Integrating Microsoft Whiteboard: Connecting the Dots with Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and More
Why Integrate Microsoft Whiteboard? Streamlined Collaboration – Access Whiteboard directly within Teams meetings. Centralized Document Storage – Save and share whiteboards in OneDrive or SharePoint. Enhanced Productivity – Reduce the need for switching between apps. Real-Time Teamwork – Enable distributed teams to work together effortlessly. How to Integrate Whiteboard with Microsoft Teams Using Whiteboard in a Teams Meeting: Open a Teams meeting and click on "Share Content." Select "Microsoft Whiteboard." Participants can draw, write, and collaborate in real-time. After the meeting, access the Whiteboard from the meeting chat. 2. Creating a Persistent Whiteboard for Teams Channels: Open your Teams channel. Click on the "+" button to add a new tab. Search for "Whiteboard" and add it to the channel. Team members can access and edit the Whiteboard anytime. Saving and Accessing Whiteboards via OneDrive Whiteboards are automatically saved to the cloud for easy access. To find your saved boards, visit whiteboard.office.com or your OneDrive files. Share links with team members for continued collaboration. Leveraging Whiteboard with SharePoint Embed Whiteboards into SharePoint pages for organization-wide visibility. Use it to document brainstorming sessions, strategic plans, and meeting notes. Use Cases for Nonprofits Grant Planning & Proposal Writing – Teams can collaboratively outline proposals in real-time. Board Meetings & Stakeholder Discussions – Share ideas and take collective notes. Training & Workshops – Interactive training sessions using visual aids. Conclusion By integrating Microsoft Whiteboard with Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint, nonprofits can unlock the full potential of collaborative planning and execution. Whether used for virtual meetings, project management, or brainstorming, these integrations help create a seamless, efficient workflow. Get started today and empower your team with connected, interactive collaboration tools! whiteboard.office.com soon to be whiteboard.cloud.microsoft.comStay Organized and On Track with the Remind App in Microsoft Teams
In today’s fast-paced work environment, staying organized and keeping track of tasks and deadlines can be a challenge. Fortunately, Microsoft Teams offers a solution that can help you stay on top of everything with ease: the Remind app. What is the Remind App? The Remind app in Microsoft Teams is a versatile tool designed to help you set and manage reminders for important tasks, meetings, and deadlines. Whether you need a nudge to complete a project or a reminder for an upcoming meeting, the Remind app has got you covered. Key Features of the Remind App Personal and Group Reminders: You can set reminders for yourself or for other team members in a chat or channel. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and no important task is overlooked. Recurring Reminders: Some tasks require regular attention. With the Remind app, you can set up recurring reminders on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis to stay consistent and organized. Time Zone Support: Working with team members across different time zones? The Remind app allows you to set reminders according to different time zones, making global collaboration seamless. Integration with Outlook: For those who use Outlook, the Remind app offers seamless integration. You can add the Remind tab to Outlook or Microsoft 365 and manage your reminders alongside your emails and calendar events. Easy Setup: Setting reminders is a breeze. Simply mention the bot in a chat or channel or use the scheduling interface to set up your reminders. Why Use the Remind App? Stay Organized: With the Remind app, you can keep track of all your tasks and deadlines in one place. This reduces the chances of missing important deadlines and helps you stay focused on your priorities. Improve Team Collaboration: By setting reminders for your team, you ensure that everyone is aware of upcoming tasks and deadlines. This promotes better communication and collaboration among team members. Increase Productivity: Regular reminders help you stay on track and complete tasks more efficiently. By staying organized, you can increase your productivity and achieve your goals more effectively. Reduce Stress: Knowing that you have a system in place to remind you of important tasks can reduce stress and allow you to focus on your work without constantly worrying about forgetting something. Adapt to Remote Work: In the era of remote work, staying connected and organized is more important than ever. The Remind app helps you manage your tasks and deadlines, regardless of where you are working from. How to Get Started To start using the Remind app in Microsoft Teams, follow these simple steps: 1. Open Microsoft Teams and click on the Apps icon on the left-hand sidebar. 2. Search for "Remind" and click on the app to install it. 3. Once installed, you can start setting reminders by mentioning the bot in a chat or channel by using @remind, or by using the scheduling interface. In conclusion, in a world where staying organized and managing tasks efficiently is crucial, the Remind app in Microsoft Teams stands out as a valuable tool. By offering features like personal and group reminders, recurring reminders, and seamless integration with Outlook, the Remind app ensures that you and your team can stay on track with ease. It not only enhances productivity but also fosters better collaboration and reduces stress, making it an essential addition to your workflow. Whether you're working from the office or remotely, the Remind app helps you maintain a smooth and organized work environment. Give it a try and experience the difference it can make in managing your tasks and deadlines. Happy Organizing!Mastering Approvals: Simplifying Your Team’s Workflow and Request Management
Approvals is a powerful tool designed to streamline your team’s requests and processes, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks. It simplifies workflows such as getting documents signed, approving invoices, or finalizing marketing materials, making collaboration more efficient. Now that we know what Approvals is, let’s take a look at how to access it: How to Access Approvals: 1. Navigate to the application bar on the left side of your Teams app. 2. Click the ellipses (three dots) to reveal additional applications. 3. Select "Approvals" from the list or use the search box to find and select it. Approvals’ Interface: Once you've accessed Approvals, you'll find the interface is simple and intuitive to navigate. At the top left, you’ll see the "Received" tab, where you can view requests from your staff, and the "Sent" tab, which shows the approvals you've sent out for review On the left-hand side, you'll find options for Approvals, Adobe Sign, and DocuSign. If you have an account with either service, you can select the option, sign in with your credentials, or start a free trial. The left-hand tab offers the following options: Approvals – View and manage your current approval requests. Adobe Sign – Adobe Sign for Microsoft Teams allows you to create, send, sign, and manage agreements directly within Teams. DocuSign – The DocuSign integration with Microsoft Teams streamlines approval processes, enabling you to create, manage, and share approvals that require signatures Now that you know how to navigate Approvals, let's go ahead and create our first approval request! How to Create a New Approval Request: 1. Click on "New approval request" located at the top right of the screen. 2. Select your request type: Basic Request – A simple, straightforward request. Adobe Sign – Use Adobe Sign to send and sign documents for eSignature. Note: You must sign in to your existing Adobe account or start a free trial if you don’t have one. DocuSign – Send and sign documents using DocuSign. You’ll need to sign in to your existing DocuSign account or start a free account if you don’t have one. Templates in Approvals – Create and use templates for recurring requests, saving time and tailoring them to fit the needs of your team and organization For demonstration purposes, we’ll be creating a basic request. 3. Give your request a clear and descriptive name for easy identification. 4. Enter the names of the approver(s) and select them. If sending to multiple approvers, you can toggle on "Require responses in the assigned order." This ensures that while you can add multiple recipients at each level, only one response is needed for the request to proceed. 5. Choose the priority 6. Add additional details if needed 7. Add an attachment to the file you want approved. 8. You can create custom response options for the approvers, such as "Yes" or "No," by enabling the "Custom response" toggle. Additionally, you have the option to send the request to an environment other than the default one. 9. Click Send. Additionally, you can create an internal approval request directly through a chat or channel by following the steps below: 1. Navigate to Chat or Channel in Teams. 2. Select the chat or channel you’d like to send an approval request in. 3. At the bottom of the conversation bar, click the “+” sign to search for and add approvals. 4. From there you will have the options to create your request accordingly. Receiving Approvals: Once you receive an approval in your "Received" tab, you’ll be able to view the following details for each request: Priority – An exclamation mark indicates high priority, while medium priority requests have no symbol. Request Title – The name of the request. Status – Shows the current status: Requested, Approved, Canceled, or Rejected. Source – The origin of the request. Created – The date and time the request was created. Sent By – The person who sent the request. Sent To – The recipient of the request. You’ll also find the same information for approvals you’ve sent in the "Sent" tab. How to Approve Requests Sent to You: To approve or reject a request sent to you, follow these steps: 1. Select the request you wish to approve (or reject) by clicking on it. 2. The approval request details will appear. 3. Add any comments (optional). 4. Select Approve or Reject or choose More Actions if you need to Cancel the request. 5. Once you have submitted your response, you should see that its status has changed to approved under your “Received” tab. With Approvals, streamlining your team’s requests and processes has never been easier. Now that you know how to access, create, and manage approvals, you're all set to enhance collaboration and ensure nothing slips through the cracks. Ready to take control of your workflows? Let’s start using Approvals today and make the approval process more efficient than ever! For additional tips and resources, be sure to follow our Nonprofit Community | Microsoft Community Hub for blogs, updates, and expert advice on maximizing your nonprofit toolsHow to Switch Between Multiple Organizations in Microsoft Teams
Introduction: If you collaborate with multiple companies, clients, or nonprofits, you’ve likely been invited to more than one Microsoft Teams organization (aka “tenant”). While Teams is a powerful tool for collaboration, switching between orgs isn’t always intuitive—and can slow you down if you’re not set up properly. In this blog, I’ll walk you through how to manage and switch between multiple organizations in Microsoft Teams smoothly—on both desktop and mobile. What Is an "Organization" in Teams? Each Microsoft 365 account is tied to a single organization (or tenant). When you're added to another org’s Teams environment, you're technically a guest there. Teams allows you to toggle between these orgs, but the interface isn’t always user-friendly, and you can easily miss notifications or messages if you're not careful. How to Switch Organizations on Teams Desktop App Open Microsoft Teams (desktop or web). In the top-right corner, click on your profile picture. Under your name, you’ll see a list of all the organizations you’re a member of. Click the name of the org you want to switch to. Teams will reload in that environment. Note: Each time you switch, Teams refreshes—so it can take a few seconds. switched organization shown below Switching Orgs on the Teams Mobile App Tap your profile picture in the top-left corner. Under your name, tap the dropdown arrow to view other organizations. Select the org you want to access. Note: On mobile, switching is usually faster than on desktop, and it’s a good backup when you cannot access your computer. Other Tips for Managing Multiple Orgs ✅ Use the Web App in Parallel Open teams.microsoft.com in a browser for one org while using the desktop app for another. This is especially helpful if you're constantly jumping back and forth. 🔔 Don't Miss Notifications Teams doesn’t show notifications from orgs you’re not actively in. Use the Activity Feed in each org to catch up when you switch. On mobile, you can enable notifications for all orgs (Settings > Notifications > Accounts). 💼 Keep Track of Which Org You're In Customize your Teams theme for each org to help visually differentiate them. Add org initials or emojis in team names (if you’re an admin) to make switching less confusing. 🧹 Leave Orgs You No Longer Use If you’re no longer collaborating with a tenant, go to myaccount.microsoft.com/organizations and remove your access. 🧠 Bonus: Using Multiple Desktops or Profiles If you’re more advanced, consider: Creating browser profiles (Chrome/Edge) for each org. Running Teams in multiple desktop user accounts or Microsoft Edge side-by-side mode. Wrapping Up Switching orgs in Teams is a necessary evil for consultants, volunteers, and cross-org collaborators. With the right habits—like using browser tabs, enabling notifications, and customizing views—you can stay productive without missing a beat.📢New in Microsoft Teams: Introducing Storyline – A Fresh Way to Share Updates & Stay Connected
Microsoft Teams has just rolled out a new feature that blends professional updates with a social media twist—meet Storyline. With hybrid work here to stay, staying visible and connected across distributed teams is more important than ever. That’s where Storyline comes in—a space within Teams where you can share posts, articles, and updates just like you would on LinkedIn or Yammer, but directly inside your organization. Here’s what you need to know. What is Storyline in Microsoft Teams? Storyline is a personal feed designed to help users: Share professional updates and experiences Follow leaders and coworkers for insights and news Create content that others in the organization can engage with Unlike chats or Teams channels, Storyline is tied to individuals, giving you a dedicated space to share your work wins, reflections, lessons learned, or even shout-outs to teammates. 🛠️Key Features Follow Updates in Activity You can follow coworkers and leaders in your org, and their Storyline posts will appear in your Activity feed—just like posts on a social platform. Post Articles and Updates Have something to share? Storyline lets you create posts (similar to blog updates or short articles) that reach your audience and followers across the company. Your Storyline = Your Self Chat Your Storyline content is viewable in your chat with self—a neat way to reflect on your personal journey or manage your posts in one place. 💡Why It Matters Storyline brings a new layer of internal visibility to Teams. Whether you’re: A manager sharing leadership updates A teammate highlighting project progress A new hire reflecting on onboarding Storyline helps you build a digital presence and stay connected with your org beyond meetings and team channels. Getting Started Once enabled by your IT admin, you’ll see a prompt like the one above in your Teams app. Just click “Got it” to activate and begin sharing. 🔒Admin Tip: Managing Storyline for Your Org Admins can control Storyline availability in the Microsoft Teams Admin Center. If you're not seeing the option, check with your IT team—it may need to be enabled. Manage and set up storyline in Viva Engage Manage Viva Engage experiences in Microsoft Teams Final Thoughts Storyline brings a lightweight, human-centered way to share knowledge, updates, and personal growth moments across the organization. Think of it as your internal LinkedIn wall—right inside Teams. Try it out, follow a few teammates, and make your first post. Your future self (and your coworkers) will thank you.
