I'm very excited to introduce a new Microsoft-funded project we're working on here at TechSoup, called "App It Up." Apps can be very helpful tools: they can help engage and inform constituents, tell your organization's story, and improve your internal workflows. However, many nonprofits and libraries aren't using apps, for various reasons. The App It Up project is here to help, by identifying - and even creating - apps specifically for nonprofits and libraries.

What Is an App?

First, a quick definition. We're thinking of apps in a pretty specific way for this project. An "app" is a small piece of software that performs a discrete function, with limited or targeted functionality. Apps can be used online (a web app), on a mobile device (a mobile app), or as an add-on to existing software tools (widgets, plug-ins, templates, and so on).

We're not really looking at full-fledged applications, like a Microsoft Office Suite, or software as a service, like Salesforce. Instead, we're looking at small apps that do a little bit of something interesting. For example, an app that maps your community's local endangered species habitats or your organization's facility locations, or a handy add-on for your constituent relationship management system (CRM) or content management system (CMS). For libraries, maybe an app that lets patrons manage their accounts or a web browser plug-in that shows whether a book they're searching for online is available at their local library.

Apps can be created as stand-alone tools (like the mobile apps most of us think of when we think of apps), by the original software developers, or by third parties (as plug-ins or add-ons). Some nonprofits and libraries are even creating their own apps. More on that in a later post.

What TechSoup Is Doing

Right now we're in the discovery stage of the project: finding out what nonprofits and libraries currently use apps for, what they might want apps to do, and whether there are existing apps that meet those needs. We've already reached out to nonprofits and libraries via surveys and discussions, and we've gotten a lot of interesting feedback.

What's Happening Next

Our next step is to translate the survey and outreach results into requirements:

• What do nonprofits and libraries need from an app?
• How can TechSoup and Microsoft help meet that need?
• Are there apps out there that nonprofits and libraries could benefit from, but don't already know about?
• Can new apps be created, or can existing apps be ported over to other platforms?

In the next few months we'll also be hosting an app developer event to give developers the chance to create new, useful nonprofit- and library-relevant apps. We're very excited about this - we love a good hackathon. We'll also be sharing the existing apps we find in an upcoming "Cool App Roundup" series here on the blog.

Stay tuned! There's good stuff coming.

What You Can Do

Meanwhile, if you haven't already shared your thoughts with us, please weigh in here in the comments. Are there any go-to apps you find especially helpful? Is there anything cool or creative or interesting your organization is doing app-wise?

Or, is there anything you'd really like to be doing with an app, but don't have the tools to do right now? What would you want an app to do? How could apps help fulfill your organization's mission?

We'd love to hear from you!