Why Nonprofits Will Love the Microsoft Updates App

Picture this: Your nonprofit is launching a new community outreach program. There are multiple moving parts—grant approvals, partnerships, volunteer coordination, and event planning. Instead of sending scattered messages or manually updating spreadsheets, you can use the Microsoft Updates App to track progress, update stakeholders, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Here’s how it helps:

✔ Clear visibility on project progress – Easily see what’s been completed and what’s still in progress.

✔ Keep everyone aligned – Share updates with staff, volunteers, or board members without cluttering inboxes.

✔ Reduce repetitive check-ins – Instead of constantly asking for status updates, team members can submit the latest updates in Teams anytime.

Getting Started: Setting Up the Microsoft Updates App

It’s super easy to get started! Here’s how:

1. ️Load the App – Open Microsoft Teams, click the ellipses in the left-hand menu and search for "Updates". You can also right-click and pin the app to your Teams menu for easy access. 
   
   

    

2. Give an Update – Select Quick Update to send an update to your team or specific person.
   
   
    
3. Collect Updates – Collect updates from your team by selecting the Collect Updates or Explore all templates. Here you will find templates for Weekly updates, daily well-being, project progress or even by category: Software Development, Finance, etc. 
   
   

    

4. Customize – Inside each template you will be able to customize the questions and configure settings such as who submits the form, who can view the submissions, who can manage the request, set due dates and recurrences etc. Once you make your changes you can then publish the request. Assigned submitters will get a notification of the request, or you can post the link in a chat or channel.
   
   

    

5. Review – Lastly, at the bottom of your homepage you will be able to review the update submissions (received and submitted) as well as manage requests.
   
   

Final Thoughts: A Simple Way to Stay Organized

Nonprofits juggle a lot of moving pieces and keeping everyone informed doesn’t have to be complicated. The Microsoft Updates App in Teams provides an easy way to track progress, share updates, and keep your initiatives moving forward—all in one place.

Try it today and take the stress out of project updates!