Small association, big potential: many clubs, NGOs, and nonprofit organisations in Switzerland believe that professional digital tools are simply too expensive for them. Microsoft 365 Business Premium at CHF 22 per user per month — that sounds like a lot when you have 15 volunteer staff.

What many don't know: Microsoft offers nonprofits Microsoft 365 at heavily discounted prices. And in some cases even free. This article explains who qualifies, what the nonprofit plans include, and how a small organisation can still take a major step forward in digitalisation with them.

Who qualifies?

Microsoft works with TechSoup to manage nonprofit plans. In Switzerland, verification for nonprofits runs through TechSoup.ch.

Eligible organisations meet these criteria:

• Recognised nonprofit organisation (in Switzerland: association under Art. 60 ZGB, foundation, or similar legal form)
• Not a government body or state institution
• Not an educational institution (these have separate Microsoft programmes)
• Compliance with Microsoft's nonprofit policies (no political organisations, no religious organisations with a primary proselytising purpose)

Not eligible: political parties, commercial interest associations, government bodies.

What the nonprofit plans include

Microsoft offers three main options for nonprofits:

Microsoft 365 Business Basic — free (up to 300 users)

The free plan is the ideal starting point for many small associations and NGOs:

Included:

• Microsoft Teams (chat, video calls, channels, file sharing)
• Exchange Online (professional email addresses with own domain)
• SharePoint Online (intranet, document management)
• OneDrive for Business (1 TB cloud storage per user)
• Microsoft Forms, Microsoft Lists, Power Automate (with limitations)
• Web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Not included:

• Desktop apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint as installed programmes)
• Power Apps (complex apps need a separate plan)
• Advanced security features

For an organisation that works primarily via browser and tablets and whose staff already have Office privately or elsewhere, the free plan is often sufficient.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium — CHF 5.50/user/month (instead of CHF 22)

Those who need desktop apps and enhanced security features pay around 75% less with the nonprofit discount:

In addition to the Basic plan:

• Desktop apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) on up to 5 devices per user
• Microsoft Defender for Business (endpoint protection)
• Azure Information Protection (document encryption)
• Intune (device management)
• Enhanced Teams features

For an organisation with 15 full-time staff, that's around CHF 990 per year — instead of CHF 3,960.

Microsoft 365 E3 Nonprofit — CHF 9.80/user/month (instead of CHF 38)

For larger associations and NGOs with more complex requirements (more than 300 users, compliance requirements, advanced reporting):

• All Business Premium features
• Unlimited number of users
• eDiscovery and compliance tools
• Enhanced audit logs

What these licences mean in practice for a small association

A concrete example: a nationally active specialist association with 8 secretariat positions (5 part-time), a board of 12, and around 300 member organisations.

Before:

• Email: various private addresses + one info@ address at the web host
• Document storage: network drive at the host, occasionally Dropbox
• Internal communication: email, WhatsApp
• Member newsletter: Mailchimp, data in Excel
• Costs: CHF 2,400/year (hosting, Mailchimp Premium)

After with Microsoft 365 Business Basic (free):

• Professional email addresses for all 8 secretariat positions (@association.ch)
• SharePoint intranet with committee libraries and member area
• Teams for internal collaboration and meetings with the board (guests)
• OneDrive for personal storage
• Power Automate for member reminders and meeting management
• Costs: CHF 0 (for licences) + implementation effort

The board (12 external people) can be invited as guests in Teams — free, without their own Microsoft 365 licence.

How the application works

1. 1Create a TechSoup.ch account: register the organisation and prove nonprofit status (statutes, extract from the commercial or association register, proof of activities)
2. 2Activate the Microsoft nonprofit offer: after TechSoup verification (takes 1–5 business days) the Microsoft nonprofit offer can be activated via the Microsoft Admin Center
3. 3Set up the tenant: connect domain, create user accounts, basic configuration

TechSoup verification typically takes 2–5 business days. The technical setup afterwards — tenant, domain, basic structure — takes half a day to two days depending on complexity.

What to realistically expect

Microsoft 365 is not a silver bullet. Even with affordable access to good software, you still need:

• Someone who structures the introduction: an external partner or an internal person with some technical interest
• A clear structure: chaos in SharePoint is just as bad as chaos on a network drive
• Staff training: new tools are only used if people know why and how

For small associations and NGOs we recommend starting with the free plan, focusing on three to four core functions (email, Teams, basic SharePoint structure, one Power Automate flow), and expanding only once the foundation is solid.

Conclusion

Nonprofit organisations in Switzerland have access to professional digital tools at a fraction of the normal price — sometimes even free. The effort for verification is manageable. The benefit is real: professional communication, structured knowledge management, and automation of routine tasks — even for small teams.

We guide your association through the introduction of Microsoft 365 — free initial consultation