When Should I Hire a Fractional CIO?

For nonprofit organizations, taking advantage of fractional executive services is a great way to add leadership to your team while staying under budget. What is a fractional executive? They are a third-party professional who is hired  to take on a leadership position on a part-time or contractual basis. Hiring one allows you to overcome hurdles related to project bottlenecks, overworked employees, outdated technologies, and more.

One such professional you can hire is a CIO (CIO meaning chief information officer). What is a fractional CIO?  It is someone who works on the leadership team on a part-time basis, monitoring and managing your organization’s technology. Among the fractional CIO responsibilities are:

• Creating a roadmap for your tech strategies
• Negotiating with IT suppliers
• Managing the IT budget

In this blog, we will explain when to consider paying for fractional CIO services and what to look for in candidates so that you can make the right decisions for your organization.

When to Hire a Fractional Chief Information Officer

Working for a nonprofit organization, you might decide to hire a fractional CIO if:

• You have limited time or resources. Nonprofits have limited budgets to work with. Luckily, a fractional CIO salary is much lower than a full-time CIO’s salary, allowing you to hire a leader for a fraction of the cost. That doesn’t mean that these CIOs have less experience or expertise than a full-time CIO. It just means that these professionals make their money by working for more than one business or organization. Hiring a fractional CIO also has the perk of coming from a third-party provider. That means instead of spending valuable time searching for and interviewing candidates, you can skip those steps and still end up with a quality leader.
• You don’t have much IT expertise on your team. 74% of organizations have been impacted by the cybersecurity skills shortage. 47% of those organizations said they “don’t have the time or personnel to fully learn or utilize some security technologies to their full potential.” That means they are at higher risk of a cyberattack. You may consider hiring a fractional CIO to strengthen your cybersecurity if you are among these organizations.
• Your organization is growing. While it might be possible to have someone with little IT experience be in charge of IT strategy (if you don’t have anyone else to do it), it gets harder as your organization changes or grows. You will need to find someone to be in charge of running IT operations since your technology will need to adapt with your organization’s changes. Hiring a fractional CIO will give you the expertise you need for that expansion, as they can take your goals and create a tech roadmap to help you reach them.
• You have questions about what technology is out there. Without a background in IT, navigating the ever-changing world of technology can be difficult. How do you know what would work best for your organization? How can you get what you need and stay within budget? A fractional CIO can present available options to the rest of the leadership team so that a group consensus can be made.

Whatever the case, a fractional CIO can bring a lot of value to your nonprofit. If you’re ready to add that extra value to your team, there are certain characteristics you should look for when choosing the right one.

What Should I Look for When Hiring a CIO Fractionally?

There are three main qualities you should look for when hiring a fractional CIO: 

1. Experience
2. The ability to work well with your team
3. A willingness to learn

More specifically, a fractional CIO should have a relevant degree, whether it’s in computer science, informatics, or some other business-related field. The degree isn’t enough, though. That person should also have experience working with businesses and organizations of different sizes and industries so their knowledge is more well-rounded. Having proven success as a CIO in the past is a must when hiring a fractional CIO, too. Computers in Ministry offers tech experts who provide fractional CIO services. We have been in the tech industry for over 25 years, so we know what it takes for a nonprofit’s tech strategy to work.

The other important characteristic to look for when hiring a fractional CIO is the ability to be a team player. A fractional CIO does not work with your organization full-time. That means they must be aware of and work towards your organization’s goals instead of creating a plan completely their own. They should work with other leaders to do what’s best for the organization overall. At Computers in Ministry, we take pride in partnering with you. When we aren’t onsite, we are always available to help. We want to see your organization succeed as much as you do, and our professionals on the fractional CIO services team will continue to update strategies as your goals change.

Lastly, a fractional CIO should be willing to learn. The technology industry is constantly evolving, so the fractional CIO you hire should read articles and attend conferences to keep up with this evolution. Where can you find experts who do that? You guessed it: Computers in Ministry.

Find Fractional Executive Services at Computers in Ministry

Whether you need a fractional CIO or some other fractional executive service related to IT, Computers in Ministry has you covered. We believe technology should serve nonprofit organizations, and we work with you to ensure that happens. When you use our services, you can expect a partnership where your goals are kept in mind, where we work as an extension of your team, and where you find success in your technology strategy.

Ready to find out how best we can serve you? Contact us today.