Nonprofit organizations provide invaluable support and services, address social and environmental issues, and pave the way to celebrate, aid, and unite communities. For all of their incredible contributions, mission driven organizations often struggle to find the resources, funding, and technology they need to maintain and grow their work.

Just last week, Microsoft announced the arrival of Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit, an accessible tech solution that strives to support and simplify the transformative work of nonprofit organizations. This cloud-based solution aligns the capabilities of Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Dynamics 365, Azure and LinkedIn to address many common nonprofit scenarios. It connects nonprofits to Microsoft cloud offerings while utilizing the Common Data Model to unite their organizational data on a single platform.

And...this solution will be available in the second half of 2021. So, what do you need to know about Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit to prepare for its release? This blog will walk you through the basics and help you determine if this solution is right for your organization.

Every new year is accompanied with new technology. As we head into 2021, we are excited to highlight the Nonprofit Common Data Model’s virtual event happening next week - an event so nice, it's being held twice!

With the announcement of Fundraising and Engagement for Dynamics 365 Sales, Microsoft is making seismic advances in its offerings for nonprofits that bode well for the sector's ability to flex its tech muscles for social good.

Check out this 20-minute webinar recording in which we share details on Fundraising and Engagement for Dynamics 365 Sales, the Nonprofit Common Data Model, Microsoft Tech for Social Impact, and how Soapbox Engage empowers nonprofits to raise more money and do more good in the world.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Nonprofits is a name you're likely to hear very frequently in the nonprofit tech space over the next several years.

As Microsoft's own cloud-based CRM platform, Dynamics for Nonprofits offers a new technology option for organizations of all sizes. If you're already using a range of Microsoft products (or have heard of Microsoft's generous Tech for Social Impact initiative) but haven't yet heard of Dynamics, you're definitely going to want to have it on your radar.

Imagine a world in which all your apps and services worked seamlessly with all the data from your organization. A world in which you could quickly move from one app to another, and still see the same data, sitting gently in the proverbial cloud without time-sucking and soul-crushing imports and exports.

That’s just one of the many data dreams many have had in our sector for decades, and one that could be moving closer (though not completely) into reality.

Microsoft, in collaboration with non-profit organizations and other companies, have been leading an effort to develop the Nonprofit Common Data Model (CDM), with a goal of providing non-profit organizations, technology vendors, and technology consultants one common language to represent key data points and data entities within every non-profit organization.

Considering the huge array of nonprofit organizations, Is this something that could even be built? Even if this is technically feasible, how is it being built, and where can you better understand the benefits this could have for your organization?

We’re going to dive into some of the most common questions we’ve heard about Microsoft’s efforts around the Nonprofit CDM, share our own insights (though, we’re not Microsoft, so this is just our best interpretations), and provide some links to more details.