Mashables recent post on the surge in the mobile applications market puts into perspective just how quickly the mobile applications market is exploding:

According to the study, created by Chetan Sharma Consulting, mobile app downloads should jump from 7 billion in 2009 to almost 50 billion in 2012. By this time, the market will be worth 17.5 billion dollars, the study predicts, despite the expected lower price of mobile apps, which should drop from the current average of 2 dollars per app to 1.5 dollars in 2012.

Nonprofit organizations have a lot to gain from being able to operate better in a more mobile environment where they have access to their critical information on the move too. Beth’s Blog by Beth Kanter featured a post on the launch Zoetica’s iPhone application. Understanding the need for those in the nonprofit space to have access to their favorite nonprofit and social change blogs, their iPhone app compiles feeds from these publications which can be read on the move from your iPhone.   On the subject of how nonprofits are quickly tapping into the potential iPhone user base and embracing the iPhone trend Beth says:

I’m seeing more and more nonprofits add iPhone apps (or other mobile apps) to their marketing mix.  For example, just take a look at the explosion of mobile apps for museums.  and especially since the dramatic success of the Red Cross Haiti text fundraising.   But text fundraising is a whole different type of project than delivering content which might make a good “toe in the water with mobile” low-cost experiment.

Software and technology are enabling nonprofits to use mobile technology in important areas such as donor management and fundraising like never before and the iPhone seems to be the mobile channel of choice.  The iPhone interface in the DonorTools software is that enabler when it comes to being able to manage donors, donation or fundraising operations on the move. Off too a meeting with an important donor and don’t know much about them? Need to share reports on the fundraising progress with someone? It’s all good as long as the iPhone is within reach. …and that’s the wonder of this device and how versatile it can be! If the marketing and sales guys of the enterprise world are married to their iPhones and their Blackberry’s looking so inseparable… ..is it so hard to believe we fundraisers and nonprofit guys can find a best friend in an iPhone?

When it comes to nonprofit organizations and hosted or web based software the partnership just can’t get better. They are just an ideal match! By moving administrative functions and collaboration activity online, nonprofits can really harness the power of volunteers in a way a centralized office environment can not match. Just about any function that’s critical to the working of a nonprofit can be managed online. With social networking tools like Ning and others volunteers can have discussions, share ideas, plan, communicate, collaborate and more. Online document and file sharing ensures that paperwork and administration can be shared and done by volunteers as long as they have access to the web. Specific functions like accounting and donations management has been made simpler using hosted solutions like Paypal and our very own Donor Tools. The possibilities are endless. Whether working with volunteers or full time employees working remotely, managing different administrative functions and running day to day operations becomes a breeze with the right web software tools.

While there are pro’s and cons to both centralized and distributed workforces based on volunteers and there are good arguments that can be made for both, we’ll save that for another time. For now, for those who choose not to be bound by working with excel sheets on the office computer there some really great alternatives to desktop software. Web based alternatives that can not just match what you can do on a desktop  but do it blindfolded with both hands tied behind it’s back, make it look as easy as pie ….and let’s you work from wherever you choose to. Now how can you beat that?