You're managing a non-profit budget. How can you prioritize technology upgrades effectively?

As a CIO, it was my primary duty to know my organization’s internal information needs, in order to meet external outcomes. Tech, computer networking, data, and communications are all elements of “IT,” fulfilling the delivery of that information…and in order to most successfully do that, a CIO must build relationships with people to understand those needs. IT is a people business…

There are many opportunities through a ‘free one year pilot program’ with many technology providers. There are also hundreds of grants out there for start ups and nonprofits looking to upgrade their technology. Look for these first and configure a ‘one step at a time’ upgrade strategy.

I currently work IT projects for a non-profit. There are many programs available to non-profits that greatly reduce the cost of software and hardware components. Tech soup is a great organization to start with! They have many donors lined up that offer great donation fees for hardware and significantly reduced or free software from partners such as Microsoft, Adobe, and many others. All it takes is a little research and you will find many platforms such as tech soup who work with non-profits. When working on technology builds or upgrades, keep the vision and mission of the organization in mind. Build to succeed, overkill can happen very easily. Many organizations cannot keep a full time IT person on payroll or contract the service out.

We need to make a needs assessment critically to identify the needy that can help in the resource mobilization that can help in quality and good service delivery in the communities

Setting priority action is more essential and can help in the distribution of resources. E.g You may identify a need and you just take the services without pondering about it so here. Priority setup helps to know what should start and to whom

And her you must be in the the budget line in what so ever you plan to do at a certain moment and help to provide quality service

Seek out nonprofit technology investments that can pay for themselves. With a little analysis, you can identify and prioritize them. For example, new computers for staff versus sticking with the computers that are held together with duct tape and a prayer. Start by estimating the time wasted while staff twiddle their thumbs waiting for a computer to boot up, reboot, perform a basic function. Even with conservative estimates, we can usually get to a cost of $1,500 per year per employee of wasted time. (To say nothing of the morale impact of shoddy equipment.) Compare that to $750 for a nice new computer, and it becomes easy to make the case that the new computer will enhance staff productivity and pay for itself in just 6 months!

Friday, July 5, 2024 17:06 From: Dr. Richard Francis Viktor Hogan Re: Strategic Plan on Technology Upgrades 🕋 Managing a non-profit budget involves strategic decision-making, especially when it comes to technology upgrades. ✌️ Remember, a strategic approach ensures your technology investments enhance your non-profit’s impact while staying within budget. ✔️ Here are some practical steps to prioritize effectively: — Define Your Digital Transformation Goals: — Find Cost-Effective Solutions: — Virtualize On-Site Equipment: — Assess the Effectiveness of Tech Investments: -30-