Enhancing Nonprofit Collaboration with SharePoint (Part 2)

TaylorTech

Microsoft

Jun 10, 2025

Welcome to part 2 in the SharePoint Intranet series

Welcome back to our series on SharePoint for nonprofits! In Part 1, we explored how hub sites and nested pages help nonprofits build a centralized, structured intranet that supports internal communication and content organization.

In this post, we’ll look at more SharePoint tools that help your team stay informed, manage data efficiently, and automate internal processes—ultimately improving collaboration across your entire nonprofit.

Communication Sites: Keeping Your Organization Informed

Communication sites in SharePoint serve as internal news hubs, ensuring that employees, volunteers, and board members stay informed.

Key Features of Communication Sites:

Company Announcements: Share news, updates, and newsletters with the entire organization.
Event Calendars: Provide visibility into upcoming meetings, fundraising events, and training sessions.
Resource Libraries: Store essential documents such as grant templates, donor reports, and legal policies in an easily accessible format.
Mobile Accessibility: Team members can stay connected from anywhere with SharePoint’s mobile-friendly experience

SharePoint Lists and Libraries: More Than Just Storage

Beyond document management, SharePoint Lists and Libraries function as powerful databases that help nonprofits track critical information such as donor records, volunteer registrations, and grant applications.

Key Benefits:

Customizable Views: Sort and filter data based on specific needs.
Integration with Power Automate: Automate workflows such as volunteer onboarding or approval processes.
Version Control: Keep track of document changes and prevent data loss.

💡 Example: Use a SharePoint list to track grant applications with custom columns for deadline, status, and reviewer. Combine it with Power Automate to notify reviewers when new applications are submitted.

Customizing SharePoint with Power Platform

For nonprofits looking to further enhance SharePoint’s capabilities, integrating with Microsoft Power Platform provides automation and customization options.

Power Automate: Automate processes like approval workflows and email notifications.
Power Apps: Create custom apps to manage program applications or volunteer registrations.
Power BI: Generate reports from SharePoint data to gain insights into fundraising or program impact.

Real-World Example: Hampton HR Ticketing System
One nonprofit, Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute, implemented a SharePoint-based HR ticketing system to streamline employee requests such as benefits inquiries, payroll issues, and policy clarifications. Using a custom-built Power App connected to a SharePoint list, employees could submit tickets through a user-friendly interface. HR staff managed these tickets via the SharePoint List - utilizing custom views, drop downs, and shareable links per case entry for collaboration across the HR team. The Power App-SharePoint Customization has the ability to run automated workflows powered by Power Automate for notifications and escalations. The system was also designed to integrate with Power BI, enabling the HR team to generate real-time reports on ticket trends, resolution times, and team performance—all without leaving the Microsoft ecosystem

Explore the Blog Series for a Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Power App from a SharePoint List

Conclusion: Bringing It All Together

With the right tools in place, SharePoint can be a nonprofit’s digital backbone—supporting everything from document sharing to cross-team collaboration and real-time reporting.

By implementing: