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 organiza- tions 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. PAGE 3 The Landscape of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits • December 2018 ® 7 STEPS TO SALESFORCE SUCCESS DOWNLOAD THE Bonus Guide KELLPARTNERS.COM/SEVENSTEPS The Nonprofit Salesforce Experts DISCOVER WHY LEADING NONPROFITS ARE CHOOSING BLACKBAUD FINANCIAL EDGE NXT® As the world's leading cloud software company powering social good, Blackbaud is here for you with the accounting solutions you need to take your nonprofit farther, faster. 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[email protected] | www.networkforgood.com TABLE OF CONTENTS 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 ...........................................................................................................................