Intro to Functions in Excel for Nonprofits

Getting Started with Functions

Excel provides a wide range of built-in functions that simplify data management. You can find these functions in the Formulas tab under categories like Text, Date & Time, Financial, and more. The Insert Function tool also allows you to search for functions by name and get guided assistance in applying them.

When typing a function in a cell, start with = followed by the function name (e.g., =SUM). Excel will suggest matching functions and provide a tooltip to help you understand how to use them.

💡 Copilot for Excel can now assist in automating many of these calculations. Instead of manually writing formulas, you can ask Copilot to "sum all donations in column B" or "find the average grant amount." Copilot intelligently applies the correct functions, making Excel even more powerful for nonprofit teams. However, understanding the behind-the-scenes of how these functions work is still valuable—especially if you need to troubleshoot, customize, or work in environments where AI assistance isn't available.

Now, let’s look at some practical examples tailored for nonprofits.

 

Example 1: Calculating Total Donations

Nonprofits often track donations in spreadsheets to monitor fundraising performance. If you have a list of donations in column I, you can calculate the total amount received by clicking under the donation entries and entering the SUM function:

 

=SUM(H2:H11) 

You can also enter =SUM and then highlight the area of data you want summed up.

 

 

 

This formula adds up all donation amounts in the range H2 to H11, giving you the total funds raised. Press enter to reveal the SUM.

 

 

 

👉 Use Case: This is useful for monthly or annual donation tracking, allowing you to report on fundraising progress to donors and stakeholders.

 

Example 2: Finding the Average Grant Amount

If your nonprofit receives multiple grants, you might want to find the average grant amount to understand typical funding levels. The AVERAGE function makes this easy:

 

=AVERAGE(H2:H11) 

 

 

This formula calculates the mean grant amount from a list of grants stored in column H. Press enter to reveal the AVERAGE.

 

 

👉 Use Case: This helps nonprofits set realistic fundraising goals and benchmark funding expectations for future grant applications.

 

Example 3: Finding a Donor’s Most Recent Contribution

If you have a donor database and need to find the most recent donation from a specific donor, you can use VLOOKUP. Suppose donor names are in column A and donation amounts are in column B. To find the donation amount from John Doe, use:

 

=VLOOKUP("John Doe", A2:B26, 2, FALSE) 

Let's break down the formula =VLOOKUP("John Doe", A2:B26, 2, FALSE):

1. "John Doe": This is the value you want to search for in the first column of the specified range. In this case, you are looking for "John Doe".
2. A2:B26: This is the range of cells where you want to perform the search. The function will look for "John Doe" in the first column of this range (column A) and return a value from the second column (column B) in the same row.
3. 2: This is the column index number from which to return the value. Since the range starts from column A and goes to column B, the second column (column B) is where the function will look to find the value to return.
4. FALSE: This specifies that you want an exact match. If "John Doe" is not found exactly in column A, the function will return an error.sxx

 

 

This searches for "John Doe" in column A and returns the corresponding donation amount from column B. Press enter to find John’s donation.

 

 

👉 Use Case: Nonprofits can use this to quickly look up donor contributions when sending thank-you emails or preparing personalized reports.

 

Example 4: Counting the Number of Volunteers Registered

Many nonprofits rely on volunteers, and tracking engagement is crucial. If you have a list of volunteer sign-ups in column D, you can use COUNTA to count the total number of registered volunteers:

=COUNTA(D2:D21) 

(Imagine this is for a data set of a much larger quantity “D5062”)

 

 

This function counts all non-empty cells in the given range, giving you the number of registered volunteers. Press enter to get the count.

 

 

👉 Use Case: This helps organizations track volunteer engagement for event planning, program management, and reporting to grant funders.

Wrapping Up

Excel functions can significantly improve efficiency in nonprofit operations, helping teams manage donations, grants, volunteers, and more. By mastering functions like SUM, AVERAGE, VLOOKUP, and COUNTA, nonprofit professionals can streamline their data management and focus more on their mission rather than administrative tasks.

💡 While Copilot for Excel can automate many of these tasks, understanding the "old-school" way of using functions helps you troubleshoot, refine formulas for custom needs, and work in environments where AI may not be available.

Next Steps

📌 Try these formulas on your own nonprofit data
 📌 Explore additional functions like IF, COUNTIF, and INDEX-MATCH
 📌 Consider Power Query for more advanced nonprofit reporting needs

For additional insights and tips on mastering Excel Fundamentals, be sure to explore the blog posts below.

1. Master Excel Like a Pro: Must-Know Tutorials & Templates for Nonprofits | Microsoft Community Hub
2. Getting Familiar with Microsoft Excel | Microsoft Community Hub
3. Getting Familiar with Microsoft Excel - How to Build a Data Table | Microsoft Community Hub
4. Excel functions (alphabetical) - Microsoft Support