How Do Nonprofits Use Technology?

What do nonprofits need most? 

We bet a million things come to your mind when someone asks you this question. More volunteers, more staff, more funding, and better technology are some of the most common answers we receive. Technology services for nonprofits are an essential component of success and significantly improve multiple operational aspects of your organization. With the correct plan in place, the right technology allows you and your team to focus on what you do best, serving your communities.

But how do you implement that technology to ensure that it actually benefits your organization instead of creating more headaches and costing you more money? Don’t worry, that’s where Computers In Ministry (CIM) comes in. 

In this blog, we’ll discuss nonprofit technology trends, how to create a technology plan for nonprofits, and explain how you can access discounts to certain tech platforms. 

How Can Technology Help Nonprofits?

In truth, it would be impossible to list all of the ways the right technology benefits nonprofits. With that in mind, we’ve chosen our top 3 to help give you an idea of how you can make technology work with your nonprofit organization. 

1. Improve Your Efficiency: Manually updating and managing various processes is time-consuming and often inefficient. Using a platform to automate menial and labor-intensive tasks – like recording volunteer hours – can greatly improve your organization’s efficiency. Automation allows your team to focus on mission-driven tasks like organizing fundraising events, offering one-on-one service, and getting directly involved in the community.

2. Help Increase Donations: Using software to track donations makes it easier for you to accurately manage your budget, and interact with potential and current donors. In addition, having an easy electronic method for collecting donations saves time and prevents board members from having to attend too many donation meetings. Electronic donation methods are convenient and time-efficient for everyone involved.

3. Increase Your Outreach Capabilities: Updating your website and email campaigns and using data analytics tools to track your progress can greatly improve your community outreach. Your website is a good place to start when it comes to connecting with as many people as possible and sharing the impact of your work. Optimizing your website and email or newsletter campaigns is essential to recruiting new volunteers, engaging donors, and spreading your message. And with the right data analytics tools, you can gain accurate insights into how well your outreach efforts are performing and identify what kinds of content drive traffic to your cause.

What Software Should Nonprofits Use?

The process of implementing new technology into your workflow really depends on the specific needs of your organization and what your goals are. However, there are a few software platforms that are considered to be critical when it comes to optimizing your tech strategy. We’re listing a few of our essential tech platforms below to help you get a feel for the direction you want to take. 

• Accounting Software: Every nonprofit needs accounting software to effectively manage their budget. QuickBooks is an essential tool for all of your accounting needs. We’ve covered QuickBooks and how it functions in a nonprofit environment extensively in a few other articles. Check out our Which QuickBooks is Best For a Nonprofit? Blog for more details .

• Fundraising Software: It’s extremely difficult for a nonprofit to survive without fool-proof fundraising tactics, and the right software can help push you toward success. Auctria acts as a fundraising and auctioning tool and was specifically designed for nonprofits and small businesses. Auctria allows you to manage donors, track ticketing sales, and organize donations and purchases. 

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software: Having a single database with all of your volunteer, donor, and sponsorship data is essential to keeping all of that complex information organized and manageable. Bloomerang is a fully functional CRM database designed specifically for nonprofits. This CRM allows you to manage your entire constituent ecosystem, including donors, volunteers, sponsors, and grantees. Bloomerang also gives you the ability to create and customize electronic donation forms and send out custom email/newsletter campaigns to engage your community. 

Affordable Access to Software for Nonprofits

We know all of this sounds great, but what about affordability? Any nonprofit’s tech budget tends to be tight, but thankfully there are organizations dedicated to making this less of a concern. For example, TechSoup is a nonprofit tech charity that has made it their mission to give nonprofits access to donations and discounts on software, hardware, and services from major brands.

Who is Eligible for Techsoup?

By now you’re probably asking, “How do I get a TechSoup account?” If so you’re in luck! We have the info right here. 

TechSoup Eligibility Requirements:

• Quantity: Organizations may request one product each fiscal year. 
• Budget: Your annual operating budget must be less than $10 million.
• Nonprofit Type: You must be registered as a 501(c)(3) or a public library with a 501(c)(3) status or a listing in the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) database.

These are just the main points of TechSoup’s eligibility process, but you can view more details on the TechSoup website. 

How Do You Write a Technology Plan?

Creating your technology plan is a fairly complex process. But don’t worry, that’s why we’re here to help. As your technology service partner,  Computers in Ministry (CIM) can get you set up with the tech you need so you can focus on running your organization and making the world a better place. CIM provides the following services for nonprofits: 

• Organizational and consulting 
• Security and risk management
• General technology services including, customer relations management (CRM) assistance, cloud integration, application management, and more
• User support services

We’ve  also created a checklist below to help you get thinking about your technology strategy and identify exactly what you want to get out of your technology platforms and a technology consulting partner. 

Nonprofit Technology Strategy Checklist 

• Evaluate your current tech toolkit. What technology do you want to keep?
• Determine your goals. What do you want to achieve with your new technology?
• Evaluate your budget. How much can you afford to spend? 
• Prioritize your immediate needs. What is your most critical technology need?
• Identify a timeline. When do you need this tech up and running? 

Can Technology Transform the Nonprofit Sector?

At Computers in Ministry, we believe that the right technology can truly transform any nonprofit organization. We are dedicated to solving all technology challenges for nonprofits because we believe the work you do is essential to creating stable and thriving communities.  We are experts in nonprofit technology needs, and we are dedicated to supporting the work you do on a daily basis. Our mission is to help you make the most of your technology investment and foster a loyal partnership that enables your organization to thrive. Partner with us to transform your technology today.