A Quick TechSoup Tutorial
There's an incredible resource out there, dedicated to providing affordable technology solutions to your nonprofit organization. I'm shocked how many nonprofit leaders don't know about it.
Do you know about TechSoup?
TechSoup is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization formed in 1987 "on the belief that technology is a powerful enabler for social change." TechSoup connects qualifying nonprofits with donated or discounted technology products, services, and resources. They charge a nominal fee to process these donations, and thus serve as an efficient clearinghouse. Major corporations no longer have to field donation requests from thousands of nonprofits, and nonprofits can go to a "one-stop shop" for virtually all of their technology needs.
What can I get through TechSoup?
Here are just a few examples of the valuable tech solutions available through TechSoup:
Microsoft Office 2013 Professional - currently $32 per license
Microsoft Windows 7 or 8.1 - currently $12 per license
Adobe Acrobat Pro - currently $45 per license (Adobe Creative Cloud will be available soon)
Intuit QuickBooks - currently $45-99
Desktop and laptop computers
Cisco networking equipment
GoDaddy domain names and website hosting
How do I get started?
It is very easy to get started accessing affordable technology through TechSoup.
Register for an individual account
Register your organization, or if your organization is already registered, associate your individual account with the organization
Start requesting technology
How often can I request products and services?
Each provider has their own rules about who is eligible and how frequently, but a good rule of thumb is once per year. PLEASE NOTE: This doesn't mean you can only submit a TechSoup request once per year -- it means you are limited on how many products or services you can access per provider per year. Personally, I purchase something for SPARC from TechSoup at least every few months.
Question: What has been the most useful thing you've gotten on TechSoup?