Charity systems and software - our top 6 tips for a growing charity.

Written by Joanne Manville, Founder of The Indispensary Limited, Fair Collective Admin Lead and Associate

Often when we're meeting with a client for the first time, one of the things that we talk about is the systems and tools that they use within the charity - both what they have in place and what they could introduce to make life easier. 

While many leaders feel overwhelmed by the overflowing inboxes, endless admin

and wearing too many hats, the answer is often simple - the systems and processes behind the scenes.  With years of experience supporting organisations behind the scenes, we share our practical insights on the software, tools and automations that can help charities save time, reduce manual work and build stronger foundations for their organisations.

Start with the foundations

One of the first things we find when working with a new client is that they often

haven't set up the basic infrastructure properly. They may not have a proper domain, email address, the correct cloud storage set up, or there is no logical structure to how documents are stored and accessed. This can make collaboration harder than it needs to be, and often leaves knowledge stuck with one person.

Here's three key things to begin with:

1. Set up professional email accounts for staff and trustees

   
   

Often charities have an organisation email for employed staff, but don't go as far as setting these up for Trustees, often thinking it can save money by having fewer email accounts, or that Trustees won't use them.  If you make it a requirement that

everyone uses the account, it helps with collaboration such as sharing of documents but is also more secure than sharing to personal or other organisations emails - make it a requirement that they log in regularly to check for updates.

2.  Use cloud storage (such as Google Drive or Microsoft SharePoint)

Again, we often see our clients using their own Google Drive or One Drive to

create and share documents, but think big from the beginning.  Set up shared drives where information can be stored, organised and shared.  This way you have control over what people can access and easily withdraw access if people change roles or leave.  This also ensures information doesn't sit in one person's inbox or laptop, and makes it far easier for teams to work together.

3. Use email smarter with templates and settings

Email can easily become of the biggest time drains for charity leaders, and one

simple improvement is using email templates.

Many people find themselves writing the same responses repeatedly when

responding to enquiries, confirming bookings or sending out standard information and yet both Gmail and Outlook allow users to create templates where you can insert pre-written responses with one click.

Other useful email features include:

• rules and filters to priorities key emails

• delay send, which schedules emails to send later

• quick text shortcuts (such as Outlooks Quick Parts) that insert longer text when you type a trigger word

  
  

Using these shortcuts reduces repetitive work and keeps inboxes manageable.

4. Simplify meeting scheduling with booking tools

Another common time waster is scheduling meetings via endless back and forth

emails. Tools like Calendly, TidyCal and Microsoft Bookings allow people to book

meetings directly into your calendar based on your availability. Google and Microsoft can even add your availability direct from your email. 

These tools can even read multiple calendars, so personal appointments and work meetings don't clash. For smaller charities juggling many conversations with partners, volunteers and donors, this simple change of habit can save hours each month.

5. Choose the right core systems for your charity

Beyond your email and cloud storage, there are a few tools that we feel no

organisation should be without.  Yes, cost is sometimes an issue, but many systems have offers for charities (check out our Discounted Tools for Charities) and they will save you time and give you better information if used well:

Accounting software

A digital accounting system can help manage finances more efficiently and

reduce manual workloads. Tools like Xero can be paired with apps like

Hubdoc, which automatically capture receipts and invoices, reducing admin

and allowing much better (and quicker) financial reporting.

A CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

A CRM helps manage contacts such as donors, volunteers and supporters.

Setting this up properly from the beginning is key.  Utilise custom fields and

tags so data is organised and used effectively - this way you can get the

reports from it that you need.  Think of it as the brain of your organisation. 

Design tools

Platforms like Canva make it much easier for small teams to create

professional looking communications without specialist design skills.  They have tonnes of tools making marketing so much easier.  Again, they also have

a non-profit discount. 

1Project or task management systems

Tools such as Microsoft Planner, To-Do, Trello, Notion or Asana allow teams

to track tasks and share responsibilities - and have oversight of what's on

everyone's plate.

Automate everyday tasks

One of the most powerful ways to save time is automation. Automation tools like

Zapier connect different systems together so that actions happen automatically.

For example:

• when someone signs up to an event, they are automatically added to your

• mailing list

• when someone buys a course, they receive a welcome email

• when a new client or partner is added to your CRM, folders, documents and

• invoices are automatically created

  
  

Instead of copying information between systems, automation moves the data for you. Even small automations can make a big difference by removing repetitive admin and reducing the risk of human error.

You don't need to automate everything at once.  Instead, notice what tasks are

repetitive and start there. 

Many charities feel they don't have the time to set up better systems, but

without them, leaders end up spending far more time on admin than they really need to.

Investing time early, or bringing in someone, like a VA, to help design and set up

your systems, can dramatically reduce workload and make your organisation more sustainable.

If you are looking for tools to help streamline your services, start with our list of

discounted tools for not-for-profits (download for free here, or alternatively, book a call with us here.