on whether a product is covered in this report or any report. • Neither the sponsors nor the vendors have any input over the editorial content of this report, nor do they see the report prior to publication. This report was funded by the generous sponsorship of Community IT, along with the sale of the visible ads. We’re grateful for this sponsor and other companies who invest in Idealware’s independent research. By doing so, they are supporting our mission of helping nonprofits use technology to create social impact. Reprinting and Quoting For information about reprinting, quoting, or repurposing this report, please read Idealware’s policy online at http://idealware.org/reprinting-and-quoting.

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Introduction...... 10 Establishing Working Definitions...... 11 Common Project Management Challenges for Nonprofits...... 12 Tips for Successful Project Management...... 13 Why Use Project Management Tools?...... 15 Choosing the Right Solution...... 16 Kanban Boards...... 16 Identifying Your Needs...... 17 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits...... 19 Full-Featured Project Management Software...... 19 Liquid Planner...... 19 Teamwork Projects...... 20 Smartsheet...... 20 Also Worth a Look...... 20 Collaboration Tools...... 21 Asana...... 21 Basecamp...... 21 Trello...... 21 Also Worth a Look...... 22 Component Tools...... 22 Task Management ...... 22 Communication...... 22 Document and File Sharing/Collaboration...... 23 Also Worth a Look...... 23 Matrix of Project Management Features...... 24 Conclusion...... 25 Additional Resources...... 26 About This Report...... 27 Authors...... 27 Contributors...... 27 About Idealware...... 28 About Tech Impact...... 28 About Our Sponsor...... 29 PAGE 9 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 INTRODUCTION

When you think of project management, do you think of a series of processes and best practices em- ployed to keep staff and projects on schedule and on The fact is, project budget? Or do you think of a piece of software—such as Basecamp or Asana, to cite two popular examples— management is a used for similar goals? discipline that includes The fact is, project management is a discipline that includes both best practices and tools—some as both best practices and simple as a paper checklist or spreadsheet, and some incredibly powerful and complex pieces of software tools. that help plan, organize, collaborate, track, and share progress across multiple teams. And while IT departments often employ project management for large-scale technology projects, including face in project management, and what organiza- website redesigns or CRM implementations, for tions can do to improve their project management example, it can be underappreciated and underused processes. We’ll also look at how various types of tools in other areas of nonprofit work. But with so many are used to manage projects, and how to choose the project management tools available to nonprofits, software that works best for your organization. are organizations missing out on the opportunity to Finally, we will take a closer look at a number of incorporate discipline to projects across their work? different tools available to nonprofits. This is by no To find out, we took a look at the wide range of means an exhaustive list, but provides a look at a software on the marketplace to get a better sense of variety of popular and commonly used options cur- what these systems are capable of, what they cost, and rently available. how effective they are for nonprofits. They range from Maybe you don’t need project management software— full-featured project management software to tools some of the tools you already use can likely play a designed to facilitate collaboration and communica- role in streamlining and tracking your project-based tion and those focused more simply on tracking tasks. work—but a more thoughtful, intentional, disciplined To help put those results in context, we’ll also define approach to managing projects can produce more the management techniques that help make projects efficient results. successful, some of the specific challenges nonprofits Ready to get started?

PAGE 10 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 ESTABLISHING WORKING DEFINITIONS

Before we get into project management, let’s try to answer two important questions: What is a project, A project is a and what, exactly, is project management? temporary endeavor What is a Project? Nonprofit projects are led by individuals in just about with a clear beginning every department. But not everything a nonprofit does is a project. A clear definition will help you and end. It comprises understand when the tools and practices covered in this guide apply. a series of tasks along A project is a temporary endeavor with a clear begin- a defined timeline, and ning and end. It comprises a series of tasks along a defined timeline, and produces a specific deliverable. produces a specific Ongoing or recurring efforts that do not have a beginning or end (such as timekeeping/payroll, website deliverable. updates, or monitoring analytic data, for example) do not qualify as projects, even though they are accom- plished through a series of tasks and may have defined timelines. What is Project Management? Typical nonprofit projects include the following: Simply put, project management is a discipline that assists with the creation, planning, and execution of a • Planning an event or meeting project. A project manager is an individual who leads the • Redesigning or redeveloping a website process and team charged with the execution of a project. • Implementing a new CRM or database While a project manager leads the project team, he or she • Conducting a fundraising campaign does not usually have supervisory duties over the team • Creating a publication members. Sometimes people use such analogies as traffic cops or musical conductors to explain the role of a good • Developing a new strategic plan project manager. • Organizing an office move Experienced and trained project managers are an asset Projects can be undertaken entirely within a single to any organization. The Project Management Institute department, but larger ones frequently bring together (PMI), a trade association representing project, program, teams of people from a variety of disciplines in mul- and portfolio managers, runs a number of training and tiple areas of the organization and outside it, as well. development programs for members, including the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

PAGE 11 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 However, the majority of projects undertaken by Done properly, streamlined project management can nonprofits are not led by certified or trained project improve productivity and free up resources to mitigate managers. these and other challenges for nonprofits. The factors that pose challenges to many aspects of How can organizations go about this? By improving nonprofit management (smaller budgets, limited project management culture and finding the tools and resources, staff that play multiple roles, competing resources that can help overcome communication and stakeholder priorities, internal silos, poorly-defined collaboration obstacles. In other words, this report is a processes) disproportionately affect the successful good place to start. delivery of projects within the sector.

Common Project Management Challenges for Nonprofits

In our interviews with project managers who work with and at nonprofits, we heard a number of frequently mentioned challenges.

Here are a few:

• Priorities within some nonprofits can change very quickly. Keeping the team devoted to the necessary tasks can be a challenge when a project spans a lengthy period of time.

• The executive team or Board of Directors may not buy into the value of project management techniques, and therefore does not support the processes necessary to follow a defined time-line.

• Team members tend to wear multiple hats, so project tasks may get ignored or buried when other competing priorities arise.

• It can often be challenging for staff or executives to explain what they need at the start of a project; midway through, they may see what is being done and realize it is not what they want or envisioned.

• Similarly, they can also have difficulties recognizing potential risks and/or specifying a realistic time frame for completion based on project tasks (e.g. setting a deadline around an arbitrary event, such as a board meeting).

• Limited budgets and scarce resources do not allow for a cushion in case unanticipated problems arise.

• Workflow processes, lines of communication, and guidelines tend not to be as strict or defined as they are in for-profit companies and, as a result, it can be a challenge to get team members to buy into or use collaboration or project tracking tools.

• Staff turnover at some nonprofits can be high, which can cause problems with continuity, information transfer to new hires, or project momentum.

PAGE 12 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Project management success requires a few things, including management and stakeholder buy-in, clear and achievable objectives, organization, ongoing com- Why Projects Fail munication and collaboration, and a shared commit- In a presentation titled “Project Management for ment to the processes and tools used by the team. Nonprofits,” Norman Reiss, of Nonprofit Bridge, One way for nonprofits to achieve this, according shared a set of reasons why projects fail, including to Kelledy Francis, Director of Project Management the following: at the ASPCA, is to create a “project culture” within their organizations. Speaking at the 2018 Nonprofit • Fear—Team members need to protect their own Technology Conference in New Orleans, said that, turf. at the ASPCA, she created an annual two-day project management training workshop for employees to • Misaligned expectations—Project deliverables familiarize them with project management concepts, not clear to all. processes, best practices, and other topics. • Confusion—Over roles, responsibilities, or Developing a project culture within an organization process. takes time. It’s not a one-time achievement—it’s an ongoing task. But the chances for project success increase • Loss of momentum—Problems not dealt with when organizational strategies and policies governing when they come up. project management are put in place, along with some form of guidelines on how it should be used. • Team member job dissatisfaction.

Kicking off the process by developing a project charter • Lack of commitment to success of project—Not is an easy way to set the stage for success. Being clear part of “job description.” up front can ensure that objectives are clearly defined and that the project aligns with organizational goals You can find more of Norman’s tips in his and priorities; that the project team is identified and presentation at https://bit.ly/2oXm012. individual roles and responsibilities are understood; that communication responsibilities and processes are conveyed to all team members and key deliverables means thinking through all project deliverables, what they are identified; and that there is management and should look like, the work that needs to be done to get stakeholder buy-in. them completed, and how it all fits together. Norman Reiss, a longtime project manager for a For larger projects, or project types that are new to an number of nonprofits who now works for the Union organization, creating a big-picture project plan that of Reform Judaism and blogs at Nonprofit Bridge, said encompasses all the deliverables can be a challenge. For that for many organizations, a common problem is a example, some stakeholders may not be able to envision tendency to shortchange the project-planning stage in requirements until they see a prototype or other initial their eagerness to get started. More time on the front work product. end can save problems on the back end, he said, which

PAGE 13 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 In that case, consider planning the project in stages, similar to the “Agile” project management methodol- Project Management Templates ogy. This iterative planning process can also help keep Want examples of project charter and project stakeholders focused on a project that spans a longer period of time. (Learn more about Agile at https://bit. management templates? At the 2018 Nonprofit ly/2oXm012.) Technology Conference in New Orleans, Kelledy Francis co-presented a session called “Beyond Task The most important aspects of successful project Management: Turning Your Nonprofit to a Project management, and often the hardest to achieve, are transparency and effective communication. Keeping Culture.” As part of the session, they shared a everyone on a project—from the sponsor to the toolkit to help individuals foster a project culture at stakeholders to the team members—fully informed their own organizations. The toolkit is full of helpful of progress, obstacles, and issues can be difficult, and relevant information. Download it at https://bit. especially for organizations that struggle with cross- ly/2S5QBqt. departmental communication and collaboration. Siloed organizations sometimes use different tools or For more examples, see the templates See3 Com- methods of collaboration within departments, and munications developed for nonprofits at https://bit. may be reluctant to use the project manager’s pre- ly/2UQbR5s. ferred tools or techniques for communicating issues and concerns. Finally, remember that every project is a learning opportunity. Building “post-mortems,” or post-project debriefing sessions with all the stakeholders, into the project plan can help identify what went well, what did not, and where improvement can be made.

PAGE 14 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 WHY USE PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLS?

It’s possible to manage a project without a dedicated Does your organization have numerous concurrent tool if the project manager is smart, organized, and projects? communicates well. It’s also possible to make do with Consider software that not only facilitates project task tools designed for other tasks and repurposed. But management, but also provides high-level reporting on software designed specifically for project management timelines and status for all projects together on a single can make a team more efficient and ultimately lead to dashboard. more successful results. Does your organization struggle with completing But if you do an online search for “project manage- projects on time? ment tool,” you’ll find hundreds of different vendors, packages, and tools. Some are full-featured project Consider a tool that includes a change request log management suites that provide robust project plan- that indicates the reasons why project schedules are ning, tracking, communication, and reporting capa- changed and how much time was added—this feature bilities. Some excel at facilitating team collaboration can help identify where and why projects go awry, and or task management. Some facilitate communication, what can be done in the future to mitigate it. while others create integrations between all the other tools. Does your organization have limited staff resources? At the most basic level, project management software Consider a tool that includes resource management allows the person managing to the project to assign functionality to ensure staff is not over-scheduled and and track tasks and due dates will help improve ac- time is realistically allocated. countability and keep things moving forward. Beyond Except for these special cases, for most nonprofits (and that, what features do you need, and what kind of most nonprofit project types), it’s not worth the cost tool should you be looking for? for more robust project management tools—or the time it takes to learn how to use them. Instead, focus on finding a tool that fits with your organization’s needs and existing work processes.

PAGE 15 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 CHOOSING THE RIGHT SOLUTION

How should you approach the selection of a project management tool? By treating it as a project, with a holistic view of all the people who will ultimately use Kanban Boards the software and the types of projects you’ll use it to A growing number of project management and manage. collaboration tools offer project views with tasks One common scenario to avoid? Selecting and imple- separated onto discrete cards, with a drag-and-drop menting software to manage a significant project that card interface that resembles index cards on a you’re already in the midst of. It’s better to conduct a bulletin board or Post-It notes on a wall. proper software selection process on its own timeline and train necessary staff on the system before imple- Called “Kanban,” this system of project management menting it for a critical project. was developed to help guide workflow in Toyota In fact, which tool you ultimately choose may be less factories. The basic Kanban board divides tasks important than ensuring that you have organization into three categories (To Do, Doing, and Done), with buy-in and sufficient training. cards moved from category to category as each task “You can make any tool work as long as everyone is completed. uses it and uses it right,” said Molly Barnes, a project Today, Kanban apps give users the flexibility to manager at Forum One Communications. define the categories on their project boards, or Want to find the most success with a project manage- track tasks in phases, by workstream, or by status. ment tool? Find one that can be used by people with Cards in each category correspond to a task and can a wide range of comfort levels with technology, and be assigned to an individual, include tags, have due people who play different roles in the project. dates, or have checklists or comments appended. It’s common for nonprofits to leave it up to employees to create their own systems for getting their work Want to learn more about using Kanban boards? done. It’s also common for different departments and This resource from Zapier can help you get started: teams to have their own preferred systems for com- https://zapier.com/learn/project-management/ munication and collaboration—it can be difficult to kanban-board/. enforce use of a different tool for a cross-departmental project. But the key to efficiency is systemization, Barnes said. In order for a tool to be used and be useful, it needs to achieve organization-wide adoption, and its use needs to be systemized.

PAGE 16 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 Identifying Your Needs The first step in selecting the best project management software to meet your needs is to answer two simple questions: Why are you looking for a project management tool? And how will you measure whether its implemen- tation is successful and a benefit to your organization? Write the answers on the lines below to guide you in your search.

Now, create a list of the different types of projects within the organization that can benefit from some sort of management tool. Survey different departments to find out which tools they are already using for collaboration, communication, and task management, and what they like about them. The inclusive consultation of this approach can help facilitate buy-in. You might also find that you can adapt existing tools to meet your project management needs, or find software that integrates with them—it’s easier to get individuals to use software with which they are already comfortable.

Next, identify the stakeholders. Ask them how would like to see project information presented to help you understand what kind of reporting or dashboards you’re looking for.

PAGE 17 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 By now, you should have enough information to develop a list of needed functionality. Which of the following are important to your organization? Communication Tools Task Assignments Milestone Tracking File Sharing Shared Calendars or Calendar Integrations Multi-Project Tracking Resource Planning Progress Dashboards Time Tracking Ability to Include External Stakeholders Budget Tracking Others

For more information about which systems offer which features, see the chart on page 25 of this report.

PAGE 18 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 THE LANDSCAPE OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLS FOR NONPROFITS

Ready for a look at the tools currently available to help Liquid Planner you meet your project management needs? While none of these tools is marketed specifically for nonprofits, a https://www.liquidplanner.com few options stand out either due to price, ease of use, Liquid Planner is one of the best project manage- or their frequent use by consulting firms that work ment tools on the market, with a price and level of primarily with nonprofits. complexity to match. Large nonprofits that manage It’s worth noting that we’ve included a few different complicated projects and busy teams would benefit types of systems here that can be used for project man- from its flexibility and robust resource scheduling agement, including full-featured purpose-built project and reporting capabilities. It allows team members management systems; tools designed for collaboration to estimate how much time is required to complete a that are frequently used for project management; and task, and then compare estimates to the actual time, other tools that can be used to facilitate components of which helps teams become better at planning and project management. working over time. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of tools, but The software offers a laundry list of helpful features, rather a list of those most commonly used and most including “smart schedules” that update across the commonly recommended by the subject matter experts entire project whenever a change is made, an ability to we talked to. track and monitor multiple projects, time and budget tracking, and significant reporting capabilities. Full-Featured Project The vendor offers a 14-day free trial for organizations to evaluate whether or not the investment is worth Management Software it; however, the wide range of features, significant Full-featured project management software might be customization ability, and database-style interface may too expensive for many small-to-medium-sized non- mean that most of the free trial time may be spent profits—and likely unnecessary for any that are not figuring out how to use the system. (Liquid Planner running multiple and simultaneous complex projects does offer a Kanban-style card view for tasks, which with team members in-and outside the organization. may be more appealing to non-power users.) The But for organizations with complex and ongoing software is web-based. Two plans are offered: the “Pro- project management needs, the investment can be fessional” plan is $45 per user, per month; the annual worth it. plan is $69 per user, per month. Both plans require a minimum of five users and an annual contract. The following systems are all priced on a per user, per month subscription model; most offer some form of Note: Even if Liquid Planner is not a fit for your discount to nonprofit organizations. organization, the “Resources” section of the vendor’s website is filled with extremely valuable advice on project management tips, skills, and trends, and is worth a look: https://resources.liquidplanner.com.

PAGE 19 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 Teamwork Projects calendar, on Kanban-style cards, or on Gantt charts. Its core functionality is extended by integrations with https://www.teamwork.com/project- such commonly used Cloud-based tools as Slack, management-software Skype, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive. A Several technology consulting firms that work primar- variety of widget-based dashboards can be customized ily in the nonprofit sector rely on Teamwork as their to meet different stakeholder needs, including execu- client-facing project management tool. This feature- tive sponsors, project managers, team members, and rich project management solution allows them to clients. track and manage multiple projects among different Project managers can automate a number of items, project teams with both internal and external users, including action-triggered update and approval but also has a fairly intuitive user interface that lowers requests as well as alerts and reminders. They also have the barriers for client use. Dashboards can be custom- access to an activity log to track who made changes ized by project to display the content that is most and when, and can filter sheets to show the critical useful for that particular team. The biggest challenges path for project completion. Sheets can be published seem to be that the software does not integrate with to the web for easy sharing. users’ email clients to allow them to reply to system emails, nor does it allow for resource scheduling. Organizations can try Smartsheet for free, and pricing is offered at two levels. A limited-feature “Individual” Nonprofits looking for a full-featured project plan for $14 per month allows for unlimited free management tool to help manage a range of projects collaborators; a “Business” plan for $25 per user per across the organization might find this to be a more month includes the automation, progress-tracking, budget-friendly option. The ability to create project and dashboard functionality. (Both plans require an roles, such as “project observers,” gives executive annual contract.) Enterprise-level pricing is also avail- stakeholders the ability to monitor progress without able. Nonprofits are eligible for discounted pricing. being bogged down in the day-to-day tasks. Task list templates help save time when setting up projects that Also Worth a Look... are similar to past work. And it is possible to move or copy files from one project to another. Other full-featured project management tools in wide Zoho Projects The software is web-based. The entry level “Pro” plan use include (https://www.zoho.com/ Microsoft Project is $9 per user, per month, with a minimum of five projects/) and (https://products.office. users; the “Premium” plan is $15 per user, per month, com/en-us/project/project-and-portfolio-management- and offers additional storage space, user and project software), available as both a server-based and web- limits, and security. Nonprofit organizations may based product. be eligible for discounts; decisions are made by the Zoho Projects is similar to Teamwork in terms vendor on a case-by-case basis. Teamwork does offer a of features and ease of use. Like Liquid Planner, “Free Forever” plan that allows small teams to try out Microsoft Project has a fairly steep learning curve but the software at no cost, but with limited features. can be a powerful tool for experienced users; however. integrations are limited to other Microsoft tools. Smartsheet Pricing for Zoho Projects starts at $20 per month for https://www.smartsheet.com/ basic functionality for up to 10 users and 10 projects; the $40 per month “Express” plan and $85 per month People who love working in Excel tend to gravitate “Premium” plan raises that to 25 users and unlimited toward Smartsheet as a project management solution. projects, plus additional features. Cloud-based Micro- Its spreadsheet-like interface makes it easy to get up soft Project Online runs $30 per user, per month for and running fairly quickly, and project tasks can be the “Professional” plan and $55 per user, per month viewed in a variety of ways, including on a grid, on a for the “Premium” plan.

PAGE 20 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 Collaboration Tools Basecamp There are a number of tools on the market that are https://basecamp.com/ often lumped in with project management software Chances are, if you have worked with nonprofit but are focused on improving communication and projects over the past decade, you have come into collaboration among teams. Many core functions of contact with Basecamp. First launched in 2004, the project management tools, such as task assignments, software has evolved over time, but its core value project planning, and file sharing, are included, but proposition—team communication and collabora- features are more limited. Generally, pricing among tion—remains unchanged. Its simple interface allows these systems is much friendlier for nonprofit bud- for a short learning curve, and it provides solid sup- gets—some even offer free options that can meet the port for tracking tasks and progress on projects. basic needs of smaller nonprofits. The software lacks the depth of full project manage- As with the project management software discussed ment tools, such as sub-task creation, resource above, nearly all are priced on a per user, per month management, time tracking, and Gantt charts, but is subscription model, and all of the tools below offer a good option for simple projects. Within a project, some form of discount to nonprofit organizations. tasks are tracked on “to-do” lists, communication takes place on a message board, deadlines are dis- Asana played on a project calendar, and files are stored and tracked. It also has its own real-time communication https://asana.com/ tool for each project that allows for instant messaging With a user-friendly interface, solid workflow man- among team members. agement tools, and nonprofit-friendly pricing, Asana The software is offered at a single, all-inclusive month- is often one of the first tools teams turn to when ly subscription fee of $99 per month that allows for looking to improve project organization and manage- unlimited projects and unlimited users. Nonprofits ment. The free version, which allows for unlimited are eligible for a 10 percent discount (https://basecamp. projects and 15 team members, includes task and com/discounts). sub-task creation and assignments, conversations, file sharing, and project updates. Premium (paid) features include timeline (Gantt chart) views, task dependency Trello assignments, project completion tracking, custom https://trello.com fields, and other features. Trello is the blank slate of project collaboration Tasks can be viewed either in list format, on a software. Its deceptively simple user interface— calendar, or on Kanban-style cards. Team members Kanban-style project tracking, with cards arranged on are notified via email of updates to the project and a board—masks an incredibly flexible organizational when they have tasks coming due, which is helpful system that can be used in a multitude of ways. That for individuals who are less inclined to work within has led to a lot of user-produced documentation, the tool. (The tool’s flexibility has led to some creative including inspiration boards (https://trello.com/ ideas for how to use it—for one good example, check inspiration), how-to articles (https://zapier.com/blog/ out the “Sticker Mule Guide to Asana” at https://www. how-to-use-trello/, https://lifehacker.com/how-to-use- stickermule.com/blog/the-remote-team-guide-to-asana.) trello-to-organize-your-entire-life-1683821040), and For organizations that need the additional functional- tips for using the tool for project management (https:// ity, premium pricing starts at $9.99 per user, per blog.hubstaff.com/trello-project-management/). month. Nonprofits can apply for a 50 percent dis- The basic card-based functionality of the tool can be count on Asana’s pricing (https://asana.com/nonprofit) extended by a large variety of what the company calls thanks to a partnership with TechSoup, and also have “power-ups,” or integrations with other Cloud-based access to discounted pricing from experts who can help organizations get the most out of the tool.

PAGE 21 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 tools. The company encourages power-up develop- For organizations with a business-grade subscription ment using its Application Program Interface (API), to Office 365, Microsoft Planner (http:/tasks.office. so the number of add-on features continues to grow. com) is a Kanban-style tool that allows teams to create and assign tasks, track status, share documents, and But the flexibility and customizability that makes have conversations around projects. While somewhat Trello so attractive is also its biggest pitfall. Without limited in scope, it does offer easy integration with a pre-defined structure for managing a project, you other Office 365 apps. are essentially re-building your process every time (although once you find a structure that works for you, you are able to copy a board and use it for your Component Tools next project). If you don’t know how you want to use In reality, it can be difficult—but potentially worth it, it can be difficult to set up. it—to get organizational buy-in on a project manage- Once the setup hurdles are overcome, Trello offers ment or team collaboration tool. If that’s the case many of the same project collaboration features as for your nonprofit, the next best option is to string other tools. You can create tasks and add checklists together a set of tools that meet core project needs in and attachments. Team members can be added to the areas of task tracking, team communication, file a task as a way to “assign” work. Tasks can include sharing, and more. The following examples can all due dates and, if the calendar “power up” is enabled, be used to meet some of the different components of appear on a calendar. Tasks that are overdue are easily project management. visible on your project board. Task Management Trello’s free plan allows for unlimited boards, cards, To track your own deadlines and progress, task team members, and attachments, and also allows management tools are easy to find and available for one “power up” per board. Business-level plans offer free or at a very low price. Some of the more popular additional functionality, including unlimited power- apps include todoist (http://todoist.com), which also ups, additional security options, and the ability to offers a business collaboration tool; Remember the group and organize all of your organization’s boards; Milk (http://www.rememberthemilk.com), which allows they start at $9.99 per user, per month. Nonprofits you to organize tasks into multiple lists and even are eligible for a 30 percent discount (https://help. Google trello.com/article/1092-how-do-i-request-a-discount-for- sublists; and, if you are a Google power user, Tasks (https://www.wired.com/story/google-tasks-app/), a my-registered-non-profit-organization) on the Business stripped-down task tracker that integrates with many Class plan. G Suite products. Also Worth a Look... Communication The list of team collaboration tools is lengthy, but Open and frequent communication among team there are a few other options nonprofits use that are members is critical to project success, and there are worth consideration. These include Monday.com several apps in wide use that facilitate this capability. (http://www.monday.com), which takes a more visual While email was once the traditional channel for approach to task management and therefore is liked communication, overstuffed inboxes and asynchro- by creative teams (pricing starts at $25 per month nous conversations are giving way to tools that allow for five users); and Wrike (http://www.wrike.com), a for real-time communication and collaboration. user-friendly tool that is quick to set up and affordable Slack (www.slack.com) is one of the most popular for basic project management and collaboration, but messaging apps on the market, due to robust can get expensive as you add functionality (pricing functionality and numerous integrations with other starts at $9.80 per user, per month). Both tools offer cloud-based business software. Conversations within discount pricing to nonprofits. Slack can be person-to-person or occur on channels that team members can join or leave as necessary. It also allows for voice and video calls, screen sharing,

PAGE 22 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 and file sharing. Microsoft Teams (https://products. TeamGantt (www.teamgantt.com/) addresses one office.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software), of the challenges of many collaboration tools—the which used to be Skype for Business (now part of the inability to create Gantt charts to help teams visualize Office 365 suite of apps) incorporates group chat, the process and progress of a project—by making it online meetings, and video and audio calling. easy to create and share Gantt charts. Document and File Sharing/Collaboration Microsoft Excel (www.microsoft.com) and Google Sheets (www.google.com/sheets/) can also be used for Cloud-based apps that allow teams to share and work project management. Yes, the purpose of implement- collaboratively on documents and files are already in ing a project management tool is to move away from wide use across nonprofits. These include Dropbox using spreadsheets; however, you likely already have (http://www.dropbox.com), Google Drive (http://drive. access to some type of spreadsheet software, it is easy google.com), OneDrive (https://onedrive.live.com/about/ to get other stakeholders to accept and use the tool, en-us/) for Office 365 subscribers, and Box (http:// and sometimes spreadsheets may be your only option. www.box.com). The functionality of these tools can Filters, sorting, and pivot tables can help you create be extended with numerous integrations with other different views of tasks (by due date, by assignee, or Cloud-based software. by category), and there are free templates online to help you create functional project plans and tracking Also Worth a Look... documents. In our conversations with subject matter experts, Zapier (https://zapier.com) is a service that creates several other tools were recommended as being useful integrations and automations between online services for projects, including the following. and apps for you without requiring you to have any programming skills. You can often turn to Zapier for Jira (www.atlassian.com/software/jira) is a ticket-based help with more obscure apps or for specific automa- project tracking system that is primarily used by tions between apps you integrate. software developers, Jira has somewhat of a learning curve, but has good capabilities for tracking tasks, especially when there is a lot of back-and-forth move- ment of tasks among departments.

PAGE 23 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 MATRIX OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT FEATURES

For each of the full-featured project management systems covered in this report, the following chart shows which features are included or available as a premium feature or from a third-party integration. Asana https://asana.com/ Trello https://trello.com Basecamp https://basecamp.com Smartsheet https://www.smartsheet. com/ Teamwork Projects https://www.teamwork. com/project-manage - ment-software LiquidPlanner https://www.liquidplan - ner.com/

Tasks Subtasks Milestones Start Dates Due Dates Assignments Conversations Document/File Sharing Calendar Mobile App Project Plan Resource Management Progress View Search Integrations Post by Email Multi-Project Dashboard Time Tracking Task Dependencies External Users Gantt Charts

Yes No P = Premium feature I = Built-in integration TP = Third-party integration

PAGE 24 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 CONCLUSION

The landscape of project management tools is both tural communication and cultural barriers. In order broad and deep. The growth of Cloud-based comput- for a tool to work, there needs to be buy-in at all levels ing that paved the way for easy collaboration and and a commitment from all team members to its use. communication also extended the functionality of Nonprofits can find a tool to help manage projects project management software beyond the realm of at just about any price point, and in fact, can even tracking tasks, due dates, and personnel time into cobble together systems from tools they may already centralized hubs of documentation, messaging, and be using. The key is to figure out the areas in which an workflows. organization needs help or automation—scheduling, At the same time, task-tracking and collaboration task-tracking, communication, centralized document software has added project management functionality, management, time-tracking, resource management— blurring the lines between the categories and making and then match that with the tools that are available. project management tools accessible for employees Sit down at the beginning of the selection process to across an organization. gather input from all the stakeholders and develop a Project management and collaboration software, when list of requirements rather than trying to implement used properly, can offer significant productivity and a new system mid-project. As with any successful organizational benefits to teams. However, the best project, this will help ensure a thoughtful, workable tool available on the market isn’t going to fix struc- solution.

PAGE 25 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

PC Magazine, “The Best Project Management Software of 2018.” https://bit.ly/2ghgPZp 501 Commons, “Project Management for Nonprofits.” https://bit.ly/2SdtiLi Nonprofit Bridge,“Project Management for Nonprofits.” https://bit.ly/2PJ4qZO See3, “Project Management Template.” https://bit.ly/2GoCifs Idealware, “Six Views of Project Management Software.” https://bit.ly/2GqcAHk Kelledy Francis, Molly Barnes, David Mascarena, “Beyond Task Management: Turning Your Nonprofit to a Project Culture Toolkit.” https://bit.ly/2Cj4UCz CIO, “Agile Project Management: A Comprehensive Guide.” https://bit.ly/2oXm012 Wrike, “Don’t Forget These 10 Project Management Best Practices.” https://bit.ly/24zx5D6

PAGE 26 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 ABOUT THIS REPORT

Authors Amadie Hart, Idealware Researcher Amadie is a contract writer and researcher for Idealware and President of Hart Strategic Marketing LLC. She founded the company in 2012 to provide smart marketing and communications consulting to nonprofits and trade associations. She helps clients develop strategic online marketing plans, create and implement online communications strategies, redevelop website content, make decisions about online tools and software, and integrate social media into outreach efforts. Chris Bernard, Managing Editor Chris is a career writer and journalist with two decades of experience in newspapers, magazines, advertising, cor- porate and nonprofit marketing and communications, and freelance writing. Prior to Idealware, he was managing editor of a newspaper and a senior copywriter at an ad agency. Since 2007 he has overseen Idealware’s editorial and communications efforts, driving the creation and publication of more than a hundred articles, reports, and other resources and managing the communications calendar. Outside of his work at Idealware, he’s an award-winning author and a frequent speaker and lecturer at literary conferences and festivals around the country.

Contributors We’re grateful for the input and generosity of the subject matter experts who volunteered their time and shared their materials with us, including Molly Barnes at Forum One Communications and Norman Reiss at the Union of Reform Judaism.

PAGE 27 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 About Idealware Idealware began as a 501(c)3 nonprofit and became a program of Tech Impact when the two organizations merged in 2018. We provide thoroughly researched, impartial, and accessible resources about software to help nonprofits and the philanthropic sector make smart software decisions. By synthesizing vast amounts of original research into credible and approachable information, Idealware helps organizations make the most of their time and financial resources. Visit www.idealware.org to learn more or view our hundreds of free articles, resources, and reports.

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PAGE 28 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 ABOUT OUR SPONSOR

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PAGE 29 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018