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Changes to Microsoft Access and Affiliate Emails

Microsoft is phasing out the licences previously available to P&C Associations. While the official end date on these licences associated with P&C Affiliate emails is 13 October 2023, the P&C Federation NSW has negotiated a 30-day grace period for your P&C Association to be able to access your Microsoft account, available until 12 November 2023.

We will be offering free support every step of the way to help your P&C Association navigate this change.

For more information, read on. You can also view the original email sent to @pandcaffiliate.org.au email addresses here.

Previously, the P&C Federation had offered free Microsoft accounts to P&C Associations. These Microsoft licences were attached to email addresses ending in @pandcaffiliate.org.au

Background

Microsoft has discontinued its free “E2” licence for Not for Profits, which we had been using to provide and centrally administer free Microsoft accounts to P&C Associations.
As a result, all P&C Affiliate accounts will be closed. The timing of this withdrawal is regrettable, but it is a decision made by Microsoft and is beyond our control.
Even at discounted Not for Profit rates, the cost of the replacement “E3” paid Microsoft licence does not represent good value for our members.
Fortunately there are alternative options with better features that are available for free to your P&C Association, although the Federation will not be able to administer these accounts.

Below you will find FAQs, a form to access direct P&C Federation support, and step guides to walk you through the process of setting up a new Microsoft or Google workspace account for your P&C Association.

If you have any questions or require support, we encourage you to contact us on mail@pandc.org.au or 1300 885 982.

Accessing Support from the P&C Federation

The P&C Federation is here to support you with every aspect of this change, from choosing and embedding a new digital workspace and place to locate your emails and files, through to solutions to challenges unique to your P&C Association.

We will support you with the backup and transfer of your data (files and emails), forwarding of @affiliateemail.org.au email addresses, and any questions you have. To help us to provide this support, please fill out the form below:

Access Support and Confirm your Details

Please complete this form to help us in supporting you.

The P&C Federation cannot provide backups of files or email forwarding without completion of this form. If you require assistance please call us on 1300 885 982.

Changes to Microsoft Access and Affiliate Emails
FAQs

Microsoft has stopped offering the free “E2” licence for Not for Profits, which we previously used to distribute free accounts to P&C Associations. All centrally managed Enterprise accounts are now only available for paying customers.

No. If you have organised your own Microsoft account or have never used a Microsoft account, this change will not affect you.

No. Microsoft has confirmed that all P&C Affiliate accounts will be closed.

Your P&C Affiliate account will be closed on 13 October 2023, although this will be extended by up to a 30-day grace period by Microsoft. We recommend you create a new account and transfer all data across before 12 November 2023. You are welcome to use Microsoft, Google, or any other provider you would prefer. The P&C Federation has published detailed step plans to set up accounts with Microsoft and Google and transfer your data across.

The P&C Federation recommends you sign up for Microsoft 365 Professional, which will give you 10 free user accounts with all of the access you currently have plus access to the desktop versions of the key Office apps. We have published a detailed step plan to guide you through the sign-up process and transfer of data.

The P&C Federation recommends you sign up for Google for Not For Profits, which will provide you free access to the Google Workplace apps. We have published a detailed step plan to guide you through the sign-up process and transfer of data.

The P&C Federation is a Not for Profit corporation, and membership fees only cover about 35% of our operating costs. Even at reduced Not For Profit pricing, the cost of paid Microsoft licensing does not represent good value for money for our Members when there are free alternatives (including from Microsoft) with better features.

Unfortunately not. We did discuss this with Microsoft and it is not possible, for both privacy and practical reasons relating to their infrastructure.

The P&C Federation was only alerted to the change as we approached our annual renewal date. We have taken immediate action to minimise the disruption to your services.

We have negotiated a 30 day grace period, allowing us additional time to support you through the transition. If you have any concerns during any part of the process, we encourage you to contact us.

No. This is a day-to-day operational decision with no financial impact for your P&C Association, and a change that your Executive is enabled to make by your Constitution.

The P&C Federation will backup your data to ensure you are not left without your files and emails, however we understand that you may want to do this yourself for peace of mind and immediate access.

In the coming days the P&C Federation will release a step plan tailored to your usage to support you through the transition of data from one account to another. In the meantime, a generic plan to export your Outlook to .pst can be found from Microsoft here

Please follow our plans below to begin the registration process with either Microsoft or Google, to ensure you have a new location to store data when we are ready to begin the transition process.

No. We have negotiated a 30 day grace period on top of the cut-off date (13 October) which will allow you to access your data until 12 November 2023. After this date, you will no longer be able to access anything from your P&C-affiliate Microsoft Account.
The P&C Federation is taking steps to backup your data as an additional precaution. Please ensure you complete the form above (also found here), which will allow us to offer you support.

The P&C Federation will implement a process to forward all email to your old address to a new address you nominate. To nominate an email address please complete this form.

We have negotiated a 30 day grace period on top of the cut-off date (13 October) which will allow you to access your data until 12 November 2023. After this date, you will no longer be able to access anything from your P&C-affiliate Microsoft Account.

We encourage you to begin saving your data to an accessible location, to be transferred to your new Microsoft or Google NFP account (depending on your preference).

The P&C Federation is taking steps to backup your data as an additional precaution. Please ensure you complete the form above (also found here), which will allow us to offer you support.

P&C office bearers will be able to login using their personal email address to access the member portal, however you will need to provide us with your details to facilitate this. Please complete the form here to support us in creating an account for you.

Alternatively, you can create an account in our member portal if you do not have an account in the system.

The P&C Federation will not provide any change in the level of support we offer you depending on the provider you choose. This is a matter of your personal preference with regards to the workspaces that Google and Microsoft provide.

The process of data retention and transfer is no easier or harder whether you choose Microsoft or Google, and the level of support the Federation will provide is no different depending the option you choose.

If you’d like to talk about your specific needs and preferences we’d be happy to discuss the options with you in greater detail. You can reach us on 1300 885 982.

Your P&C Association is a Not for Profit, and eligible for both the free Microsoft and Google workspace offerings.

The documents you will need to gather include:

a) Your Charity Details as registered with the ACNC; or, if you are not registered with the ACNC
b) your Income Tax Status Review Worksheet; and
c) Your Constitution, highlighting your Dissolution Clause. Note: We have provided a copy of the Prescribed Constitution which you can use here. Please ensure that you complete the ‘School name’ highlighted in red before submitting your application.

To see an example Income Tax Status Review Worksheet filled out from the perspective of a P&C Association, click here.

To learn more about Income Tax Status and your P&C, see our factsheet here.

The good news is you can continue to use your @pandcaffiliate.org.au email address as the username for third party logins, for example, logging into Zoom. In future, if you forget your password or that third party needs to send you an email, these will be captured in any email-forwarding we set up for you. Please complete the form here so that we can forward emails to a new address.

We recommend changing your primary email address for third parties in future, so that you aren’t tied to the @pandcaffiliate email address. This is not time-sensitive, and the process will vary depending on the organisation you’re registered with. We can offer advice and support tailored to you, please reach out to us on 1300 885 982.

The P&C Federation is backing up your files for you to make sure you do not lose your information once Microsoft withdraws access.

We’re doing everything in our power to make sure P&C Associations aren’t left with a big ‘to do’ list as a result of this change. If something is within our power – we will do it for you!

If you would like to backup your files locally for peace of mind (in addition to the Federation doing this for you), the process will depend on factors unique to your usage. Let us help you by arranging a call with one of our member support team. You can reach us on 1300 885 982 or mail@pandc.org.au

Step by Step Plan to Access Microsoft or Google Workspaces

Apply for Microsoft Business Premium – Free for Not-For-Profits

We’re doing everything in our power to make sure P&C Associations aren’t left with a big ‘to do’ list as a result of this change. If something is within our power – we will do it for you!

Below we have a plan for P&C Associations to register for the free Microsoft offer for NFPs. The good news is that this plan has significantly more features than the licence you previously had, better security, and is owned by your P&C Association (not centrally managed by the P&C Federation)!

Not only is this a great opportunity for your P&C in terms of their digital use going forward, but we the Federation are offering wrap-around support to help you get this set up.

Please contact us if you’d like to talk through your P&C’s needs, the setup process, or any other aspect of the change on 1300 885 982 or mail@pandc.org.au

1. Visit Microsoft’s Not-for-Profit Website and click on “Register Now”.

2. Fill out your personal information. Ensure that you provide an email address that is not your @pandcaffiliate.org.au email. Following this, Microsoft will send you an email your nominated email address with a confirmation code.

3. Fill out your P&C Association’s details, including its ABN. If you don’t have your ABN on hand, you can search for your ABN here.

4. Option A: If your P&C Association is registered with the ACNC

Search for your P&C Association on the ACNC website here.
Once you have located your P&C Association, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the “Print Charity Details” link, saving that PDF to your desktop or a convenient location.

Option B: If you are not registered with the ACNC
Complete and attach an Income tax status review worksheet for self-assessing non-profit organisations. This form is available at this link 

To see an example Income Tax Status Review Worksheet for filled out from a  P&C Association, click here.

To learn more about Income Tax Status and your P&C, see our factsheet here.

i. Click “Upload Document” and upload the document from either Option A
or Option B above, then click “Continue”

ii. Provide a working mobile phone number, which Microsoft will verify with an SMS or phone call.

iii. Create a username @onmicrosoft.com as prompted, in the name of your P&C Association.

iv. Submit Application

Confirmation and Approval

Wait for the approval from Microsoft, which can take up to 7 days.

If you are following ‘Option B: If you are not registered with the ACNC’ you will be required to provide additional information. You will receive an email from ‘TechSoup Support’ (also known as ConnectingUp) which partners with Microsoft to assess eligibility for Not-For-Profit Microsoft licencing.
TechSoup is unable to view documents sent through the Microsoft Nonprofit portal, and as such, will require you to send your Income tax status review worksheet directly via email. You will also need to provide a copy of your Constitution highlighting your not-for-profit and dissolution clauses. We have provided an example using the prescribed constitution here.
Please ensure you complete the ‘enter school name’ field, highlighted in red, on page one.

TechSoup’s validation process may take up to 10 business days. A response will be communicated to you via email.

Setting Up Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Once approved by Microsoft, log back into the Microsoft Not-for-Profit website at the link contained in the email they have sent to you to purchase and activate Microsoft 365 Business Premium licenses through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

Assign Licenses to Users

Go to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, click on “Active Users”, and then assign the newly acquired licenses to your office bearers

Apply for Google Workspace – Free for Not-for-Profits

We’re doing everything in our power to make sure P&C Associations aren’t left with a big ‘to do’ list as a result of this change. If something is within our power – we will do it for you!

Below we have a plan for P&C Associations to register for the free Google Workspace offer for NFPs. The good news is that this plan has significantly more features than the licence you previously had, better security, and is owned by your P&C Association (not centrally managed by the P&C Federation)!

Not only is this a great opportunity for your P&C in terms of their digital use going forward, but we the Federation are offering wrap-around support to help you get this set up.

Please contact us if you’d like to talk through your P&C’s needs, the setup process, or any other aspect of the change on 1300 885 982 or mail@pandc.org.au

1. Visit Google’s Not-for-Profit Website and click on “Get Started” – located in the top right of the page.

2. You will be asked to sign in to a Google account, or create a new account. We strongly recommend that you do not use your own personal Google email address. Instead, create a new account for your P&C Association – for example, examplepandc@gmail.com.
Complete your email registration by entering information relating to your P&C Association.

3. Continue the Google NFP registration process. Fill out your P&C Association’s details, including its ABN. If you don’t have your ABN on hand, you can search for your ABN here.

4. Option A: If your P&C Association is registered with the ACNC

Search for your P&C Association on the ACNC website here.
Once you have located your P&C Association, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the “Print Charity Details” link, saving that PDF to your desktop or a convenient location.

Option B: If you are not registered with the ACNC
Complete and attach an Income tax status review worksheet for self-assessing non-profit organisations. This form is available at this link 

To see an example Income Tax Status Review Worksheet for filled out from a  P&C Association, click here.

To learn more about Income Tax Status and your P&C, see our factsheet here.

You will also need to provide a copy of your Constitution highlighting your not-for-profit and dissolution clauses. We have provided an example using the prescribed constitution here.

Upload your documentation and submit.

5. Wait For Verification. Your application will be considered by Google’s partner, TechSoup (ConnectingUp), and your eligibility for Google NFP Workspace will be determined. This may take between 2-14 business days.

6. You will be notified of approval, or of a request for more information, via email. Please continue to monitor your new P&C Gmail account for updates.
Once approved, you can follow the prompts to access Google for Workspace products, or to assign additional users. Google has a wealth of FAQs and video tutorials available here.

If there is anything we can do to support you, please reach out to us.

1300 885 982

mail@pandc.org.au