In an era where charities are pressured to do more with less, choosing the right technology is a strategic obligation. Tools like Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the Microsoft Power Platform can help charities streamline operations, deepen supporter engagement, and make informed decisions using data and automation.
Whether you’re managing donors, coordinating volunteers, or tracking outcomes, these platforms offer scalable, low-code and AI-enabled ways to tackle difficult challenges, freeing up time to focus on mission-critical work.
In this blog, we’ll explain what these tools are, how they work, and why they matter for charities. We’ll explore vital components like Power Apps and Power BI, explain how Dynamics 365 brings CRM and operational capabilities together, and highlight how combining these platforms can unlock significant impact for social good.
What is Microsoft Power Platform and How Does It Work?
At its core, Microsoft Power Platform is a suite of low-code tools that lets nonprofit organisations:
- build custom solutions
- analyse data
- automate repetitive tasks and processes
- create engaging user experiences
All without heavy software development. It’s designed to help people with varying technical skills solve real business challenges by connecting data from across systems.
Power Platform works by giving users access to components like apps, dashboards, workflows, websites and AI-assisted tools that can tap into multiple data sources. It also integrates smoothly with Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Azure and hundreds of third-party connectors.
Microsoft Power Platform Licensing and Price
Power Platform pricing varies depending on the products and scale you choose. For example, Power Apps has a free developer plan, and premium plans start around £15.40 per user per month, with options for larger organisations. Other components like Power Automate, Power BI and Power Pages have their own pricing tiers, and Microsoft provides licensing guides to help you choose what fits your charity’s needs.
The Three Types of Power Apps
Model-Driven Apps
Model-driven apps focus on your data model, the structure of the information you’re working with, to automatically generate user interfaces and forms. These work best for complicated processes like case management or supporter records.
Microsoft Dataverse
Not technically an app, Dataverse is the underlying data platform for Power Platform and Dynamics 365. It stores and structures your data securely, enabling apps, automations and reports to work off a single, reliable source of truth.
Portal Apps
Portal apps let you build external-facing websites that interact with your Dataverse data. These are perfect for things like volunteer signup pages, donation forms, or supporter self-service portals.
What Are Microsoft Power Platform Tools?
Here’s a snapshot of the core tools within the platform:
- Power BI, turn data into interactive reports and dashboards so you can understand trends, outcomes and performance immediately.
- Power Apps, build custom applications tailored to your charity’s specific workflows without deep coding.
- Power Pages, create secure, external-facing websites connected to your data.
- Microsoft Copilot Studio add generative AI features to apps, workflows and interfaces to boost productivity and automation. Check out our blog Copilot Studio vs Copilot for Microsoft 365 to understand the different capabilities and applications.
Each tool connects with the others and with your data, making it easier to automate complex processes or visualise information for better decisions.
What is Microsoft Dynamics 365, and What Can Your Charity Actually Achieve With It?
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a suite of AI-powered business applications that link CRM (customer relationship management) and ERP (enterprise resource planning) functionality into a cohesive platform. It’s built to help organisations manage everything from fundraising and service delivery to operations and finance.
For charities, this means centralising supporter data, automating engagement, tracking fundraising outcomes and gaining real-time insights, all while lowering manual effort and improving accuracy.
Features of Microsoft Dynamics include:
- constituent management
- campaign and event tracking
- donor insights
- reporting dashboards
- workflow automation
What is the Difference Between Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform?
While the two are closely integrated, they serve different purposes:
- Dynamics 365 offers ready-made business applications that manage processes like CRM and operations.
- Power Platform provides the building blocks, apps, data and automation, for customising and extending those processes or creating new ones from scratch.
In simple terms, Dynamics 365 gives you the core engines for supporter engagement and operations, while Power Platform lets you adapt and expand how you use your data and workflows.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform: A Comparison
Here’s a comprehensive comparison table of Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform and these two tools work together.
Area | Dynamics 365 | Power Platform |
What it is | A suite of pre-built enterprise applications (CRM, fundraising, finance, service management). | A low-code/no-code toolkit for building custom apps, automations, dashboards, and chatbots. |
Primary purpose | Manage core charity operations at scale. | Enable customisation, innovation, and automation around existing systems. |
Typical charity use cases | – Donor & supporter CRM- Fundraising & grants management- Case management for beneficiaries- Finance & reporting- Volunteer management | – Custom volunteer apps- Automated gift aid workflows- Dashboards for trustees- Internal tools for teams- Chatbots for FAQs & support |
Speed to value | Faster if needs align with standard charity processes. | Faster for bespoke needs or gaps not covered by off-the-shelf tools. |
Flexibility | Structured and robust, but less flexible without development. | Highly flexible and adaptable with minimal technical skills. |
Technical skill required | Usually requires implementation partners or IT support. | Designed for non-technical staff (citizen developers). |
Cost model | Per-user or per-module licensing; higher total cost. | Lower entry cost; pay for usage, apps, or flows as needed. |
Best for charities that… | – Have complex operations- Need strong data governance- Are scaling nationally or internationally | – Need agility and experimentation- Have limited budgets- Want teams to self-serve solutions |
Integration with Microsoft 365 | Deep integration with Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Excel, SharePoint. | Native integration across Microsoft 365 and Dynamics. |
Reporting & insights | Built-in analytics for fundraising, cases, and finance. | Custom dashboards via Power BI tailored to impact reporting. |
Long-term role | Acts as the system of record. | Acts as the system of innovation and optimisation. |
Many charities don’t choose one or the other: they combine both:
- Dynamics 365 manages donors, beneficiaries, cases, and finances
- Power Platform fills gaps with:
- Custom apps for volunteers or field workers
- Automated processes (e.g. donor thank-you journeys, grant reminders)
- Impact dashboards for trustees and funders
Think of Dynamics 365 as the backbone, and Power Platform as the muscle and nervous system.
Together, they help charities unify data, boost efficiency and focus more time on impact rather than admin.
Benefits and Use Cases of Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform for Charities
Charities benefit from using these tools in many ways:
- Better donor relationship management: Track interactions, segment supporters, and personalise outreach.
- Automation of routine work: Use Power Automate to reduce manual data entry and repetitive processes.
- Data-driven decisions, Power BI dashboards highlight trends and impact metrics, helping shape strategy.
- Integrated communication: Dynamics integrates with tools like Outlook and Teams to streamline collaboration.
- Custom solutions: Build workflows or portals tailored to your charity’s needs without needing developers.
- Dynamics and AI Integration: Both Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform offer AI capabilities, for example, Microsoft Copilot capabilities help generate insights, suggest actions, automate routine tasks, and assist with data-driven decisions. AI in these platforms depicts Microsoft’s Azure and responsible AI frameworks to ensure security and compliance.
Real-world charity user cases include volunteer scheduling, event outreach, supporter segmentation, and personalised engagement.
Final Thoughts
Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform together offer charities a scalable, efficient and innovative way to modernise their operations. From building custom supporter portals to automating workflows and analysing impact, these tools can transform charities’ business operations and deepen their mission impact. By unifying data and processes, charities can focus on what matters most, enabling social good.
Ready to transform your charity with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform?
Connect with a trusted IT partner today to maximise your social impact by integrating these powerful tools in your charity operations
Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform for Charities FAQ
What is the difference between Power Platform and SharePoint?
Power Platform focuses on building apps and automations; SharePoint is primarily for document management.
What can you build with Power Platform?
You can build custom apps, workflows, analytics dashboards and external portals tailored to your charity.
Is Power Platform a CRM?
Not by itself, but it can support CRM-like functionality when combined with Dataverse and Dynamics 365.
Is Microsoft Power Platform part of Office 365?
Power Platform tools can integrate with Office 365 but are licensed separately.
Is Microsoft Dynamics the same as Office 365?
No, Dynamics 365 is focused on CRM/ERP, while Office 365 is a broader suite of productivity apps.
Is Microsoft Dynamics being discontinued?
No, it continues to be developed and updated as Microsoft’s flagship business application platform.
