Technology can be a large investment for a nonprofit – but it can also be a significant cost savings if you plan it well. Regarding The Techsoup blog’s article, What’s Involved in Technology Planning, technology planning can benefit nonprofit businesses by leveraging their limited resources. While technology continues changing quickly, the nonprofit business is trying to advance the mission but it may may be saddled with old technology. This is when technology planning comes in to help the nonprofit minimize resource waste and be more productive.
Before making a technology plan, the nonprofit needs to assess their current technology’s productivity, their future goals for technology, and the best methods to achieve those goals. Then, good technology planning should focus on how technology can be integrated in their mission and goals – and also make the goals of the plan measurable. The nonprofit can drive employee engagement by getting staff involved in the planning process. This combines different perspectives that results in a more creative plan and reduces potential risks that may occur during the decision making process. Technology planning can be applied to highlight mission opportunities and as solutions to defuse any weaknesses.