Discontinuation of M365 Business Premium Grant Deeply Disappointing,Harmful to Small Nonprofits
As a Microsoft CSP partner supporting multiple nonprofit organizations, I am extremely disappointed by the decision to discontinue the Microsoft 365 Business Premium grant. This change disproportionately affects small nonprofits that rely on these tools to fulfill their missions with limited resources. The justification that this is about “alignment” or “sustainability” is disingenuous. Let’s be honest—this is a revenue-driven decision that undermines Microsoft’s long-standing commitment to empowering nonprofits. Removing access to essential tools like Office desktop apps and Intune from the grant program forces small organizations into paid plans they cannot afford, jeopardizing their operations and security. Microsoft has built goodwill in the nonprofit sector over the years. This move erodes that trust. I urge you to reconsider this decision or at least provide a longer transition period and more flexible options for small nonprofits. Please do better. The nonprofit sector deserves more than a corporate cost-cutting maneuver disguised as a strategic realignment.Volunteer Management - Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit
"Are you struggling to effectively manage and engage your volunteers? Look no further! Introducing Volunteer Management, the powerful tool that will revolutionize the way your nonprofit approaches volunteer coordination." Volunteer Management is a powerful tool that helps nonprofits manage and engage volunteers in a more efficient and effective way. The application is designed to streamline coordination, so volunteer managers can easily match the right volunteers with the right opportunities. One of the key features of Volunteer Management is the ability to publish engagement opportunities. Volunteer managers can design the opportunity, define the qualifications, skills, and shifts needed and make it visible to potential volunteers. This allows volunteers to easily find and apply for opportunities that align with their skills and availability. Another important feature is the ability to approve volunteers. Volunteer managers can review volunteer profiles and qualifications, and then approve individuals to participate in engagement opportunities. This ensures that only qualified and suitable volunteers are selected for specific opportunities. The application also helps to manage volunteer onboarding by tracking what stage of the process a volunteer is in. This allows volunteer managers to quickly and easily understand the progress of a volunteer and provide support if needed. Volunteer Management also allows volunteer managers to track attendance and balance shift volumes when an activity is happening. This means they can easily manage day-of activities and ensure that there are enough volunteers to cover all the shifts. The application also enables easy communication with volunteers through automated messaging. Volunteer managers can define automated messages to ensure volunteers receive timely logistics, training, and gratitude for their time. In addition to these features, Volunteer Management also provides volunteer insights, allowing volunteer managers to understand who is registering for, failing to show up to, and repeatedly contributing time to their organization. This helps volunteer managers to identify patterns and improve volunteer engagement. Overall, Volunteer Management is a comprehensive tool that helps nonprofits to effectively manage and engage volunteers, making it easier to scale missions and deliver vital programs and services. With its wide range of features, it is a valuable tool for any nonprofit looking to improve their volunteer management process. Check out the Volunteer Management and Volunteer Engagement (another Nonprofit offering) Guided Tour here!NEWSLETTER: Nonprofit Partner Community Update | September 2025
Welcome to the September Edition of the Microsoft Elevate Nonprofit Partner Community Update! Download the Nonprofit Partner Community Update | September 2025! Here’s what you'll find this month: FY26 Microsoft Elevate Nonprofit Partner Kickoff. Register to join us for the official launch of FY26! This virtual event will equip you with strategic insights, tools, and direction to accelerate nonprofit impact and innovation. New Nonprofit Events Website. Explore the newly launched customer-facing site that aggregates free virtual and in-person events hosted by Microsoft and select partners. Filter by region, topic, audience role, and more. Promote Your Event on Microsoft.com/Nonprofits. Submit your partner-led events for inclusion on Microsoft’s nonprofit event calendar and amplify your reach through our demand generation engine. FY26 End Customer Investment Funds (ECIF) Program. Microsoft’s FY26 ECIF program enables partners to deliver high-impact services that accelerate solution adoption and customer success—at no cost to the customer.
I want to learn more about Nonprofit Pain Points?
My name is Erica Leverson, a data analyst/tech expert at EDL Investments. We have started to want to work with nonprofits because we want to work with organizations who is making humans, animals, the environment a better place. So, in order for me to be of service to nonprofits, I want to know what the pain points are. My goal is to learn of the struggles so I can create solutions. If you don't mind, can you please share them in the comments.EVENT: AI Skills Fest | Apr 8 - May 28
REGISTER NOW | AI Skills Fest! The Microsoft Worldwide Learning (WWL) team is launching a global event called "AI Skills Fest," which will feature 24 hours of learning that aims to set a Guinness World Record for the highest number of participants involved in an online multi-level AI lesson within a single day! As we celebrate Microsoft's 50th anniversary, we reflect on our mission to create technology that empowers individuals to innovate and solve real-world challenges. To mark this significant milestone, we reaffirm our commitment to providing everyone with the skills needed to thrive in the future by uniting customers, partners, technology and business professionals, industry leaders, students, Microsoft team members, and all AI enthusiasts. Our objective is to support changemakers in gaining the essential skills required for success in an AI-oriented economy. The Global 24-Hour Kickoff Celebration begins: WHEN: Monday, April 7, 2025 TIME: 4:00 PM PST / 6:00 PM CST / 7:00 PM EST / 12:00 AM GMT WHERE: Register Now for this online event Additional components of the campaign include: April 8–May 28: A dedicated 50-days of learning May 19–May 28: A closing celebration planned during and after Build 2025 Here are a few quick reminders and tips to help you prepare. Make sure you check out the main stage lineup during the kickoff celebration worldwide Plan which content track you are participating in Check out live sessions happening in your area with our partner offerings Add the event to your calendarANNOUNCEMENT: Microsoft for Nonprofits on GitHub
Tech for Social Impact (TSI) has refreshed its GitHub site to better align with our solution strategy. All TSI open-source solutions will now be centralized into one repository to provide a more seamless user experience and to support partners in providing customized, purpose-built solutions for nonprofit customers. Purpose TSI wants to ensure our solutions for the nonprofit and development communities remain current, relevant, and aligned with emerging technologies. Enhance solution security and compliance. Benefits for Partners GitHub allows partners to tailor solutions to meet customers’ specific needs. Partners can adapt the source code to fine-tune deployments, adding their own IP for repeatable and tailored solutions. Solutions Now Available The Common Data Model for Nonprofits, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Engagement, Azure Landing Zone for Nonprofits, and the template apps—Fundraising, Grant Management, and Outcome Management—are now available in GitHub as well as Solution Center. Archived Solutions The Nonprofit Accelerator, including sample apps and historical versions of the Common Data Model for Nonprofits, will remain accessible on GitHub until 12/31/25. Find updated content on GitHub and MS Learn.
Will Microsoft’s Fundraising Template App Be Supported Long-Term?
Since Microsoft retired the Fundraising and Engagement app, they’ve introduced template apps for partners and customers to build solutions. Over the past year, we did lot of customizations on top of the Fundraising and Engagement app, and we’re now considering moving these customizations and needed functionality to the ‘Fundraising’ template app. However, we’re concerned about long-term stability. Can Microsoft confirm if there’s any risk of these templates being retired or delisted? This would help us and others plan with greater confidence.REGISTER: FY26 Microsoft Elevate Nonprofit Partner Kickoff | Sept 10th
REMINDER - Join us for the FY26 Microsoft Elevate Nonprofit Virtual Partner Kickoff taking place on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 - This event is your launchpad into a year of opportunity, innovation, and impact! This event is designed to equip you and partner ecosystem, with strategic insights, actionable tools, and direction needed to lead and grow this year: Discover what’s new with Microsoft Elevate Gain clarity on the FY26 priorities Learn how to align your business to drive greater customer value and market momentum. REGISTER for the date that best fits your region and feel free to forward this invite to your teams: AMERICAS/EMEA SESSION 📍 Wednesday, September 10, 2025 🕚 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM PDT 🌐 Register for virtual event ASIA SESSION 📍 Thursday, September 11, 2025 🕘 9:00 AM – 12:00 AM AEST 🌐 Register for virtual event Let's Build Momentum together for a transformative FY26!
