Optimizing Operations: A Complete Guide to eSignature Software for Nonprofits

Every charity has one goal to make the biggest impact they can on their community. Whilst every successful food drive, fundraising gala and disaster relief operation may look seamless, there is often a large amount of administration required. 

Onboarding new enthusiastic volunteers and gaining commitment from big donors can be a huge drain on resources. However, by digitising your admin tasks you can now focus on growing your programs. Using the correct eSignature Software for non-profits can help you to securely manage your agreements, cut down on costs and give your stakeholders a professional experience.

How eSignature Software Helps Nonprofits Reduce Paperwork and Costs

Traditionally charities use paper based systems. When a new corporate partnership is gained by your non-profit, you can often need multiple signatures. This could involve printing the document, having your executive director sign it, posting it to the corporate partner who would sign and post it back. This can be a slow process and can have large costs. Printer ink, paper, envelopes and postage can all add up over a fiscal year costing thousands of pounds that could be going directly into your charity.

By digitising your processes, you can completely eradicate these issues. Using a reliable non-profit document signing software allows you to instantly send legally binding documents across the world. A volunteer coordinator can send 50 new volunteers liability waivers with the click of a button. Volunteers can sign these on their mobile phones meaning there is no chaos of trying to collect clipboards and trying to read people's handwriting for emergency contacts.

Creating a Smart Solution for Non-Profit Workflow Automation 

Many platforms offer advanced features to help manage your documents. While dealing with federal grants or while making board decisions non-profit organisations go through a complex approval process. When any of the board members is not present or is on the move then the entire process can get delayed.

Using non-profit workflow automation can help your small admin team. The software manages the process of chasing signatures. You can create a workflow for documents to be signed in a specific order. For example, making sure your finance director signs off on your budget before it goes to your board president. The system automatically sends reminders to those who need to sign meaning your staff would not have to do any chasing, and you would never miss any deadlines for your grants.

Choosing the Right Online Signature for Non-Profits is the Key 

From the sea of digital solutions available in the market, it becomes highly important to select the correct one for the noble cause. Security is key. Any online signature software for non-profits should be compliant with international electronic signature legislation such as ESIGN and UETA. This means any digital signature carries the same weight as a wet signature. If you deal with sensitive health information or beneficiary data, then bank level encryption and HIPAA compliance should be included.

One needs to check whether it is user friendly or not as it is also important. Many non-profits have volunteers or older staff members who may not be very tech savvy. The best platform would be easy to use with drag and drop features. This means anyone can easily create documents without any IT knowledge. Having templates saves you hours of work. You can set up a standard NDA once and use it forever. Whilst there are many options available some are specifically designed for easy team collaboration. This software have many features to help your organisation grow their admin capacity. Clear audit trails and easy API integration with your current donor management CRMs.

Best Practice to Follow 

While implementing a new software it is recommended to start small. A non-profit organisation should begin with internal papers such as employee handbooks, PTO requests and policy acknowledgement slips.

Upon getting used to the system, the platform can be used for the external stakeholders also. From moving to using waivers for volunteers to signing contracts with vendors and eventually creating the major donor agreements all can be done using the digital software.

Takeaway Thoughts

Modernising your admin processes is now a necessity for charities wanting to run efficiently. Getting rid of the manual processes a non-profit organisation can save hours spent by manual workforce and all the manpower and operational cost can be put into something productive.

An online signature software for non-profits ensures that agreements get signed in no time, along with getting stored and can be tracked from anywhere, anytime. Using the right eSignature software for Non-profits whether it be SignPaperless or another specialised platform can help you save time on admin and focus on your important mission.