Accessibility Tools in Windows & Microsoft 365 Every Nonprofit Should Know
Accessibility isn’t optional for nonprofits — it’s essential. Whether serving clients, supporting staff, or engaging volunteers, organizations must ensure digital tools are usable by everyone. Microsoft 365 and Windows include powerful, built‑in accessibility features that many nonprofits overlook. This blog explores the most impactful tools, how they work, and how to configure them using official Microsoft guidance. Accessibility Architecture in Microsoft 365 1. Input Assistance Speech‑to‑text (Voice typing / Dictation): Convert spoken words into written text in real time Voice control (Voice access): Use voice commands to open apps, navigate menus, and control the operating system Hands‑free navigation: Fully operate a device using voice access and assistive input technologies, allowing users to write text and operate their PC entirely through speech 👉 Microsoft overview: Windows 11 Accessibility Features | Microsoft 2. Visual Assistance Windows allows users to adjust text size, contrast themes, and apply magnification, improving readability and reducing eye strain. Magnifier Color filters High contrast themes Immersive Reader (Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, OneNote, and Edge) 👉 Learn more: Make Windows easier to see | Microsoft Support 3. Hearing Assistance Microsoft Teams provides real‑time captions and saved transcripts with speaker attribution, helping users follow meetings and review conversations later. Live captions Transcription Subtitles 👉 Teams guidance: Admins- Manage transcription and captions for Teams meetings - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn 4. Cognitive Support Features like Read Aloud and Immersive Reader improve comprehension by reading text aloud, adjusting spacing, and reducing visual distractions to help users focus and better process information Focus mode (Immersive Reader / Line Focus): Reduces distractions and highlights portions of text for better concentration Read‑aloud: Converts text to speech so users can listen instead of reading Simplified ribbon: Reduces interface complexity for easier navigation Editor suggestions: Provides real‑time grammar, clarity, and style improvements 👉 Learn more: Use Immersive Reader in Word | Microsoft Support and Listen to your Word documents - Microsoft Support High‑Impact Use Cases for Nonprofits 1. Accessible Program Materials Immersive Reader helps users with dyslexia, language barriers, or cognitive challenges better understand written content. Use Immersive Reader to: Read text aloud Break words into syllables Adjust spacing Translate content How to Enable Immersive Reader Open Word or OneNote Select View → Immersive Reader Adjust: Text spacing Column width Read‑aloud speed Line focus 👉 Resource: Microsoft 365 Immersive Reader overview 2. Accessible Meetings Transcription creates a searchable meeting record with timestamps and speaker attribution, improving accountability and accessibility Microsoft Teams provides: Live captions Speaker attribution Transcripts Translation Enable Live Captions in Teams Join a meeting Click More (…) → Turn on live captions Select language Enable transcription if needed 👉 Learn more: Teams transcription & captions 3. Accessible Documents Word and PowerPoint provide tools to ensure documents are inclusive and compliant. Accessibility Checker Alt‑text generation Reading order tools Run Accessibility Checker Open Word, PowerPoint, or Excel Go to Review → Check Accessibility Fix issues such as: Missing alt text Low contrast Incorrect reading order 👉 Learn more: Run Accessibility Checker 4. Accessible Communications Outlook supports: Accessible email templates Screen reader compatibility High‑contrast display options How to Configure Accessibility Features in Outlook Open a new email in Outlook Use clear structure and formatting, such as: Short paragraphs Bold text for section headers Bulleted or numbered lists Add alt text to images (right‑click image → Edit Alt Text) Under the Message tab → Check Accessibility before sending 👉 Learn more: Make your Outlook email accessible to people with disabilities | Microsoft Support Final Thought Accessibility is a core part of digital equity. By leveraging the built‑in tools in Microsoft 365 and Windows, nonprofits can create inclusive experiences without additional cost or complexity. These features are not just compliance tools — they are productivity, engagement, and mission‑impact multipliers. Learn More See accessibility in action through nonprofits around the world that are advancing inclusion by co‑creating technology in partnership with the communities they serve. Please visit: Microsoft for Nonprofits LinkedIn.Cybersecurity 101: Protecting Your Nonprofit with Microsoft Tools
Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT concern—it’s a mission-critical priority. For nonprofits, safeguarding sensitive data, maintaining donor trust, and ensuring operational continuity are foundational to achieving impact. In an increasingly digital world, cyber threats are evolving rapidly, and nonprofits—often operating with limited resources—can be especially vulnerable. The good news? Microsoft offers a suite of powerful, easy-to-use tools designed to help nonprofits build a resilient security posture without needing a full-time IT department. What Is Cybersecurity? Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, attacks, or damage. For nonprofits, this means defending the integrity of: Donor and beneficiary information: Personal data that must be protected to maintain trust and comply with privacy laws. Financial records: From grant funding to payroll, financial data is a prime target for cybercriminals. Internal communications: Sensitive discussions around strategy, staffing, and partnerships. Program data and impact reports: Valuable insights that drive funding and stakeholder engagement. A breach in any of these areas can lead to reputational damage, legal consequences, and disruption of services—making cybersecurity a strategic imperative. Microsoft Tools That Help You Stay Secure Microsoft’s ecosystem is designed to meet nonprofits where they are—whether you're just starting your digital journey or managing complex operations across borders. Microsoft Defender Built-in protection against viruses, malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks Available across Windows devices and Microsoft 365 environments Real-time threat detection, automatic updates, and endpoint protection Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) Centralized identity and access management Multi-factor authentication (MFA) to prevent unauthorized logins Role-based access control to ensure staff and volunteers only access what they need Microsoft Purview Advanced data governance and compliance tools Helps classify, label, and protect sensitive information Supports regulatory compliance (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR) for nonprofits handling health or financial data Microsoft Outlook + Exchange Online Protection Filters out spam, phishing attempts, and malicious attachments Encryption options for secure email communication Safe Links and Safe Attachments features to prevent accidental clicks on harmful content Microsoft 365 Security Center Unified dashboard to monitor and manage security across your organization Actionable alerts and recommendations tailored to your environment Designed for ease-of-use, even for teams without dedicated IT staff Cybersecurity Best Practices for Nonprofits Technology alone isn’t enough—building a culture of security is key. Here are essential practices every nonprofit should adopt: Use strong, unique passwords and consider a password manager for staff Enable MFA on all accounts to add an extra layer of protection Educate your team on phishing, social engineering, and safe online behavior Keep software and systems updated to patch known vulnerabilities Limit access to sensitive data based on roles and responsibilities Back up data regularly using secure, encrypted methods Your Mission Deserves Protection Whether you're a small grassroots organization or a global NGO, your mission depends on trust, continuity, and resilience. Cybersecurity isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. Microsoft’s tools are designed to be scalable, affordable, and accessible, helping nonprofits protect what matters most: their people, their data, and their impact. By investing in cybersecurity today, you’re not just protecting your organization—you’re strengthening your ability to serve tomorrow.What’s New in Outlook – April & May 2025 Updates
For New Outlook for Windows & Outlook Web App Microsoft continues to refine the Outlook experience, delivering thoughtful enhancements that boost organization, productivity, and collaboration. Whether you're using the new Outlook for Windows or the Outlook Web App, these features are designed to help you work smarter—not harder. Here’s a roundup of the new features from April and May 2025 that you’ll want to explore: 📅 Calendar & Event Management Upgrades 🗑️ Auto-Delete Meeting Invites After Responding Tired of calendar clutter? You can now automatically delete meeting invites from your inbox once you’ve responded. How to Enable: Go to Settings (⚙️ icon) Navigate to Calendar > Events and invitations > Invitations from other people Toggle the “Delete invitations from Inbox after responding” option 🔔 Background Calendar Event Notifications Stay on schedule even when Outlook isn’t open. With background event notifications, you’ll receive alerts on your desktop or lock screen, ensuring you never miss a meeting. 📨 Email Management Enhancements 💾 Save Emails as .MSG Files You can now save individual emails as .msg files by right-clicking them in your inbox and selecting Save as > Save as MSG. This is great for archiving or sharing emails while preserving their original formatting. 🤝 Share Emails to Microsoft Teams Email-to-Teams integration just got easier. Share any email—including attachments—directly to a Teams chat or channel without leaving Outlook. Perfect for fast collaboration! 🗂️ Smarter Folder & Category Controls 📁 Reorder Folders with Drag and Drop You’re no longer stuck with alphabetical order. This update lets you drag and drop folders into whatever order makes sense for your workflow. Tip: Organize by priority or frequency of use to boost productivity. 🎨 Add Some Color: Custom Folder Icons Give your folders a fresh look with custom folder icon colors! This update makes it easier to visually organize and differentiate your folders at a glance. Whether you color-code by project, urgency, or department, this update is perfect for visual thinkers. How to Change Folder Color: Right-click a folder Choose “Change folder icon color” Select your preferred color 📌 Pin Your Favorites to the Top Keep your most-used folders within reach by pinning them to the top of the Left Navigation Bar. It’s a small tweak with big impact—your go-to folders are now always just a click away. How to Pin a Folder: Right-click any folder > Select “Pin to top” "None" as a Category – More Control, Cleaner View Sometimes, less is more. You can now assign a "None" color category to emails and calendar events, giving you better control over what stands out—and what doesn’t. This is perfect if: You want to declutter without deleting You use color sparingly for higher impact 🔄 Delegation & Archive Improvements 🧑💼 Category Management for Delegates Delegates can now create and apply new calendar categories on behalf of the person who granted them access. This streamlines meeting organization and avoids back-and-forth on color codes and labels. 🗃️ Group Messages as a Conversation in PST Files You can now view emails saved in .pst files in a conversation-style format. This makes archived content easier to follow and manage. Conclusion From visual customization to smarter calendar tools and seamless collaboration, Outlook’s April and May 2025 updates are full of features designed to help you do more with less effort. Whether you're streamlining your workflow, organizing folders your way, or collaborating more efficiently, these updates are worth exploring.Effortless Scheduling: How to Use Bookings in Outlook for Your Nonprofit
Brooke Lark on Unsplash Yes, Bookings Is in Outlook In our last blog, we were a savvy Financial Consultant named Adele Vance. We created a Personal Booking Page calendar to allow our clients to meet with us without the need of creating continuous meetings in teams. Bookings reduces the laborious tasks so we can get back to what matters, educating the clients. In this blog we will continue where we left off by navigating to Outlook. We will see our newly created meeting type. Additionally, you will also create a Signature and send your first invitation. Sign Into Bookings Navigate to https://outlook.office.com. You can also use Bings App launcher (Grid icon) located in the top left-hand corner. Open the application on your device, enter your "Username" in the designated field, followed by your "Password." Once you have entered your information, click the "Sign In" button to access your account. If you have forgotten your password, use the "Forgot Password" link to reset it. You may be asked to authenticate by using your Microsoft Authentication App. Follow the appropriate prompts to finish signing in. Personal Bookings in Outlook In the left-hand menu, scroll down and click on “More apps.” Select the Microsoft Bookings app. Here, you'll see the meeting categories you've set up. If you created your personal bookings page following the previous blog instructions, you'll find a new category for one-hour meetings. Otherwise, you'll see the default 15-minute and 30-minute meeting options. To pin the app to your menu, right click and select “Pin.” Creating Your Signature Now that we have pinned the Bookings app to outlook. Let us begin setting up an email signature. In the right-hand side of the screen next to “Create meeting type” click the share Button, then select “Email signature settings.” By default, you will see an email signature name “Book time with me.” If you would like to create your own or use the example, click the “New signature” plus sign. Add your contact details then make sure that you click the “Include a link to my booking page in my signature.” Click the “Save” button. Let's continue to the next step and add our new signature in an email. Adding Your Signature to Your Email Adding your newly created signature to your email is simple and ensures that your personal bookings page is always just a click away for your clients. To do this, open a new email in Outlook, then click on the signature dropdown menu in the top ribbon located in the “Insert” tab, then select “Signatures.” From the list of signatures, choose the one you’ve just created, which includes a link to your booking page. This will automatically insert the signature at the bottom of your email. Now, whenever you send an email, your clients will have easy access to schedule a meeting with you through your personal bookings page, making the process of setting up appointments smoother and more convenient for both you and your clients. This is not the only way you can share your Personal bookings page. You can also copy your page or share it in an email. Below is an example of how the email would look like when you share via email. Conclusion Utilizing personalized signatures in your emails is not just a matter of professional appearance; it is a crucial tool for enhancing communication efficiency. By including a direct link to your personal bookings page, you streamline the process of scheduling meetings, thereby reducing the back-and-forth often associated with finding suitable times. This ensures that you and your clients can focus more on meaningful interactions and less on administrative tasks. A well-crafted email signature serves as an indispensable asset, fostering a sense of reliability and accessibility, and ultimately contributing to a smoother, more productive workflow. Located below are some links to take a deeper look into Bookings. Now you can grab that coffee and book your schedule accordingly. Hyperlinks Create a new meeting type in Bookings | Microsoft Learn Preview and share your personal booking page | Microsoft LearnTransform Your Inbox: Mastering Outlook's Powerful Features for Ultimate Productivity
In today's fast-paced digital world, email is an indispensable tool for both personal and professional communication. However, managing an overflowing inbox can often feel overwhelming. Thankfully, Microsoft Outlook offers a suite of powerful features designed to streamline your email experience and boost productivity. From customizable display densities to intelligent sorting with Focused Inbox, and from convenient quick actions to seamless integration with other tools, Outlook provides an array of options to tailor your email management to your unique needs. In this guide, we'll explore these features in detail and show you how to unlock the full potential of Outlook to transform your inbox into an efficient and organized hub of activity. Let's explore these features: Density: The display density in Outlook refers to how much information is visible at a glance within your inbox. It determines the number of messages you can see and how they are displayed in the inbox column. Let’s explore its purpose: Customization and Personalization: 1. Compact View: If you choose a compact density, you’ll see more messages on the screen simultaneously. This is useful when you want to quickly scan through emails without much whitespace. 2. Cozy View: Opting for a cozy density provides a balanced view, allowing you to read messages comfortably without feeling overwhelmed. 3. Roomy View: The roomy density gives each message more space, making it ideal for focusing on individual emails or when you want a spacious layout. Focused Inbox: A new feature that automatically sorts your emails into two tabs: Focused and Other. “Focused” is where you more important emails are housed “Other” is for the less important ones. Interestingly, Outlook uses machine learning to analyze your email habits and prioritize your email messages. It looks at factors such as the content of emails, interaction history, and behavior towards specific contacts. For example, if you frequently flag and pin emails from certain contacts, Outlook will recognize these patterns and place important messages in the Focused tab, while less critical ones are routed to Other. Over time, as your behavior changes, Outlook learns and refines the categorization to better suit your preferences. Snoozed Emails: This feature allows you to temporarily remove an email from your inbox and to have it reappear at a later date or time. When you snooze an email, it disappears from your inbox and is moved to a designated folder or section until its appointed time, then it reappears as a new message in your inbox. This is beneficial: It allows you to prioritize emails based on when you need to address them, rather than letting them clutter your inbox. Also beneficial for email that requires an action but isn’t urgent, which allows you to focus on more pressing matters. Maybe also good to use as a follow-up strategy in cases where you have sent an email to want to follow-up a certain number of days because they have become unresponsive. Quick Actions: Outlook offers quick action buttons directly in the message list, allowing you to easily perform common actions such as reply, forward, delete, and archive without opening the email. You can get to the quick actions by going in the email list and right click an email. Unified Experience: You have the ability to create spreadsheet, storyline post, presentations, and more in outlook. This integration provides a unified experience and consolidation which not only allows you manager various communication channels seamlessly in Outlook, but it also reduces the need of switch back and forth between separate apps and users can access these features without leaving the email environment. Understanding and leveraging Outlook's customization options can significantly enhance your email management and productivity. By choosing the display density that best suits your needs—whether it's compact, cozy, or roomy—you can tailor your inbox to your preferences. The Focused Inbox feature uses machine learning to ensure important emails are front and center, while the snoozed emails feature allows you to manage your priorities effectively. Quick actions make email handling swift and efficient, and the integration of other tools within Outlook provides a seamless and unified experience, eliminating the need to switch between apps. Embrace these features to transform your Outlook experience into a powerful productivity tool.New contact sync scenario available with Outlook for iOS on enrolled devices
In this article, Ross shares how the new data type synchronization options available in iOS 13 and iPadOS for managed Exchange ActiveSync profiles can be used in conjunction with Outlook for iOS to provide an alternative contact synchronization experience.
