Technology is changing the world in subtle and dramatic ways around us. As consumer behavior is changing, companies are taking initiatives to use latest technology for selling their services and products. It is the same for Non profits.
To gain exposure for their causes IT for Nonprofits is a must. It is vital to communicate effectively and swiftly with the general public and supporters for the non profits. Nonprofits are tapping in technology through entrepreneurial ways so they can stay on top of the latest tools, applications and innovations.
Following are some suggestions which nonprofit organizations can consider to reach their goals.
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Plan short term and long term technological goals
Planning is important, and strategic planning consultants can help in prioritizing goal of the organization. Planning for short term and long term can be helpful to scrutinize the use of technology which is ever changing.
For example, mobile will be an essential part for non profits to communicate and engage with supporters. A mobile friendly approach is attractive for the donors. Thus, they can engage more easily with the non profits.
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Data analytics
IT support for nonprofits is extremely necessary because data is a valuable asset for the organization. There is so much of interaction data, web and social communication which have to be collected and analyzed. It is important for nonprofits to use the data in understanding that what kind of communication channel is fruitful for fundraising.
It will help the nonprofits to facilitate the events efficiently and fundraise better as they can know how individuals will respond to distinct channels of communication and what the supporters capability to give is. It can be integrated well in software which will make nonprofits more prosperous. Moreover, data and files have to be backed up where IT support is of utmost importance. Non profits need backup for accounting files, solicitation letters, grant applications and other related programs for which IT support is crucial.
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New hardware:
Investing on new hardware like, buying new computers is a good deal if the organization can afford. Though corporations and foundations can donate the equipment, but it doesn’t come with a warranty and therefore technical staff support is necessary to save time and money when it comes to investing in technology. Computers can stop functioning after a certain span of time so technical planning has to be in place and one must plan ahead.
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Moving to cloud
For Non profit organizations cloud is advantageous as it offers a secure, manageable, cheap and less burdensome environment as there will be less need to maintain the applications or data in house because cloud will make the data more accessible and cost effective. A high quality service can be achieved via cloud. With cloud multitude of services are accessible which are beneficial for non profits and vast amount of data or information can be shared from any place, anytime.
Some other technology best practices that should be adopted by Non profits:
Nonprofits must invest in telecommunication equipments phones, and voicemail or fax machines.
They must invest in computer hardware or software which is important to reach the mission of nonprofit. With investment in technology, enough resources are required to train the employees or volunteers and objectives must be established for IT system growth and purchasing of technology in future.
Ongoing technological developments need to be monitored as well because these can impact the mission of nonprofits and information system. Therefore, strategic IT consulting is recommended to have information systems in place and with that a proper recovery plan must be made to deal with unexpected events or disasters.