You are leading a brand new nonprofit, charity, NGO or other community group. You have the basics for your program's existence in place: your board of directors, your business plan covering what you want to achieve in the first year and how you will do that, and you've filed, or are filing, your by-laws and other paperwork with the state and the IRS. But now, in addition to all of the other things you need to do next, you also need to take some first steps in terms of being online. Don't delay: getting an online presence and your initial tech tools in place will pay off in the long run in terms of donations and other support. In addition, some tips regarding software you should have is noted as well.   

Your first online steps:

• Get a URL (web address/domain name) and a web host. Dotster is a good place to buy a domain name, as is Network Solutions. For a web host, I really like HostGator. Even if you aren't ready with your web site yet, you should do these two things immediately. Then just put up a one page "coming soon" with your organization's name, mission statement, and a "coming soon" statement. This is the detailed advice I give to new nonprofits regarding starting their own web site.
  
• Set up a Twitter account and a Facebook page (not a Facebook account, where you friend people - a Facebook page is something people "like" in order to follow). Even if you have no information to share yet, just like the web address, it's a good idea to claim the name you want ASAP, so no one else gets it. As far as how you will eventually use it, see these recommendations for daily Twitter tasks and recommendations for using Facebook to promote your nonprofit's work.

As far as other tech:

• You probably don't have volunteers yet, beyond the board of directors and the founder, so you don't need volunteer management software. But you do need to track the contact information for all of your staff and what their tasks are. A spreadsheet is best for now.
  
• Since you are just starting out, use a spreadsheet to track your clients and their information as well. If you are dealing with medical information, legal information or financial information, like credit cards, I do not recommend Google Drive for any client information - this data needs to stay offline for now. Google Drive is an amazing collaboration tool, but it's not secure enough for things like credit card information, bank account numbers, etc. As you begin to track information and your client base and volunteer base grow, you will start to get an idea of what you will need in a more sophisticated CMS (content management system), and you will be able to make a much more informed choice later about what you need than now.
• You do not need to buy Microsoft Office. I strongly suggest you download and use LibreOffice, which is free. I have used it for years, and it's as compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint as I need it to be.

You will be using video conferencing a lot, at least through 2021 and maybe beyond, as we all work to remain safe during the pandemic. You don't have to buy a Zoom account in order to use it one-on-one with others, or to participate in events by others. If you have never used it, create an account and participate in a free online workshop, just to get familiar with it. But with your clients, they may prefer Skype, so be sure you have an account there too and become familiar with it how to use it.

Email can become overwhelming if you are trying to have a discussion with your board or volunteers, or collaborate with others on a project. My favorite free collaboration tool, other than Google Drive, is groups.io.

You can recruit volunteers to help you in any and all of the above. Here are my recommendations about volunteer recruitment. 

And you can post on the TechSoup community as you like with questions about how to use any of the aforementioned software - or anything else you are using. 

And that, I think, are the very bare bones tech basics a new nonprofit should focus on in its early months.

What do you think?

Also see:

• Basic Press Outreach for Not-for-Profit and Public Sector Organizations
  Like fund raising, press relations is an ongoing cultivation process - the process never ends. Your program strategy for press coverage needs to go beyond trying to make a magical list of press contacts that will always print your announcements or trying to land one big story; you want the press to know that you are THE agency to contact whenever they are doing a story on a subject that relates to your mission. These are basic, low-cost/no cost things you can do to generate ongoing positive attention from the media, and thereby continually build your profile among various communities.
  
  
• Outreach Via the Internet for Mission-Based Organizations
  It's more than just putting up a Web site or creating a facebook page: successful outreach via the Internet involves ENGAGEMENT: attracting comments and questions, making your own comments and questions, and more. It's pro-active, interactive and ongoing. Online outreach and online service delivery should also accurately reflect your agency's mission and culture.
  
  
• How Mission-Based Organizations REALLY Use Online Technologies
  Every nonprofit, NGO, or other mission-based organization has two primary resources: people and their ideas. Here's real-life examples of what agencies are using the Internet for, and links to other resources offering even more advice and examples. Includes information about online solicitations and fund raising. This is a hype-free zone.
  
  
• Getting More Viewers for Your Program's Online Videos
  Videos are a great way to represent your program's work, to show you make a difference, to promote a message or action that relates to your mission, etc. But just uploading a video isn't enough to attract an audience. This page on my site offers specific steps that will get more views for your organization's videos on YouTube. Note that many of these tasks would be great for an online volunteer to undertake, with guidance from an appropriate staff member.
  
  
• Email Newsletters
  Don't abandon your email newsletter.  It's still a great way to reach people about your organization, its accomplishments, its volunteering opportunities and more. It's simple, it's quick, and it can be easily forwarded by readers to new readers. 
  
  
• Don't Just Ask for Money!
  Something much more should happen if someone clicks on your web site's "Help Us" link than a message that asks only for money.