Oh, how we love to hate technology. It can be so frustrating when it breaks, but there’s no doubt that access to technology has meant our work can reach more people, faster.
Technology doesn’t guarantee mission success, but it can push us in the right direction. If we use technology in a smart way, we can do more with less. We can involve more people in our work. We can communicate more effectively. We can even save some money.
In this article, we’re going to share our top 3 tips for using technology to help your mission.
Tip #1: Figure out what problems technology can help you solve (and how it can make your life easier at work). But don’t overthink it.
Office technology can change fast. Take a little bit of time to read about new developments and try to understand if and how they can make life easier at your organization.
There are a plethora of tools available to nonprofits to help you with donor management, volunteer management, accounting, and communications. These are often complicated all-in-one solutions. Many are great, but they can be a high mountain to climb.
We’ve worked with many organizations that have been “mid-transition” to new software tools for years! It’s important to stay focused on the why behind using a tool, so you can choose tools that meet your needs quickly.
If you are just starting out with a digital transformation, consider using simple, quick-to-deploy tools to start. Here are a few “generic” tools that are not necessarily built as all-encompassing nonprofit management systems, but do a really good job. If you want to digitize a portion of your operations now, one of these tools might be your best choice.
- Donor management and communications – Mailchimp, Constant Contact
- Social media management – Hubspot
- Payment solutions – Plooto
- Accounting – Quickbooks and Xero
- Internal collaboration – Office 365 Business Premium (charity pricing). This will include your email, OneDrive/SharePoint for you to collaborate on documents, basic spam and antivirus, and Microsoft Office for your devices.
Most important of all, don’t feel pressured to choose large, complicated systems just because others in your space are using them. Often, the implementation of simple tools to start will get the most usage, and a system that is in use now is far more valuable than a system you are working to set up!
And when you are ready to tackle that big, all-in-one, software system that will “do it all” – write down what’s working well, and what’s not working well, with the systems you are using now. Once you map out the why in a change, use it to guide you through setting up your next system. And if you are shopping for software, never buy based on a feature that’s promised in the future, as they often take far longer than expected to materialize.
Tip #2: Help your staff and volunteers learn new technology by using multiple different methods.
As time has gone on, technology has become more and more critical to running all types of organizations. Nonprofits must think about websites and online presence, email, computers and phones for staff and volunteers, work software, and resources for Boards of Directors.
It’s a good idea to involve your team in reviewing technology and deciding which changes to embrace. Once you’ve decided which technological changes will benefit your organization, it’s time to pay close attention to getting “buy-in” from other leaders and your whole team.
Change can be scary. Not every team member will want to use new technology, and if they are not included in the process, some will find ways around it. The important thing is to work with everyone individually to demonstrate to them specifically how the new technology will help them in their work.
It’s equally as important to help people learn new technology, using multiple different methods, for people who learn differently. These different methods can include online demos, in-person demos, webinars, Q&As, how-to videos, and open office hours to address individual questions.
Finally, understand that any change in technology is going to, temporarily, make most jobs take longer. Ensure that there is space and time for everyone to adjust to new systems, whether through a reduced workload or by bringing in extra assistance from consultants. Low user adoption is a common challenge when implementing new technology. The number one reason is that staff have deadlines now, so they just use the old systems to “get it done.”
Tip #3: Save money by using better internet speeds and connections to your advantage.
While we all have frustrations with internet providers, generally speaking, faster internet and better connections are becoming available.
Lots of software is available to access purely online, meaning you no longer need large, expensive, physical servers in your office. You probably pay a monthly subscription fee for services “in the cloud.” This means that your data lives elsewhere, usually on servers in a large data centre.
This evolution can save your organization money because you are paying monthly instead of multiple thousands in capital costs every few years.
There are two services in particular that may be able to save you money. One is a VOIP phone system (which stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol). Phone calls come through the internet rather than physical phone lines, and you can receive calls to either a desk phone or an app on your mobile phone.
VOIP systems include plenty of useful modern features, especially for organizations whose staff or volunteers work remotely, either occasionally or full-time. Monthly costs are much less than traditional phone systems.
The other service that could save you money is virtual desktops. This type of service – which allows people to access their work files and software from any device – removes the hassle and cost of maintaining in-house servers and buying new equipment. It also includes data security and provides flexibility for those organizations that operate on a remote or hybrid workplace model. Virtual desktops are great for fluctuating staff levels, and for organizations that want to allow their staff to work from their own devices, but want to maintain some security.
With a trustworthy IT partner to help you assess which technology will work best for you, almost every organization can use technology to advance its mission.
Colin Pearce is an office technology and operations expert from Hamilton, Ontario. In 2017 he launched his IT support company Inderly, a boutique firm local to Hamilton and Toronto, serving clients across Ontario. Colin enjoys figuring out how to make technology work best for each unique situation.
