One of the many benefits of today’s technology is being able to a central location for the files you need to collaborate on. It’s no longer easy to just share files back and forth, but to have ongoing edits made on the same document without having to worry about which is the master file.
Although I’m a huge Apple fan and I enjoy their products, we do use Google Drive for many of our collaboration needs. It’s simple to use, it’s FREE and you can access the information from anywhere. In addition, as I’ve written before, one of my favorite programs for nonprofits is Google for Nonprofits which gives you free branded Google accounts and that includes Google Drive and their office suite.
I think it’s a pretty great option for collaboration. Here are five ways we use it:
- Kid sign in sheets
- Followup contact information
- Volunteer information – We primarily use Planning Center, but we use this as an ongoing backup
- Storage Sheet – Our church has to setup and teardown every week so this is an ongoing list of what is in which bin and as a checklist for when we need to buy more supplies
- Volunteer Questionnaire – Google Forms is a very underused section of Google Drive. We use it as a way to learn where new volunteers would like to serve, learn more about their gifting and the type of serving they thrive in and enjoy.
Do you use Google Drive or another collaboration option? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!