In Use:
I had the chance to interview Mark Arnoldy, Head of Customer Success at Asana. Arnoldy brought a unique perspective to the interview – as he was formerly an Asana user prior to heading up the Customer Success team at Asana. As CEO of Possible, a global healthcare nonprofit – he began using Asana in 2011. Through the tool Arnoldy was able to connect members of his organization, submit grants more efficiently, and track projects throughout the organization. In a blog post on Asana’s website he wrote, “Over time, it became the single source of truth for everything we did, from writing grants to running meetings to tracking patient care.” He believes it is the best decision he ever made as CEO.
Asana is similar to a project management platform, but Arnoldy refers to it as “work management” tool because you are able to do much more than just manage projects. “We service through coordination,” he explains. He goes on to say that Asana lets companies create clarity, a timeline, and actionable results through their solutions such as building roadmaps, messaging team members, onboarding new staff, track campaigns, and streamline processes.
Asana can be pricier than their competition but along with offering a free basic package for up to 15 users – they also offer nonprofits 50% off Premium and Business plans making it more comparable to other management platforms. They also have a dedicated customer service team that helps nonprofits get started with the tool. For smaller nonprofits or charities wishing to try out the tool – Asana’s basic plan comes with unlimited projects, messaging, tasks and file storage along with 100+ free integrations like Adobe Creative Cloud, Tableau, Google, and Microsoft.
Technology Used:
Asana can be deployed on the cloud. It is also compatible with both Mac and Windows; iPhones an Androids. As stated before, Asana integrates with over 100+ solutions making projects and universal reporting easy and efficient.
Ease of Use:
Asana is easy to use once you get used to the software. When users log in they are brought to a dashboard that lets them track on-going projects, message colleagues, and manage tasks. Asana offer help in the form of webinars, documentation and videos. They also provide nonprofits with a dedicated customer service team to help them navigate the platform.
Arnoldy told me that while working at Possible, Asana enabled his organization to advance their mission but it also contributed to a better inclusive culture and environment – especially because he had staff all across the world. “So many nonprofits have been disappointed and let down by trying to adopt a new software that is cumbersome” so he was pleasantly surprised when Asana was able to deliver.
Recap:
A work management tool, Asana helps nonprofits streamline projects all in one place. The easy-to-use dashboard allows users to track projects in real time, message their co-workers and report on key metrics. Along with being able to manage projects Asana comes with universal templates which allows nonprofits to save time offering companies the ability to be agile even if they are juggling multiple grants and projects at once.
Advantages:
- 50% discount for nonprofit organizations who purchase the Premium or Business plan
- A dedicated customer service team for Nonprofits
- Easy-to-use interface
- 100+ integration
- Ability to streamline projects
Disadvantages:
- Pricier than their competition
- Reporting tool is lackluster
My Opinion:
The many positive reviews on Asana speaks for itself. The company has a lot of happy customers who love the ability to streamline their projects and communicate with their colleagues in a user-friendly platform. I also appreciate the 50% discount for nonprofits. While it may cost a bit more than Asana’s counterparts it doesn’t seem like users mind paying the extra money since the tool itself is robust – offering tools and services other platforms don’t.
A few customers noted that the reporting capability is lacking. The only negative instance I could find within the tool was its reporting capability. My only suggestion to Asana would be to work with their customers to create a robust reporting tool that meets their needs.
