12 Best Project Management Software for Nonprofits (With Free Options)
Learn about the best project management software for nonprofits to organize long-term fundraising campaigns or events effectively.
In this article, I’ll show you the 12 best nonprofit project management tools, along with my top picks, so you can stop wasting time searching.
ClickUp
Monday.com
Smartsheet
Teamwork
With any of our top five project management solutions for nonprofits, you can organize resources, break down massive projects into actionable tasks, and execute multiple projects with precision and efficiency.
However, you'll still need to choose the best project management tool that meets your business needs and budget. The good news is that some of the tools offer free versions that you can try out before investing in premium plans.
Are you looking for other nonprofit-orientated services? Then, also check out:
Best Project Management Software for Nonprofits
Here's a list of 12 of the best nonprofits project management software in 2022
- ClickUp
- Monday.com
- Smartsheet
- Teamwork
- Keela
- Wrike
- Trello
- Asana
- Slack
- Google Workspace
- Basecamp
- Notion
1. ClickUp
Best Overall Project Management Software for Nonprofits
ClickUp is the right project management software with advanced features to help your team plan, coordinate, and collaborate on complex projects to track progress and streamline workflows.
This task management tool lets you keep track of donations and corporate sponsorships and create custom reports for donors using that information.
Key Features
Custom fields
For better resource management, use formula fields on a task to quickly determine the overall budget cost using numeric, date, and time variables. You can also create volunteer applications and opportunities using the customizable forms feature to see where you should focus your efforts more.
Multiple assignees
A project manager can quickly assign tasks to any team member, ensuring that everyone understands their responsibilities. They can also assign multiple people to a single task to speed up its completion.
Calendar view
Drag and drop volunteer tasks onto the public calendar to tell everyone when and where they will volunteer.
Time tracking
Use the time tracking feature to keep track of volunteer hours and generate detailed reports to understand where most time is spent.
1000+ integrations
Integrate with other intelligent tools like Slack, Zapier, and Toggl Track to bring all of your data into one centralized location.
Pricing
- 24/7 Support
- 100 Automations/Month
- Built-in Time Tracking
- Kanban & Calendar View
- 100 MB Storage
- Live Chat Support
- 1000 Automations/Month
- Guest Access Control
- Unlimited Map & Gantt Views
- Unlimited Storage
- Unlimited Dashboards
- 10000 Advanced Automations/Month
- Unlimited Teams
- Timesheets Integration
- Unlimited Timeline Uses
- Priority Customer Service
- 25000 Pro Automations/Mo
- Unlimited Subtasks in Multiple Lists
- API calls: 1000/Minute
- Custom Capacity for Workload
Read more Clickup pricing or Clickup review
ClickUp has a Free Forever Plan. The paid versions include Unlimited at $5, Business at $12, and Business Plus at $19 per member per month. They also offer a quote-based Enterprise Plan.
2. Monday.com
Best Free Nonprofit Project Management Software for Teamwork
Monday.com is the best nonprofit project management software that allows HR and project managers to create custom solutions for their team needs with automated notifications, an integrated Kanban board, time tracking, and multiple views.
Monday.com makes project management easier for everyone on the team by providing unlimited boards, file sharing, tagging, comments, and the possibility to add external users to collaborate effectively.
Key Features
Project & operational management
Create custom workflows, automate recurring tasks, and monitor everything with powerful dashboards to stay on top of every operation. You can also use this automation to send personalized fundraising emails and messages.
Communication & collaboration
Use this effective project management tool to empower your nonprofit team to work effectively by tagging, commenting, and inviting stakeholders and external guests to your projects.
Fundraising & donor management
You can easily plan, track, and launch fundraising initiatives. Monday.com allows you to visualize entire donation streams to meet fundraising goals faster.
Data collection & analysis
Collect and analyze data without programming, ensuring that no vital data is lost.
Integrations
To streamline every area of your work, connect with the most useful apps you already use, such as Gmail, Microsoft Teams, and Outlook.
Pricing
- 3 Work Boards
- 2 Team Members
- Unlimited Docs
- 500 MB Storage
- 200+ Project Templates
- Unlimited Boards
- Unlimited Team Members
- Unlimited Viewers
- 5 GB Storage
- 1-Week Activity Log
- Calendar, Timeline, Map Views
- 250 Actions for Automations
- 250 Actions for Integrations
- 20 GB Storage
- 6-Month Activity Log
- Unlimited Guest Access
- 25000 Actions for Automations
- 25000 Actions for Integrations
- 100 GB Storage
- 1-Year Activity Log
- Dedicated Customer Agent
- 250000 Automations
- 250000 Actions for Integrations
- Enterprise Analytics
Read more Monday pricing or Monday review
Monday.com's pricing is offered across five different plans. They offer a Free Plan, Basic Plan at $8, Standard at $10, and Pro at $16 per seat per month. There is also an Enterprise Plan with tailored pricing.
A 14-day free trial is available across all paid plans except the Enterprise Plan.
3. Smartsheet
Most Transparent Project Management Software for Nonprofits
Smartsheet is the right project management tool for nonprofits who want to enhance project effectiveness, accountability, and visibility while also running mission-driven organizations.
You can try it out for 30 days before purchasing the paid plans for fundraising, marketing campaigns, strategic planning, grant applications, and donor relations.
Key Features
Strategic planning
Empower your team and align timelines so that you can increase project velocity and maintain confidence. This makes Smartsheet the best task management tool for campaigns and event planning.
Global field operations
Maintain global field teams' priorities and provide real-time status updates across devices.
Program administration
To eliminate silos, you can use reporting features that allow you to boost program visibility across projects. This makes Smartsheet the best nonprofit program management software for keeping everyone up to date and involved.
Gantt charts
You can create Gantt charts to view project progress and spot bottlenecks before they occur. You can also view key metrics for specific projects on their customizable dashboards to identify areas that require more attention.
Integrations
To fill in scheduling and reporting gaps, you can use Smartsheet's open API to integrate with tools like Procore, Primavera P6, and other proprietary software.
Pricing
- 1 User + 2 Editors
- 2 Project Sheets
- 500 MB File Storage
- Several Project Views
- 100 Automations per Month
- 10 Users + 10 Paid Editors
- Unlimited Project Sheets
- 20 GB File Storage
- Unlimited Reports
- 250 Automations per Month
- Unlimited Users & Free Editors
- Activity Log
- Proofing Support
- Easy-to-Use Document Builder
- Unlimited Automations
Read more Smartsheet pricing
Smartsheet has a Pro Plan at $7 per user per month, Business Plan at $25 per user per month, and an Enterprise Plan with tailored pricing. They also offer a separate quote-based Smartsheet Advance Plan.
A 30-day free trial is available for Pro and Business Plans.ย
4. Teamwork
Best Free NonProfit Task Management Tool for Project Planning
Teamwork is a task management tool that streamlines operations using robust features available to nonprofit organizations, such as resource allocation, budgeting, and time tracking.
A project manager can easily track deadlines and calculate the amount of time spent on individual tasks using their time app to determine where extra personnel and resources should be allocated to finish the work quickly.
Key Features
Resource management
Manage your team's resources effectively, easily reassign tasks, and avoid bottlenecks to deliver work on time.
Project updates
Admins can add status updates and project trackers with a health indicator to specific projects to keep everyone in the loop quickly and easily.
Gantt charts
You can create Gantt charts and personalized dashboards to keep track of project progress and milestones, ensuring that you never miss a deadline.
Kanban boards
You can use Kanban boards to streamline your workflows and provide your team with a visual representation of their project tasks.
Integrations
Boost your nonprofit organization with tools like Team Spaces, Team Desk, Team CRM, and Team Chat. You can also use all of your business tools on the same page because Teamwork integrates with most third-party apps.
Pricing
- 5 Users
- Different Project Views
- 2 Project Templates
- Time Tracking & Dashboards
- 2 Projects & 100 MB Storage
- Customer Support
- Gantt Filtering
- 10 Project Templates
- 500 Automations/Month
- 100 Projects & 50 GB Storage
- Unlimited Client Access
- 3 Custom Fields
- 20 Project Templates
- 1000 Automations/Month
- 300 Projects & 100 GB Storage
- Project Budgeting
- Unlimited Custom Fields
- 50 Project Templates
- 2000 Automations/Month
- Workdown Capacity
Read more Teamwork pricing
Teamwork has a Free Forever Plan with up to five users. The paid plans are Deliver at $10 and Grow at $18 per user per month. They also offer a Scale Plan with tailored pricing.
A 30-day free trial is available for Deliver and Grow Plans.
5. Keela
All-in-One CRM and Best Project Management Software for Nonprofits
Keela is an all-in-one project management software that doubles as a CRM tool designed to manage nonprofit projects, obtain donations, and organize fundraising campaigns.
With features like donor management, fundraising software, and nonprofit communication tools, you can efficiently manage short-term tasks or complex projects with this project management solution.
Key Features
Donor management
With this CRM database, you can securely store donor data, transaction history, communication preferences, and fundraising activities to keep you up to date.
Email marketing
With this drag-and-drop email marketing automation, you can send branded emails to your chosen donor segments in minutes without lifting a finger.
Fundraising intelligence
Get ahead of your donors by using fundraising intelligence to determine who to contact, how best to reach them, and how much to ask.
Report & analytics
By monitoring reports and making informed decisions, you can use this tool for budget creation, task tracking, and event planning
Integrations
You can work uninterrupted by integrating with intelligent tools like Mailchimp, Quickbooks, SendGrid, and many others.
Pricing
Keela's pricing starts at $90 for 1000 contacts. They also offer a Free Keela Starter for nonprofit organizations with less than 250 contacts. For more than 30,000 contacts, you'll be prompted to ask for a quote.
6. Wrike
Best Nonprofit Project Management Tool for Time Tracking and Reporting
Wrike is a project management software designed for team collaboration, monitoring, and reporting. This nonprofit project management solution offers notable features like interactive Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and purpose-built templates.
Key Features
Work intelligence
Use the power of AI to plan for the future and accelerate results through project-risk prediction and smart automation. You can also take advantage of more advanced features, such as document processing, smart answers, and voice commands.
Custom request forms
To avoid delays, use simple custom request forms to collect information and automatically assign tasks to the appropriate teams. This project management software makes managing projects for nonprofit organizations simple thanks to its various automation.
Gantt charts
You can visualize project progress and keep everyone on the same page with interactive Gantt charts. You can also use customizable dashboards to track project progress and identify bottlenecks.
Kanban boards
A project manager can use Kanban boards to collect, organize, and analyze data, ensuring that everything stays in one spot and no data is lost.
Integrations
Wrike integrates with over 400 apps, allowing you to create a central hub for all of your business tools, sync data, and fully automate your workflows.
Pricing
- Unlimited Users
- AI-Powered Processes
- Custom Work Views
- Different Project Templates
- Available in 8 Languages
- 2-25 Users*
- 2 GB Storage/User
- Custom Fields & Workflows
- Project Dashboards
- Calendar and Gantt Chart Views
- 5-200 Users*
- 5 GB Storage/User
- 200 Automations/User
- Enhanced Collaboration
- Resource Management Features
Read more Wrike pricing
Wrike offers a Free Plan, Professional Plan at $9.80 per user per month, and Business Plan at $24.80 per user per month, and an Enterprise Plan with tailored pricing. They also offer separate plans, including Professional Service Teams Plan and Marketing Teams Plan.
A 14-day free trial is available across all paid plans.
Pros
- Easy onboarding process
- Provides real-time analytics every 15 minutes
- Offers a free version and a free trial
Cons
- Lacks filtering options
7. Trello
Best Free Nonprofit Project Management Software for Project Visualization
Trello is one of the best free project management software for nonprofits because it provides a free version with unlimited users. As a result, you can manage projects, organize tasks, and foster team spirit all in one convenient location.
Trello boards allow you to create task checklists, attach files, add individuals to cards, and start conversations, making it a powerful collaboration tool tailored for the nonprofit sector.
Key Features.
Multiple views
Different views, such as dashboard, timeline, table, board, calendar, and map views, allow you to see your projects from every perspective. You can also use team calendars to organize tasks and due dates by dragging and dropping cards.
Automation
A project manager can use the powerful no-code automation integrated into every Trello board to create tasks, set due dates, assign work to streamline workflows, and stay up-to-date.
Pre-made templates
Copy and customize pre-made templates to avoid starting from scratch, leaving time to focus on other essential aspects of your business.
Advanced permissions
This functionality allows admins to invite or remove users from a team or board. As a result, this task management solution can safeguard all donor details and data because there is no unauthorized access.
Integrations
Nonprofit organizations can integrate their favorite tools, such as Slack, Google Drive, and Salesforce, straight into their Trello boards.
Pricing
Trello offers a Free Plan with unlimited users, Standard Plan at $5, and Premium Plan at $10 per user per month. There is an Enterprise Plan starting at $17.50 per user per month.
A 14-day free trial is available for Premium Plan. They also offer a 75% discount on all paid plans for eligible nonprofits.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Offers free version with unlimited users
- There is a 75% discount for eligible nonprofits across all plans
Cons
- Lacks real-time reporting features
8. Asana
Best Free Nonprofit Project Management Software for Complex Projects
Asana is one of the best project management solutions that allows nonprofit organizations to manage multiple ongoing and complex projects using notable features like workflow builder, automation, and different project views.
You can use Asana for nonprofits to organize projects, schedule meetings, and automate routine work to have all projects completed successfully.
Key Features
Project management
To streamline business processes, create tasks and subtasks, set milestones, and assign tasks to the appropriate people. This allows you to manage projects from start to finish efficiently.
Multiple views
You can visualize your work with different project views, such as board, list, timeline, and calendar. These views help you spot bottlenecks or overlaps before they occur.
Custom fields
You can use custom fields in Asana to track any information or data and add it to your processes to stay up to date with everything happening around your projects.
Communication
Keep your team informed about their work status by using notable features like task comments, adding followers, messaging, and document management, making it one of the best collaboration tools on our list.
Integrations
Track all of your work in one centralized location and save time by integrating with the tools you already use, such as Google Drive, Outlook, Slack, and so on.
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Pricing
- Unlimited Projects & Tasks
- Unlimited Storage & Logs
- 100+ Free Integrations
- Status Updates
- Calendar View
- Unlimited Dashboards
- Workflow Builder
- Task Dependencies
- Task Templates
- Timeline & Milestones
- Workload Management
- Advanced Reports
- Built-in Time Tracking
- Create Custom Rules
- Premium Integrations
Read more Asana pricing
Asana offers a Free Basic Plan, and the paid versions include Premium at $10.99 and Business Plan at $24.99 per user per month. There is also an Asana Enterprise Plan with tailored pricing.
They offer a 30-day free trial and 50% discount on Business and Premium Plans for eligible nonprofits.
Pros
- User-friendly, intuitive interface
- Offers a free version, free trial, and nonprofits discount
- Ideal for both large and small projects
Cons
- Lacks a multiple assignees support
9. Slack
Best Nonprofit Project Management Software for Better Communication
Slack is an event management system mainly used as a team communication tool for managing simple projects. Private chats, file sharing, and automatic check-ins are notable features that make it the best collaboration tool for nonprofit organizations.
Key Features
Workflow builder
With a single mouse click, you can automate any task inside or outside Slack. You can also get answers and approvals for tasks and projects more rapidly for efficient timeline management.
Enterprise key security
You can encrypt messages and files with your own keys kept in Amazon's key management service, with the option of canceling key access granularly to ensure data security.
File sharing
To work on large documents, you can drag and drop files and add necessary details and context that you wouldn't see while browsing folders.
Powerful search
Because everything in Slack is automatically saved and searchable, you can use the search functionality to quickly find a lost conversation, essential files, replies, or comments.
Integrations
You can integrate with apps like Google Drive, Outlook Calendar, and Dropbox to boost productivity while on the go.
Pricing
Slack offers a Free Plan and paid plans, including Pro at $6.67 and Business at $12.50 per user per month. They also have an Enterprise Grid Plan with tailored pricing.
A 30-day free trial and 85% discount are available on the Pro and Business Plans for eligible nonprofits.
Pros
- Easy to use interface
- Offers a free plan, free trial, and nonprofits discount
- Incorporates feeds from social media to facilitate communication
Cons
- Not suitable for complex projects
10. Google Workspace
Most Affordable Task Management Tool With Custom Email Addresses
Google Workspace (formerly known as G-Suite) is a web-based task management platform that enables nonprofits to create custom email addresses for specific projects or departments.
You can use Google Workspace to schedule meetings and events and track deadlines for successful project planning, using Google tools such as Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, and many others.
Key Features
File sharing
Quickly share documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and even entire folders with anybody inside or outside your nonprofit organization because the files are online by default.
Collaboration
You can work on projects with your team from anywhere. Google Calendar allows you to share calendars, and Google Meet enables you to connect face to face.
Onboarding
Onboard new employees and volunteers quickly and easily. You can also create a section for all of the information you need to share with your nonprofit organization on an internal or external website.
Communication
Custom emails sent through Gmail will keep you in touch with volunteers, supporters, and your community.
Integrations
This task management tool integrates with almost all Google tools like Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and more to streamline workflows.
Pricing
Google Workspace offers a Free Nonprofit-Only Plan. The paid versions include a Business Standard Plan at $3 and a Business Plus Plan at $5.04 per user per month. They also offer an Enterprise Plan with tailored pricing.
A 14-day free trial is available across all paid plans.
Pros
- Most affordable nonprofit project management platform
- Integrates with most Google products like Gmail and Google Drive
- Provides excellent 24/7 phone support
Cons
- It's entirely web-based with no options for software
11. Basecamp
Best Nonprofit Project Management Software for Remote Teams
Basecamp is the right project management tool for remote teams since it simplifies workflows by breaking down complicated projects into simple tasks.
Users can engage with one another through message boards, group chats, or direct messages. You can also create and assign to-do lists to team members across your nonprofit organization.
Key Features
Automatic check-ins
You can use automatic check-ins to ask repetitive questions to prevent having to update your team with the same information constantly.
Schedule
Set important dates on a shared calendar to plan all of your activities and meet your objectives and priorities within the timeframe you've set.
To-dos
You can make to-do lists for all of your projects, assign tasks, and set due dates. Basecamp will track down overdue tasks for you, ensuring that your nonprofit sector runs smoothly.
File sharing
You can effortlessly share documents, files, photos, and spreadsheets, as well as organize them into folders for convenient access.
Integrations
To boost productivity across multiple projects, you can use this task management solution to connect with apps like Gmail, Slack, Google Calendar, and more.
Pricing
Basecamp offers a Basecamp Business Plan with flat-rate pricing of $11 per month. They also have a Free Personal Plan but with limited features.
A 30-day free trial and 10% discount are available on the Basecamp Business Plan for eligible nonprofits.
Pros
- User-friendly, intuitive interface
- Provides built-in communication features
- Offers a free version, free trial, and nonprofits discount
Cons
- Lacks proofing tools
12. Notion
Simple Nonprofit Project Management Tool for Collaboration
Notion is a powerful project management and note-taking tool that lets users write and upload notes and documents to specific tasks for effective collaboration across various projects.
You can use Notion to break down projects into tasks allocated to users and display their status to streamline workflows.
Key Features
Project roadmaps
With project roadmaps, you can easily design the dashboard, website, document, or system you desire. As a result, Notion can help you create the workflow you need to streamline business processes.
Meeting notes
You can document everything you or your team does with meeting notes to gain more visibility and work on multiple tasks simultaneously.
Engineering wiki
Build the precise system you and your team desire all in one place with sprint tasks, coding rules, bug patches, and more.
Website publishing
With only a few clicks, you can build a website for a portfolio, personal resumes, team blogs, or company websites.
Integrations
You can integrate with useful business apps like Slack and Zapier to streamline workflows. Quickly import tasks from popular project management tools like Trello and Asana within minutes.
Pricing
Notion has a Free Plan, Personal Pro at $4 per month, Team Plan at $8 per user per month, and an Enterprise Plan with tailored pricing.
They offer an unlimited free trial with a 1,000 block limit for Personal Pro and Team Plans.
Pros
- Easy to learn and use
- Excellent task management and note-taking tool
- Provides cost-effective pricing options
Cons
- Slow mobile app functionality
Key Features of Project Management Tools for Nonprofits
Now that you know that nonprofits need a project management tool to streamline workflows, keep in mind that not all tools are designed to meet your specific business needs.
So, consider these five features first before selecting the best project management system for your nonprofit.
1. User-Friendly Interface
There's nothing more frustrating than trying to onboard your workers, volunteers, or donors to a new software tool, and you're forced to spend extra time teaching them how to use it. As a result, you may end up losing potential donors or volunteers.
So, it would be best to choose the best project management software for nonprofits with little to no onboarding process to increase productivity right away.
2. Collaboration and Communication
You can determine how successful your team works together through communication and collaboration.
That's because teamwork dictates whether or not your projects meet their deadlines and how to minimize bottlenecks. Every project management process for nonprofits relies on effective teamwork.
So, pick the best collaboration tool that will enable your team to easily share ideas, thoughts, documents, and files to complete tasks efficiently.
3. Project Planning and Scheduling
Project planning allows you to break down large projects into smaller and more manageable tasks before delegating them to your team. You can also define project goals, milestones, and due dates to keep your team on track while working on the project.
With project planning, you can also see how well the elements of your project fit together to identify bottlenecks before they occur.
So, choose the best task management software for your organization to have a clear perspective of short-term and long-term goals for your projects,
4. Resource Management
Resource management allows project managers or account holders to distribute resources effectively to the right team to avoid wasting time and resources.
You'll know who's working on what, when, and for how long, ensuring that deadlines are met with fewer headaches.
You can also use resource management to determine which team members are overworked or underworked, allowing you to allocate more time or resources to expedite project completion.
5. Time Tracking and Reporting
Time tracking and reporting allow you to see where your team spends the most time so that you can better manage resources and budget effectively.
You can also get detailed reports that compare each member's work time to the task completed to track team performance. This enables you to choose which areas of your organization require improvement and which tasks should be put on hold.
Which Nonprofit Project Management Software Should I Try
Your nonprofit's performance is determined by several factors that include:
- How successfully do you manage all of your projects or tasks
- Level of collaboration between employees and volunteers
- Your ability to manage donations
- How quickly do you get things done without missing deadlines
You or your team can perform all of the above manually, but it can be time-consuming and tedious. So, choose the best project management software to help your organization run more smoothly.
But how will you know which nonprofit management software is the best fit for your organization?
To begin, ensure that the project management tool offers the key features that your business needs for streamlined processes. Or, you can start with our top five recommendations to avoid the hassles and save time.
Here are our top five best nonprofit project management tools again: