Can we collect grant funding or programme applications through the portal?

Yes. A tailored online form gathers consistent details and documents from every applicant and feeds them into Dynamics 365 or Power Apps, ready for your team to assess and progress. This brings structure to application handling and removes manual processing.

Community Portals That Keep People Coming Back

Q: How does a portal increase community engagement?

It gives people reasons to log in beyond a single transaction. Discussion, messaging, and opportunities keep your community active between the moments you bring them together, and because every interaction connects to Dynamics 365, you learn what people value, so you can shape what you offer next.

Give your members, volunteers and other supporters an online hub they’ll return to. We build community portals that integrate with Dynamics 365, bringing networking, sign-ups and shared resources together and connecting people to the records your team works with.

Discuss Your Portal

One portal for connection and self-service

We work with organisations to launch community portals that draw people in and keep them involved. These data-driven websites also handle routine administrative tasks, including sign-ups, applications, and account updates, reducing the load on teams.

Our portals are built on the Microsoft platform, so when a volunteer registers or a member updates their details, CRM records stay current without. For a small team, that quickly frees up hours of processing time, so you can focus on the work that serves your mission.

What you gain

More Participation



Encourages more community members to take part, online and at your events.

Time Back



Ensure data protection while delivering a tailored approach to enhance engagement.

Better Understanding



See what your community values most to shape your programmes.

Stronger Retention



Keep people involved for longer and rely less on constant recruitment.

See a working portal before you commit

The example community portal below runs on sample data. These portals allow people to apply for grants, make donations, access support and resources and contribute to the community.

We can build a similar personalised prototype that lets you preview your portal before you commit. We take your processes, your terminology and scenarios, then present a working example you can test.

Interactive Example

Launch Community Portal

Why choose The Portal Company

★We specialise in creating tailored portals using connected Microsoft technology.
★Proven expertise in building websites that integrate with key systems and data sources.
★ We reduce risk by demonstrating a portal prototype before you commit.
★ Senior developers with 15+ years of Dynamics 365 and portal experience.
★ No offshore teams - we offer UK-based consultants and developers.

Functions we build into community portals

Every community runs differently, so we will configure a portal to how yours works. Built by our developers and supported by experienced consultants, these capabilities can include:

Discussion & Networking

Forums and groups give members a place to ask questions and connect with like-minded people.
Volunteer Registration

People can browse opportunities before completing your screening and onboarding steps.
Knowledge Base

A searchable library of guides, documents and FAQs so members can find their own answers, any time of day.
Event Registration

Booking a place takes a few clicks, and every registration lands straight in Dynamics 365.
Online Voting & Polls

Run formal ballots or gather quick opinions on community matters, with every response captured securely.
Application Intake

Structured forms for funding programmes collect the same detail from every applicant, ready for your team to assess.
Payment Processing

Collect payment for bookings and membership fees securely online through trusted payment gateways.
Service Requests

Allows members to log issues and track progress, cutting down on calls and emails.

Customer Success Story

Police Now develops police officers through graduate programmes. We built a portal that connects current cohorts with alumni across more than 30 forces, featuring private secondment listings and strict protection of sensitive cohort data.

“Our participants are based across the UK, so having one place for key documents and websites for them to access is necessary. We advertise our events and encourage the participants to communicate with not just the current cohort on the portal but our alumni as well, so they have a wide variety of views. The Portal Company has given us a great resource.”

Laura Nelson, Graduate Futures Officer, Police Now

Read The Case Study

We are trusted by...

Our Microsoft portals expertise

We use Microsoft technology to create secure, data-powered websites that modernise processes and delight end users. Our portals are built using products that include:

Power Pages

Customising adaptable templates to specific portal requirements while ensuring functionality and design finesse.

Azure Blazor Apps

Offering vast customisation options for sophisticated portals, ensuring scalability, security, and comprehensive integration.

Power Automate

Increasing scale and efficiency by triggering automated actions in response to portal interactions.

Dynamics 365

Seamlessly integrating business processes between portals and Dynamics CRM, including cases, leads, contracts, and more.

Power Apps

Connecting processes managed in other business apps with your portal, such as subscriptions, events, and registrations.

Power BI

Enhancing self-service portals with dynamic, interactive data visualisations that offer insightful analytics.

Website Integrations

We use Microsoft cloud technology to connect portals with CRM, ERP, and other systems and third-party services to integrate data, automate processes, and simplify operations. These examples include:

More About Our Integrations

Community Portals FAQs

What is a community web portal?

A secure website where the people connected to your organisation interact with each other as well as with you.

For a charity or non-profit, that means members, volunteers, participants, alumni, and supporters coming together online to hold discussions, share resources and sign up to help.

How is a community portal different from a membership portal?

A membership portal centres on the relationship between a member and your organisation: joining, renewing, paying, and accessing member benefits.

We build community portals that focus on the relationships between people: discussion, networking, peer support, and shared participation in your cause. Many organisations need both, so we can build the two capabilities to work together within a single hub.

What are the best practices for integrating CRM systems with community portals?

We utilise Microsoft Power Pages and Azure as our primary portal technology solutions, enabling in-built integration between Dynamics 365 CRM and Power Apps with community portals. This structure ensures a unified data ecosystem through Microsoft Dataverse, featuring real-time data updates, connected processes, and personalised experiences, with all interactions connected.

Can the portal handle volunteer sign-up and onboarding?

Yes. People register and complete their own onboarding online, including the checks each role needs. Their records are in Dynamics 365, so your team can see who is involved and where they are without chasing paperwork.

How does a portal increase community engagement?

Microsoft’s robust encryption and advanced security protocols fortify our web portals. Stringent security measures protect every transaction and data exchange, ensuring your information remains secure and confidential.

Download a white paper to learn how Microsoft Power Pages offer enterprise-grade security and capabilities to protect websites.

How do you keep our community's data secure?

Our portals run on Microsoft’s cloud, which protects enterprise and government workloads, with data encrypted in transit and at rest. What decides real-world security is configuration: who can register, what each role sees, and how access is granted. We work through those choices with you during scoping, so the right boundaries are set before launch.

Discuss your portal

Tell us what you want your community portal to achieve, whether that’s connecting people, mobilising your volunteers, or taking time-consuming work off your team. Contact us for an initial conversation, and we’ll follow up with a working prototype.

Community Portals That Keep People Coming Back

One portal for connection and self-service