I have been doing a little work with non-profit organizations, and many of them are facing the worst brunt of the bad economical times we are facing as a nation.  One place in particular was wanting an old version of Quickbooks I had on hand.  I was willing to donate it to them but had to clear it with the Quickbooks people (Intuit) so as not to interfere with my license there.

At that time, it was brought to my attention by a technical support person with Intuit that there is a place online called techsoup.org that helps non-profit organizations. What they do is collect donated hardware and software from people willing to donate it. Then, they post it on the website for non-profit organizations to get for free. 

The only charge is a very small administrative fee. This fee is minimal and well worth the price.  For example, the Premier Accounting Edition of Quickbooks was listed at less than 1/8 of the retail price.  The prices seem to fluctuate, but they are always an AWESOME deal!  I have referred churches and even a horse rescue farm to them for the software.

So if you know of a non-profit organization in need of good accounting software at a great discount or even hardware sometimes, tell them to check out the techsoup.org website! The website also has articles, a blog, discussion forums and webinars in addition to the donated software.

On the flip side, if you are looking for a worthy cause to donate to, look no further! What better way to contribute to churches and other non-profit organizations! This is one of the best ways to give the gift that keeps on giving!

And there are so many types of non-profits that can benefit from this website.  They do have to register for it and provide the necessary documentation, but it appears to be a simple process.