by Ero Gray - This is one post in a continuing series aimed at nonprofit organizations with limited access to IT staff. The advice and opinions here will tend to be most useful to small and startup nonprofits, which often need to make IT decisions and accomplish IT tasks despite not having qualified folks to help. It should be assumed that all suggestions here are my attempt to recommend the simplest/easiest/most effective options for most offices. Your office may be quite different (or it may not even be an office). Also, as I'll frequently note, IT staff are necessary for any organization to function for long. Links to previous posts in this series follow this post.
When you're ready to move to a more advanced email option, these days there's really no reason not to use Google. I'm not talking about plain old gmail, though that can work just fine for small organizations. What you want is Google Apps for Nonprofits. Google offers small-to-medium-sized nonprofits free email, calendaring, document sharing, and other services (including a website builder, though that's pretty limited). Get started here.
You'll probably want some IT help getting started setting up your new system, though the Google Apps administration console is pretty easy to use as such things go, and doesn't necessarily require you to speak Vulcan or anything. (Though setting up MX records in DNS can be intimidating.) It's possible to upload all your old emails into your new accounts too, so that you can keep everything in one place. Once everything's configured more or less the way you like it, you can pretty much use your new google mail pretty smoothly without (hardly) any techie involvement whatsoever.
More importantly, the Google email system is stable, easy to use, and flexible: if you prefer to use Outlook (or other email interfaces), you can, using POP or IMAP or the easy-to-install Google Apps Sync for Outlook. Blackberries or other smartphones can connect as well, though email on these devices can be a little buggy in practice.
The interesting thing about Google's email (and other offerings) is that it's constantly changing and improving. Their donation to the nonprofit sector not only means that there's a free option available, it means there's a really advanced, future-friendly free option available. Nonprofits may need to be behind the corporate sector in some areas, but this isn't one.
I realize that I sound like a paid shill. We at CRE are customers though, and pretty pleased ones. I don't see a way not to recommend the Google package for clients unless they have very unusual and specific needs. From where I stand this is far and away the best solution for any small-to-mid-sized nonprofit.
There are other options: most website hosting packages include email accounts, and you can use Outlook or other email software to connect to these. It's also possible to pay for a 'hosted Exchange' email server (usually about $10-12 per mailbox per month). A quick web search will find dozens of reputable providers for these and other email services: look for reasonable package prices, uptime guarantee, and good customer support before you commit yourself to anything. I'd reiterate though that unless you have really unusual needs, there's no reason to pay extra for email in this day and age.
Now that we've discussed email and the web, let's briefly discuss document sharing and collaboration.
We'll cover that next week: IT Without IT, Part 8: Document Sharing and Collaboration.
Previous posts in the series can be read here:
IT Without IT, Part 1: Introduction
IT Without IT, Part 2: Choosing and Acquiring Computers
IT Without IT, Part 3: Operating Systems and Office Software
IT Without IT, Part 4: Antivirus Software
IT Without IT, Part 5: Simple Networking
IT Without IT, Part 6: Email and Websites
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