Should Nonprofits Invest In Digital Transformation?

Justifying technical change as a nonprofit

As is the case for any business, nonprofit organisations always have to ensure they spend their time, energy and budgets wisely. One of the most common frustrations preventing this is the continued use of limited tech - or else high-power tech that simply isn’t being utilised to its full potential. This can fire-up a vicious cycle. Technology is holding you back from generating funds, but then it can seem difficult to justify investing what funds you do have to fix that problem.

The purpose of this guide is to simplify that decision for you. Here you will find all the information you need to determine:

Whether investment in technology would get your nonprofit to where you need to be.
What sort of budget would you need and how to ensure your desirable ROI.
How to get the buy-in from other members of your team to embrace technological change.

Investing in digital to meet your nonprofit objectives

How to understand your wider business objectives and the role that technical change can play in achieving them

Calculating budget and understanding ROI when investing in digital transformation

Advice for nonprofit organisations on how to ensure technological improvements that are cost-effective and ROI positive

Getting internal buy-in for technical change at your nonprofit

Convincing your organisation’s decision makers to invest in digital transformation and encouraging internal participation in new processes

Understanding organisational goals and the role tech change can play in achieving them

Digital transformation is most likely to offer a tangible contribution to your nonprofit’s goals if you understand from the get-go what you are specifically looking to achieve. Are you looking to increase donations? Streamline your processes? Ensure greater transparency for the whole team? We’ve outlined the ways in which becoming a digital charity can contribute to a sample of example objectives, to demonstrate the efficiency of working backwards from a guiding goal.

Calculating budget and understanding ROI when investing in nonprofit digital transformation

Getting the buy-in for investment in technology ultimately comes down to being smart with knowing how much to invest, understanding where that investment goes and what it will result in. In this section of the guide, you can find advice on calculating budget (for example working to budget cycles) and understanding ROI for these kinds of digital investments.

Getting your team on board

Your need to plan and present your approach to technological progress in a way that appeals at every level of the organisation. Otherwise, your project is destined to underperform before you even start. Here we have created a checklist to help you get your team involved and excited about transforming your nonprofits digital practices.

Who Are 4C4U?

4C4U is our dedicated team of nonprofit advisors. Our passion is to help nonprofit organisations to use technology to extend their reach, meet their goals and increase their impact. While we work predominantly with Salesforce, we prioritise finding the technology solutions that work best for you.

4C4U’s Top Tips

Outline your objectives before starting a project; what metrics can you use as a measure of success?

Make noise and get everyone involved! A dedicated champion within your organisation who is excited about change can make all the difference to a successful project
Keep it simple. Put time into simplifying your processes. This can ensure a painless implementation and user journey
Prioritise, think about which changes would give you the maximum value.
Talk to your supporters/service users/volunteers. Ensuring as many people as possible have a voice and come with you on your journey.

Read our nonprofit guide to digital transformation...