Nonprofit, Healthcare, and Education Technology FAQs

• Understand change management best practices. Change management is the process of supporting the staff through a technological change. This process focuses on both the human and technical aspects of digital transformation, ensuring the team allocates resources appropriately and staff members feel prepared to use the new tools.
• Unify the organization. Launching new tools can feel overwhelming and disruptive for staff. However, by helping everyone understand why you’re implementing the change from the outset, you can win buy-in and ensure staff will use the tools.

• Assess digital readiness. During this phase, you’ll evaluate your nonprofit’s capacity to implement and use your new tools by conducting a digital skills audit, investing in training, and creating spaces for long-term tech enrichment.

• Integrate marketing and outreach. Software changes can also impact external stakeholders. Transparently and proactively communicate about the process and how it might impact various stakeholder experiences (e.g., donating or signing up for volunteer shifts). 

• Incorporate automation tools. Incorporating software doesn’t have to be overly challenging or time-consuming if you use the right tools. Use automation for repetitive, mundane tasks, such as processing donations, so your team has the bandwidth to handle more intensive work.

FAQs for nonprofit technology enhancement

How do we choose the best platform for our needs?

There’s no single best solution for nonprofits. Here’s how you can choose from many of the great systems on the market:

• Assess your specific needs and goals: Clearly define the challenges you are trying to solve and what you hope to achieve with the new software.
• Determine your budget: Software costs can vary widely. Establish a realistic budget that includes implementation, licensing/subscription fees, and ongoing support.
• Evaluate essential features: Make a list of ‘must-have’ features (e.g., CRM capabilities, integration with existing systems like accounting software, reporting tools) and ‘nice-to-have’ features.
• Consider scalability: Choose a solution that can grow with your organization’s future needs, whether that means handling more donors, more programs, or new staff members.
• Prioritize ease of use and user adoption: The best software is useless if your staff won’t use it. Look for an intuitive interface and consider the vendor’s training and support.
• Inquire about nonprofit-specific functionality: Some systems are tailored for nonprofits, offering features like grant tracking, volunteer management, or donation processing that align with the sector’s unique requirements.
• Research vendor reputation and support: Read reviews from other nonprofits, ask about the vendor’s commitment to product updates, and evaluate the quality and availability of their technical support.

Finally, ensure you test the solution for yourself with a demo. Include staff members who will actually be using the system to come to an informed decision.

What’s the most efficient way to implement new nonprofit technology?

Internal teams often lack the capacity to guide adoption while juggling daily responsibilities. Furthermore, misalignment, limited technological understanding, and confusion can derail progress when change impacts multiple departments. That’s where working with an experienced professional comes in handy.

A nonprofit technology consultant guides nonprofits through the process of launching robust infrastructure to get them up and running with better insights faster. Let’s review what nonprofit tech consultants might handle in a typical engagement.

What do nonprofit technology consultants typically do?

While every consultant has a different approach and specialty, here are some common services found across the industry:

• Software implementation, optimization, customization, and stabilization
• Long-term technology strategy
• AI and automation implementation
• Data management 
• Embedded managed IT services
• Change management

Heller Consulting stands apart as the top consultant that offers all of these services tailored to a mission-driven audience. We’ll review other reasons why we stand out later.