Notebooks and shoestrings
As much as you love stationery, you can’t run an organisation just using a notebook and pen. Luckily, there are loads of digital tools and software available to keep you organised and communicating.
But the cost of all these subscriptions can add up. And I know that so many social enterprises are at best chasing down every scrap of funding they can, and at worst held together with masking tape and positive thoughts.
So I’ve pulled together a list of tools that are either free or offer a discount to charitable and impact-driven organisations.
It’s not a comprehensive list: most of these are products I’ve used myself or know other people use and like. I’ll try to keep this post up to date but you may need to double check that their offers are still the same.
Visual design
Create leaflets, posters, social media graphics and any other visual asset your organisation needs.
Canva
This is fantastic, easy-to-use design software. They have loads of templates to give you ideas and guidelines too. Though be wary of using these too much as it can mean your stuff looks very Canva-y!
You can get an account for free but the paid-for version has more images and graphics, the ability to store your brand colours and fonts, collaboration between team members and handy tools like a background remover for photos.
Social enterprise discount: They definitely used to offer a discount for CICs, but unfortunately it looks like this has changed. They’re now using a third party called Percent to verify eligibility, and in the UK only registered charities can apply. If you do qualify, you get the full software for free.
Get inboxes and email addresses @your-orgs-domain for you and your staff.
Fastmail
This is the software I use for my email. It’s clear and easy to use and it’s a privacy-focused company. It costs between £2.70 and £8.10 per user per month, depending on how much storage you need.
Social enterprise discount: Any UK non-profit can apply, including CICs, they just need to see documentation to prove you are. Contact support before you sign up and they will tell you how to get the 20% discount.
Google workspace
You may know my thoughts on Google, but I’ve included it here because so many people are used to using it and I can’t deny how good it is for emails, docs and sheets. Their Workspace service is normally £5 per user per month.
Social enterprise discount: another discount that’s just for registered charities, but if you qualify (and unless you use loads of storage space) it’s free.
Email marketing
Send out a regular newsletter, update your board of trustees on your progress, and let interested people know when you have events coming up.
Email Octopus
This is what I use to send my newsletter (sign up; it’s really short and useful). Privacy-friendly (you just need to remember to turn off open and click rate tracking) and easy to use. It’s free if you have less than 2500 subscribers, which is more generous than most other platforms.
Social enterprise discount: If you do have more than 2500 subscribers (lucky you!) you can get a 20% discount on their paid plans as a social enterprise. Sign up for an account and then contact their customer service to tell them you are a non-profit organisation.
I asked them about eligibility and CIC and charities can both get it, you just need to give them a document they can verify online. I’d suggest anything official with your charity/company number on that they can look for on the Charity Commission or Companies House websites.
Mailerlite
I’ve set this up and used it for several social enterprises. Fairly easy to use and lots of options for automations and sequences. It’s free for up to 1000 subscribers.
Social enterprise discount: You can get 30% off their paid plans. Tell them you are a non-profit during the signup process and then contact support to send them documentation before purchasing the paid plan.
Mailchimp
I personally find Mailchimp confusing and hard to use. But lots of people love it! It’s free for up to 500 subscribers, which hopefully you’ll reach fairly quickly as your social enterprise grows.
Social enterprise discount: They offer 15% off their paid plans. This is an interesting one: they look at your website to check if you qualify. So another great reason to have a website, and have clear information about the work you on it do as well as your impact reports!
Organisation and project management
There are so many options for this, and just like email marketing software it’s so subjective whether you get on with a particular platform. Some you might have heard of include Asana, Trello and Monday, but here are the two I’ve used and liked the most.
I would recommend you decide on the capabilities you need as an organisation, compare a few to see which platforms offer these, then do a couple of free trials and see how you get on with it. The best organisational tool is the one you and your team will actually use!
Notion
I use Notion in my own business and have previously used it with a CIC. Quite stripped back in terms of looks, but powerful once you get the hang of setting it up (similar to most platforms to be honest).
Social enterprise discount: You can use it for free, there’s just a limit on the number of blocks and custom statuses you can have. Depending on the size of your organisation, that might be enough. Unfortunately, the non-profit discount on their paid plans is just for US organisations.
Clickup
This one is more brightly coloured than Notion, and slightly easier to use out-of-the-box. But still a learning curve, like all project management tools. Again, it’s free but with limits on the custom elements.
Social enterprise discount: 25% off for all non-profits. Contact support before you sign up and they’ll check your documents. Looks like any type of non-profit is eligible.
Accounting
You can use a simple spreadsheet for your bookkeeping, but unless your social enterprise is absolutely tiny (and even if it is), accounting software will make your life much easier. If you already have an accountant or are getting one, they often have a preferred software they use and can generally offer you a discount if you get it through them.
Freeagent
I use Freeagent for my own business and the CIC I am a director of. I find it very easy to set up and use.
Social enterprise discount: If you are a registered charity, you can get a 50% discount. They also say they will consider CICs on a case-by-case basis. Yet another reminder to get your website and impact reports up to scratch!
You can also get the software for free if your organisation has a bank account with RBS or Natwest (part of the same group). Annoyingly, Natwest are one of the worst high street banks in terms of ethics and environment. But I understand that getting a powerful, helpful tool for free can be irresistible.
Xero
I haven’t actually used Xero myself, but it’s one of the other big names often spoken about in the same breath as Freeagent.
Social enterprise discount: You can get 25% off the subscription. They say they just need to see a certificate or government-issued letter confirming your status. I’m assuming a CIC could then submit articles of association or similar and qualify. Their website makes it nigh on impossible to contact them so I couldn’t email and ask!
Booking software
Sell tickets for events, arrange appointments and run classes.
Bookwhen
I don’t actually wholeheartedly recommend Bookwhen as there are several things about it which make it frustrating to use and get data from. But I have gritted my teeth and used it because all booking solutions seem to be equally as annoying in one way or another!
Social enterprise discount: Contact support before applying and they can sort you out with a 20% discount if you are a charity or CIC.
Cal.com
This is more suitable for booking 1:1 appointments in someone’s calendar (I use it for my discovery calls and audits) than classes or events. Useful for arranging meetings between your team or if your organisation offers individual therapy sessions for example. It’s free for an individual and $15 per user per month for teams.
Social enterprise discount: You can get a 50% discount on the paid-for plan. I checked with them and CICs are eligible as well as charities, they just need to see paperwork as proof.
Video calls
Hold meetings, workshops and online events for your social enterprise team and beneficiaries.
Zoom
Do I need to explain what Zoom is? It’s a verb now! If you can keep your meetings to under 40 minutes (always a good idea in my experience) then the free plan will be absolutely fine.
Social enterprise discount: if you need to chat for longer, you can get 50% off a paid plan. This discount is through a third party which seems to handle a lot of charity discounts on software. I haven’t used it myself but it looks like you still save money even with their admin fee.
Websites
Of course, if you’re in the market for one I recommend you get me to build you a website. I’m not free or cheap, but great value and brilliant to work with.
If you are just starting out and need a simple, place-holder web presence, then take a look at this:
Carrd
Choose a template, put in your content and press publish. You can get a nice looking one page site with little effort or skill, and plant your social enterprise’s flag onto the internet. Then when you’re ready for something more permanent, give me a call.
Social enterprise discount: The pro plan means you can use your own domain (web address) for the site, add email signup forms and take off the ‘made with Carrd label’. It’s £19 for a whole year, so pretty affordable for any social enterprise, no discount needed.
Don’t ask, don’t get
If there is a tool or piece of software you have your eye on, it’s always worth checking if they offer a discount. They sometimes have a link to their charity offering in the footer (very bottom section) of their website. If not, search in their help or support documentation.
Can’t find it? You can search for the name of the product and ‘nonprofit discount’ (if it’s a US or international company) and ‘charity discount’ (if it’s in the UK).
Even if there’s no evidence they offer a discount, you can always ask. Don’t ask, don’t get. And if they don’t currently have a charitable programme, perhaps your request will prompt them to start one.
Missed your fave?
Hope this list is useful. Are there any tools you’ve used in your social enterprise that you got a tasty discount on? Email hello@mollygetsitdone.com and let me know.
