Secure cloud storage and file sharing software for NGOs: The Economy for the Common Good with Nextcloud

What secure cloud storage and file sharing software can support hundreds of volunteers and staff working across continents on a mission to build a fairer economy? For the International Federation for the Economy for the Common Good (ECOnGOOD), the answer lay in adopting an opensource, privacy‑first collaboration platform.

Headquartered in Hamburg, the NGO advocates for an economy that places human dignity, ecological sustainability, social justice, democratic participation and transparency at its core. Their praiseworthy goals are carried out by:

• More than 30 part‑time staff
• 13 departments
• Volunteers in over 20 countries
• Ten member associations, from Europe to the Americas

With such a distributed network, the federation needed a secure cloud storage and file sharing software that could replace fragmented tools and third‑party services. Any solution had to respect the organization’s values: openness, self‑governance, privacy and a low carbon footprint.

Building digital sovereignty with secure cloud storage and file sharing software

Before adopting Nextcloud, collaboration was fragmented. Documents were stored on local machines, emails were used to coordinate meetings and privacy concerns surrounded commercial file‑sharing services.

The federation drew up a list of requirements similar to those from other public‑sector deployments:

• Remote access
• Support for multiple devices
• Collaborative editing
• Advanced sharing with group management
• Cost‑effectiveness
• Ability to self‑host

Nextcloud met these needs by offering an opensource platform that can be deployed on the federation’s own servers. The solution provides a central location accessible from anywhere, data‑protection‑compliant storage, the ability to share files across organizational boundaries with group folders and regular security updates . On‑premises hosting means the federation retains full control of its data and can integrate the platform into existing infrastructure.

Since adopting Nextcloud, we collaborate more effectively and are thus better able to direct our efforts toward our goal: driving systemic change for a sustainable economy.

Gabriel Geck

DevOps Engineer at ECOnGOOD

Implementing Nextcloud as secure cloud storage and file sharing software

With support from their hosting partner Hostsharing, the federation rolled out Nextcloud on virtual machines and integrated it with LDAP for user management.

A suite of apps quickly became indispensable:

Nextcloud Files
Enables secure, organization‑wide document storage and sharing. Users appreciate the simplicity of central file management and easy sharing through group folders, even when accessing documents on mobile devices.

Nextcloud Calendar
Helps schedule events across time zones and keep distributed teams aligned, building on the groupware capabilities.

Nextcloud Contacts/Teams
Keeps track of hundreds of volunteers and partners.

Nextcloud Polls app
Replaced the third‑party tool used by the NGO with a secure, in‑house alternative for coordinating decisions.

Nextcloud Talk
Used currently as a pilot, brings real‑time chat and video calls into the same platform, reducing reliance on commercial services.

Over 1000 users were onboarded with minimal training. The intuitive interface meant staff and volunteers could quickly upload, edit and share documents from any location — no more emailing attachments back and forth.

Shared values as foundation for success

Beyond improved productivity, what resonated most with the federation was how closely Nextcloud’s principles mirror its own.

The Economy for the Common Good’s pillars — Human Dignity, Solidarity and Social Justice, Environmental Sustainability, and Transparency and Co‑Determination — echo Nextcloud’s commitment to sustainability, privacy and security, user‑centered design, trust, open source, open standards, decentralisation, community and inclusion.

Those shared values, combined with Nextcloud’s Blauer Engel certification for resource‑efficient software, give the federation confidence that the platform they chose aligns with both their ethical and environmental aspirations.

What changed with secure cloud storage and file sharing software for NGOs: Looking ahead

The International Federation for the Economy for the Common Good plans to extend its use of Nextcloud. A full roll-out of Nextcloud Talk will provide a privacy‑respecting alternative to proprietary conferencing tools, allowing teams to chat and hold video meetings without compromising data sovereignty.

Additionally, the NGO plans to upgrade to Nextcloud Enterprise which will give them access to expert support and long‑term maintenance, ensuring the platform scales alongside their operations.

Nextcloud has proven to be more than just a secure cloud storage and file sharing software. By combining open‑source flexibility, on‑premises deployment and a rich ecosystem of apps, it empowers mission‑driven organizations like ECOnGOOD to collaborate securely and effectively.

Want to enable secure, opensource collaboration for your nonprofit or network‑based organization? Discover how Nextcloud can put control of your data back in your hands!

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