Thanks to corporate social responsibility programmes, many NGOs receive free licences for tools used in leading companies. For example, if you volunteer for Think Africa, you can gain hands-on experience with the paid versions of the following software:
Canva Pro, which offers 1TB of storage, an expanded toolkit like background remover and saving in different formats, as well as access to premium templates and AI editing tools.
Google Workspace, which lets you create a custom email address (e.g., yourname@thinkafrica.fi), allows managing Google Drive folders for teams with expanded storage space for easier collaboration, and offers video call hosting for large groups.
Slack, which provides unlimited message history, hundreds of app integrations (e.g., Google Drive or Zoom), an unlimited number of channels for better project management, and 24/7 support.
Zoom, which offers cloud recording of calls, scheduling, the opportunity to create breakout rooms during group calls for individual conversations, and access to hosting between 100 and 1,000 participants in one call.
Monday.com, which allows multiple users to access the system, lets you assign ownership and track progress across teams, offers more data storage space, and enables sending emails to CRM addresses directly from Monday.com, among many other features.
Microsoft 365 (Teams, Outlook, etc.), which gives access to the desktop versions of its apps, offers 1TB or more of cloud storage space, and full access to Teams for professional use, as an example.
In summary, depending on your volunteer assignment, other relevant software might be introduced while you are volunteering. For example, we are currently considering getting an NGO licence for Power BI, as suggested by our Social Media Analytics volunteer.
By the time you move from an NGO like Think Africa to a private company, you will already be familiar with the tools many teams in Finland use daily.
P.S. Shoutout to Moniheli’s DigiUp programme for making this possible for us at Think Africa! 👏
