It's taken some time coming but Google has announced it's extending its Google Apps online software suite for companies and organizations to non-profits.
The announcement from the blog of Google product director Matthew Glotzbach, makes it clear that non-profits will be able to access free of charge email migration, 24/7 assistance, as well as standard email, calendar and online document tools. More than 100,000 business-users employ Google Apps, which offers e-mail, an appointments diary, spreadsheets and Word processing through the web browser.
Strategically, it's also smart business. For both Google and non-profits. Google has targeted a sector that's growing fast. Growth for non-profits is outpacing growth in the rest of the economy. At the same time, non-profits are constrained by a lack of investment in human resource infrastructure.
Community-serving non-profits that offer services to youth, such as PS Youth Outreach Center, Inc. of Broward County, look forward to working with Google to ensure that our services are more visible to the communities we serve and also look forward to the possibilities of fundraising opportunites via the internet.