How New Tech Helps Nonprofits Run More Effectively

Technological integration is one of the best ways to increase productivity and push a nonprofit organization to new heights. Since new and innovative tools are created almost every day, nonprofit organizations must employ trend spotters who can identify the next big thing and implement it strategically. 

If you are an industry leader who is looking for the benefits of implementing new tech in your nonprofit organization, this piece is for you. It covers the top five benefits of new technology to nonprofit organizations.

How Implementing New Technology Can Boost Productivity in Nonprofit Organizations 

Some of the most obvious ways technology can help nonprofit organizations include increasing reach, speeding up performance, saving cost, and promoting collaboration. It can also help a nonprofit organization stand out. The list below contains more details about what a nonprofit organization can expect following the implementation of new technology.

1. Increasing Donor Reach 

Nonprofit organizations often rely heavily on donors to fund their objectives and meet their goals. In the past, there was a limit to how many people these organizations could reach out to for funding due to logistic difficulties. Even when charity events are hosted in physical locations, only a limited number of people could attend and offer support.

Today, the world is a global village and nonprofit firms can reach out to donors from across the globe without leaving their offices. They can create social media channels and professional profiles and push them to the targeted audience from different parts of the world. Fundraisers no longer need to be held in physical spaces alone. Online video conferencing platforms can be used to include donors from different locations in fundraisers at intervals.

2.  Increasing Support 

A nonprofit organization that sets out to help people will reach more people if they implement new technology. This is why a few nonprofit organizations have started using websites and mobile applications to put their name on the global map.

For example, an American-based nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance to sick people from low-income households can create a mobile app and website that is accessible in Somalia. 

To create, manage, and promote websites and mobile applications, the nonprofit organization will need to invest in a software engineering team. Small nonprofit organizations can start with a single employee who is a web designer or developer and grow the team from there. Paying for a few employees to attend coding schools is also another way forward.

3. Save Cost 

Switching from old to new technology may be expensive at the moment, but the cost-saving benefits long-term cannot be disputed. For example, a nonprofit that switches from traditional to cloud computing will save cost and increase efficiency at the same time. Cloud computing will eliminate the need for large server rooms and make databases accessible from any part of the world that has the Internet. 

Smaller server rooms will need fewer employees to maintain, but that’s not the only benefit of cloud computing. A nonprofit organization may decide to subscribe to cloud services, eliminating the need for server rooms. There is also little risk of data loss with cloud computing and almost instant data recovery protocols. Investing in a secure cloud network is especially important now that cyberattacks are the number one cause of data loss in organizations. 

4. Improved Automation 

One of the biggest goals of technological innovation is to promote automation, thus reducing or eliminating the need for human hands across industries. A nonprofit organization can take full advantage of new automation tools that are powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. 

This software costs a small fraction to maintain compared to the cost of paying multiple people to carry out certain daily tasks. According to Statista, the most common challenge faced by nonprofits is not having enough staff. Automation tools can help everyone save time. 

A nonprofit firm can also invest in an automated Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform to improve their relationship with donors and keep their database secure. An automated CRM can gather data and make entries into the database much quicker than an employee doing it manually. They also tend to be more accurate since there is little to no human error. 

5. Boost Teamwork and Communication 

Communication will always be an important transferable skill, but it does not always have to take place in-person these days. Technology has moved beyond the age of email communication alone. There are a host of quicker, more engaging, and efficient ways to collaborate, not just with team members but with donors and prospective donors as well. 

For example, nonprofit organizations can use Internet marketing, email marketing, and social media channels to generate leads, then rely on video conferencing platforms to cultivate donors from those leads. A donor may understand the urgency of your message more if they discuss it with you in real-time over video conferencing instead of traditional mail or email conversations. 

To establish technology-based communication channels, it is important that the nonprofit requests the preferred methods of communication from each donor. While they do not need to pay for every collaboration and communication software out there, they can pay for the most popular and universal options that potential donors are most likely to use. 

Conclusion 

Nonprofit organizations are currently lagging when it comes to adopting technology. This presents a perfect opportunity for you to impress donors, improve productivity, and stand out from other similar organizations. The initial cost of revamping and implementing new technology might seem high but it would be worth it for helping your organization reach its goals.