Why Should I Hire a Fractional CIO?

If you want executive-level experience that fits your budget, then a fractional Chief Information Officer (CIO) might be the perfect solution. Fractional executive services are becoming increasingly more popular in the nonprofit sector, as they allow organizations to harness the power of executive wisdom at a fraction of the cost of a full-time executive. 

But how do you know if you should hire a fractional CIO? To help you determine if it’s the right choice for your organization, we’ll answer some of the more commonly asked questions about fractional CIO services, such as:

• What does a Chief Information Officer do?
• What is most important to a CIO?
• What should a CIO focus on in a fractional capacity?
• Does every company need a CIO?
• When should you hire a CIO for fractional services?

Let’s dive in.

What Does a Chief Information Officer Do?

In general, a CIO oversees a nonprofit’s information technology (IT). They direct all processes, teams, technologies, and anything else that has to do with IT. For example, CIO roles and responsibilities might include:

• Delegating various tasks across team members in a way that maximizes productivity
• Setting and evolving the overall IT strategy
• Updating and monitoring cybersecurity efforts to safeguard against cyber attacks (like ransomware, phishing scams, malware, etc.)
• Managing the implementation of new systems 
• Building professional relationships with outside IT providers and vendors
• Creating IT-driven solutions to organization-wide pain points
• Staying up-to-date on the latest technology trends (like A.I., cloud computing, cybersecurity, etc.) to ensure the organization transitions smoothly to future technologies
• Strategizing avenues for revenue growth and scaling digital operations
• Developing internal IT operating procedures and best practices
• Communicating important and relevant IT information to the board of directors and other executives

What Is Most Important to a CIO?

The number one priority of a CIO is to ensure their organization is properly linking its mission with the ever-changing technological landscape. This largely comes down to aligning internal IT goals to support the organization as a whole, along with making critical business decisions influenced by the CIO’s background and unique skill set. 

And for a fractional CIO, the priorities remain largely the same. However, nonprofits have a bit more flexibility with the fractional executive model and where to focus the efforts of their part-time CIO. Let’s take a look at how fractional CIOs direct their professional energy. 

What Should a CIO Focus On in a Fractional Capacity?

When you’re paying a CIO on a part-time basis, you’ll want to center their work on high-priority IT issues. If those high-priority issues are not clear to you, your fractional CIO can also provide guidance on which areas need the most attention. Fractional CIOs are quite handy in certain scenarios, like: 

• Promoting Growth in the Early Years – The average CIO salary falls between $244,880 and $359,377 annually (or $20,406.67 and $29,948.08 monthly). Nonprofits usually don’t have the budget for a six-figure salary like this in their first few years. This is unfortunate, as C-suite experience can really help an organization get their feet off the ground and accomplish impressive growth. Hiring a fractional CIO is the perfect solution, as the average fractional executive salary is between $6,000 and $10,000 monthly—a much more affordable option for new nonprofits. 

• Managing Special Projects – You may have a short-term need in your organization that a CIO could assist with, which is where project CIOs come in handy. A project CIO is another term for a fractional CIO who only comes on board for a designated period of time to manage a particular project. For example, if your nonprofit is trying to do a complete technology overhaul and upgrade, you might consider bringing on a project CIO to manage the transition. 

Does Every Company Need a CIO?

No, not all organizations will need a CIO to survive. But to thrive? That’s where a CIO truly makes their mark. Considering how dependent we are on technology as a society, nonprofits these days have to be tech savvy, even those that don’t have technology-oriented missions. This is why all organizations can benefit from the expertise of a CIO. 

The great thing about the fractional CIO model is that it’s so accessible. Nonprofits can use fractional executive services as much or as little as they need (or can afford). So if you find that your technology management is lacking, but the budget has little room for a full-time tech executive, a fractional CIO can fill that gap for an affordable, part-time cost.  

When Should You Hire a CIO for Fractional Services?

Really, any time is a good time to hire a fractional CIO. A good CIO should be able to walk into an organization at any point in its journey and offer sage advice and suggestions for growth. For example, here at Computers in Ministry (CIM), we’ve set up different fractional executive service packages to assist nonprofits in a variety of ways, such as:

• The Learn Package – For nonprofits looking for basic technology training and support.
• The Build Package – For nonprofits that are ready to innovate and implement new technologies, upgrades, and collaboration tools. 
• The Scale Package – For nonprofits with multi-faceted technology needs that seek more full-time leadership, development, planning, integration, and implementation.

Our team at CIM fully customizes each package to ensure your organization is getting the most out of our CIO services. Contact us today, and we can discuss how a fractional CIO can meet the unique needs of your nonprofit.