Even though you are working alone, it’s important that you take time to talk to people. WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger certainly have their place, but they also have their limits. With daily users hitting 200 million, ZOOM is now one of the most popular tools at your disposal. Accessible across multiple devices, its video conferencing technology is perfect for virtual meetings and webinars. Instant messaging and a shareable whiteboard makes for a fun game of Pictionary (I mean, ideas session) and you can even use background panels to hide the messy room behind you! The downside is that you’re limited to 40 minutes unless you want to pay (although we’ve heard rumours of this lifting in lockdown). For that reason, we also want to give a ‘shout-out’ to the lesser-known tool, Whereby. It’s easy to set-up your own virtual workspace and you can use the same link for every meeting - all you need to do is share it! Unlike ZOOM you can chat for as long as you like, but only if your group is smaller than four (if you want to include more people or use some of the flashier features you’ll have to subscribe).
If you’re working on team projects, Trello is a great resource - a kind of online noticeboard with cards for different tasks and workstreams. It’s easy to manage your workflow, delegate actions and track team progress, but if you’re managing group messages it might be better to look at Slack. Rivaling Microsoft Teams, Slacks lets you take a group conversations online and organise them by channel. You can split your project into different workstreams and set up a chat for each. Here you can instant message, share files, search and send notifications. Integrated with Google Drive, it’s a perfect for organising projects, keeping people focused and working up individual/group pieces.
Now, we couldn’t do a piece on remote working without a little bit of self-promotion. As a cloud-based CRM, Access Charity CRM is perfect for remote life. And because it’s online, it’s easy to access the data and tools you need from any device. A great way to boost small team productivity.
Prone to a bit of procrastinating? We love that Focusmate can connect you with real-life ‘accountability partners’ for 50 minute working slots. Set your time, your goal and work quietly together – there’s nothing quite like the power of human accountability to get something done. And if you need a change of scene, why not head over to one of Fundraising Everywhere’s social rooms to find and chat with some fellow fundraisers. There’s no harm in taking a break!
So there you have it. Some of our favourite tools to help keep your home office up and running. We hope you find them helpful, and wish you all the best in your virtual world.