"To help nonprofits more easily harness the power of technology to do more good."

That's the goal of Microsoft's Technology for Good program, and starting today, they are donating Office 365 to nonprofits worldwide regardless of the organization's size. The offer is available in 41 countries today, and will be rolled out to 49 more by July 2014.

Beyond the widely used programs of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Office 365 also offers email, shared calendaring, instant messaging, video conferencing, screen sharing and more.

Nonprofits and non-governmental organizations must be recognized as charitable organizations in their respective countries in order to be eligible for Microsoft Nonprofit Programs. Eligible organizations must also operate on a not-for-profit basis and have a mission to benefit the local community. Once eligibility is confirmed, staff may begin using the software.

Among those ineligible to receive the package are the following types of groups: governmental, schools, labor and political organizations, and one time fundraising events.

"I am hugely impressed with Office 365. Within days we were seeing real benefits," said Peter Davitt, chief executive officer of Fastrack to IT, an Irish nonprofit that provides technology training and career development opportunities for the unemployed. "We have offices in Dublin, Cork and Belfast, and we can meet and collaborate very effectively using SharePoint within Office 365. We can upload files that everyone can share and work on during these meetings, regardless of their location."

Learn more at Technology for Good