Churches, charities, and non-profit organizations must constantly stretch every dollar if they are to be effective. As such, managing assets effectively is one thing every charitable organization is concerned with these days. A cloud-based approach to asset management is preferred for these groups for a number of reasons, and here are just a few of them.
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Allows Remote Access
Those responsible for managing the assets of churches and charities are typically volunteers who may perform a great deal of their work from home. These individuals may also juggle a full-time job and family obligations along with the roles they play in a non-profit. Allowing volunteers to remotely access information makes it easier for these hard-working people to complete their tasks by making data available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This in turn can go a long way toward helping individuals prevent burnout, something that is all too common in many non-profit institutions.
Makes Transitioning Easier
In many churches and non-profit organizations, leaders are elected for a particular term. Once that term is over, there is a transitioning period between the incoming and outgoing leaders. A cloud-based asset management system will simplify the transitioning process, making it easier for the two to communicate about assets, their location, and who might be inclined to use them most. Cloud-based systems are very user friendly, so there will be little time required for a new leader to become familiar with a particular system. Since the amount of formal training time is normally very limited, this is indeed a big advantage.
Provides Protection Against Abuse
Unfortunately, not everyone who joins a non-profit organization has that group’s best interests in mind. Fraud is a major concern, so charitable groups must always be on guard against the theft or misuse of assets. A cloud-based asset management system is the best way to keep track of everything, as it will show leaders where items are at all times. It will also help identify instances in which people may be appropriating things for their own personal use, and can even prevent certain assets from being sold online or in pawn shops.
Keep up with Multiple Locations
Many non-profit organizations must manage assets in multiple locations. A cloud-based asset tracking system is very effective at managing equipment in multiple locations, and is therefore recommended for organizations that operate at more than one site. A cloud-based system can even streamline the process of transferring items between two locations. Those at the head of an organization will have greater visibility of assets, and can therefore make more informed decisions when it comes to redistributing certain assets from one location to another.
Switching to a cloud-based asset tracking system is something any church, charity, or non-profit organization should strongly consider due to its numerous benefits. Ultimately, moving asset management to the cloud will allow any organization to become more effective by streamlining efforts in order to work smarter and not harder.
