TechSoup Courses support your mission!

Adobe’s Creative Cloud is a powerful collection of software tools for creating everything from donor postcard mailings and volunteer portraits to fundraising charts, promotional videos, and animated social media posts. But what exactly are the tools? And how can you use them together to support your organization’s mission? This introductory course provides a Creative Cloud overview and demonstrates how non-profits can use Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign together to create images, logos, documents, and more.

Learn to correct, retouch, and edit images—as well as to create new graphics from scratch—with the fundamentals of Photoshop. Along the way you’ll master core basics like manipulating selections, working with layers, setting and styling text, and more. Project based with real-world examples, you’ll be creating and editing your own graphics before you know it. This course was created using the 2022 Creative Cloud version of Photoshop, but most of the content is relevant to most versions of Photoshop.

Course Project: Learn to create Social Media Marketing graphics, from start to finish, ready for upload to the leading platforms like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

From the most basic fundamentals of working with type and placing images and graphics to creating multi-level lists and interactive forms, this class will get you up and running with InDesign in an approachable and real-world way—with no prior experience required.

This is a project based course with the intention to have you walk away with four project assets that you can create, using your own graphics and content, for your nonprofit right away!

And, you'll be learning all the necessary and pivotal InDesign skills along the way, so when you are finished, you'll have the experience and confidence to create just about any type of printed (or digital) project in InDesign.

Dive into the world of vector art with this hands-on, beginner friendly, and project-based course. Whether you’ve dabbled in Illustrator before, or you’ll be launching it for the very first time, this class will have you up and running in no time. In this class, you will learn how to use Illustrator to create professional-quality graphics and visual materials that will help promote your nonprofit organization's mission and goals

We will cover the basics of the Illustrator interface and tools, as well as more advanced techniques for creating icons, logos, charts, and other materials. This is a project based course with the intention to have you walk away with vector graphic assets, that you create, to use for your nonprofit right away!

Whether you need video to help build your organization’s brand, promote an upcoming event, or update supporters on social media, Adobe Premiere Rush enables everyone to create and edit professional looking videos quickly and easily. From importing and editing clips to adding text and smooth transitions, this class will get you up and running quickly with relatable, real-world projects.

Course Project: Learn to create Social Media Marketing videos, from start to finish, ready for upload to the leading platforms like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

In this guide, you will find information on:

1. What are Google Ad Grants?
2. Who can apply for and use Google Ad Grants?
3. Requirements for applying to Google Ad Grants
4. Steps before applying to Google Ad Grants
5. How to submit the Google Ad Grants application?
6. How to maintain eligibility for your Google Ad Grants?

Adobe Express empowers even the most novice designer to create professional looking content like social posts, print projects, and more—with ease. In this project-based course, you’ll learn how to create and schedule social media posts, design a postcard, and even build animated graphics with a single click. Discover how setting up a “brand kit,” saving your creations as templates, and sharing them with team members helps everyone create great looking, cohesive content in a snap.

Are you a nonprofit leader, trailblazer, or accidental techie captivated by the potential of artificial intelligence? Eager to harness AI's capabilities to enhance your organization's impact and reach? Mindful of the ethical and societal challenges posed by AI's rapid progression? If this resonates with you, join us at this insightful and engaging webinar, where we'll explore the vast opportunities AI offers nonprofits and emphasize the sector's vital role in guiding the ethical growth and implementation of AI technologies.

This event was recorded on April 27th, 2023. This event recording covers:

• The Lily Pad Phenomenon: Understand the exponential expansion of AI and its far-reaching consequences for the nonprofit world.
• AI in Action: Discover how AI is being utilized to tackle everyday tasks and drive innovative projects for nonprofits.
• Striking the Balance: Grasp the importance of addressing AI's ethical concerns while reaping its benefits.
• A Crucial Responsibility: Embrace your role as a nonprofit professional in directing the evolution and application of AI for the greater good as it emerges.
• Setting Out on Your Journey: Obtain practical advice on integrating AI into your nonprofit's strategies and operations.

More than 40 percent of nonprofits are planning to relaunch their website within a year to better attract funding and followers. While nonprofits face communications and outreach challenges, there are proven strategies that can help organizations adjust their efforts to a changing landscape.

TechSoup, in collaboration with Tapp Network, helps nonprofits of all sizes build or optimize websites with integrated social media fundraising, content management systems (CMS), customer relationship management databases (CRM), forms, event management, marketing automation, and more.

This live event will cover:

• The key elements of a successful nonprofit website and how to incorporate them into a new or existing build
• Which platforms to use to build a website and how to select which one is right for your organization 
• Creating site architecture to ensure usability and a good user experience 
• Systems, methodologies, and structures to use when building a new website or making updates to an existing site

This event was recorded on March 9th, 2023. 

User experience (UX) focuses on having a deep understanding of website visitors, the information they need, the actions you want them to take, and the ease of which they can engage and convert on your website. Nonprofit websites are the centerpiece for all digital engagement with an organization. Having a good UX can enhance support, increase donations, and further your mission. Join us to learn about the top UX enhancements and features to consider on your website for 2023 and beyond. 

In this event recording we will:

• Learn what User Experience is and the effect it has on the success of your organization online in generating engagement.
• Analyze best practices, tips, and tricks for building a UX-optimized nonprofit website with examples of websites you should follow.
• Whether you are looking to build a new website from scratch, or improve the website you already have, learn methodologies and systems to enhance your organization's website UX.

This event was recorded on February 15th, 2023. 

As the online world continues to evolve, building digital trust is becoming critical for nonprofit professionals. From increased cyberthreats and data breaches to confusing new privacy laws, it's hard to know where to start when it comes to ensuring security protection measures are in place - but don’t panic! 

This session will provide you with understanding of the basics of both cybersecurity and data privacy. Get ready to learn how the strongest defense against cyber threats is found in multiple layers of protection, including changes in behavior that you can start implementing right away. 

We’ll cover key concepts of today’s privacy laws and explore how they challenge us to think about our data in a whole new way, and how they actually align with the principles of nonprofits. 

Join us and come away from this session with an understanding of how your nonprofit can be protected from cyber threats and data breaches and start building a foundation of digital trust.

This event was recorded on February 8th, 2023.

In this event recording, we will cover:

• Data in the age of privacy and cybercrime
• Three basic cybersecurity practices every organization should practice
• How to apply a life cycle perspective to protecting data
• How a few behavior changes can make our organizations safer
• How to think about and define Digital Trust

We keep hearing about bigger and badder IT security threats. But there’s good news: With simple, practical, and modern techniques, you can give yourself an excellent chance to escape harm from hackers. This on-demand course, geared towards individuals, will help you learn five steps to protect yourself and your ability to serve the people you serve. By the end of this course, you will know how to be a “human firewall,” capable of protecting your own information.

Security 101, geared towards individuals, will help you learn five steps to protect yourself and your ability to serve the people you serve. You will learn:

·      How to inventory systems where you have data and make sure you have backups

·      How to run key updates

·      How to get and use a password manager

·      How to audit access to your applications

·      How to make sure you actually put all these things into practice

Recording from live event from October 17, 2019 with cybersecurity expert, Matt Eshleman! Join us and learn the newest in how to keep you data and systems safe.

Are you responsible for your organization’s information and data security? Are you concerned about the evolving risks facing your organization today? In this on-demand course, you will learn practical approaches to make your organization safer, and protect its ability to have social impact. Rooted in a classification of your organization’s data, we’ll cover topics related to compliance, reporting and auditing. New approaches, such as Identity and Account Management will be discussed as part of a comprehensive security strategy. By the end of this course you will understand the current security landscape and have the tools to engage your organization to improve its security posture.

Many nonprofits haven't implemented a dedicated solution for project & collaboration management. Teams are not working at their full efficiency, deadlines are missed, frustrations arise. Managers don’t find it easy to put their skills and mindset into practice. 

Does it sound like a description of your work environment? 

Luckily, it doesn’t have to be this way. 

Nonprofits can harness technology and unlock the power of their teams in pursuit of advancing their missions — no matter where those teams may carry out their work. From coordinating content creation for digital marketing channels to generating more development pipeline and increasing engagement with donors, Asana can help nonprofits get more mission critical work done. 

How? We'll show you.

Join us and learn how to streamline your team's workflow and increase productivity. Discover the power of Asana, a versatile project management tool used by thousands of nonprofits worldwide. You'll be able to effectively manage tasks, projects, and collaborations, ensuring your nonprofit achieves its mission with ease.

This event was recorded on August 9th, 2023.

In this event, we will cover:

I. Introduction

• Overview of the challenges faced by non-profit managers in project management and productivity.

II. The Power of Asana for Nonprofits

• How can you solve those challenges in Asana and streamline workflow, increase productivity, and improve collaboration.

III. Q&A Session

• Live Q&A session with course instructor, opportunity for attendees to ask questions

IV. Closing Remarks

• Other training resources on Asana

In this introductory course, you’ll get a bird’s eye view of the grant world and explore the typical grant road map. After completing this course, you’ll walk away with knowledge about what to expect from the grant writing and management process.