Boston-based Deborah Elizabeth Finn, nonprofit technology consultant and self-proclaimed cyber-yenta, says there are “Ten Things (Just Ten!) That Every Nonprofit Executive Needs to Know About Information Technology” — and she tells you what they are on her blog.
It’s a thoughtful, comprehensive list, one that would probably be just as invaluable to a number of commercial enterprises as well.
On her blog, Technology for the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sector, Finn takes the time to elaborate on each of her points, so after you’ve scanned the list below, make sure to read the full article.
“Ten Things (Just Ten!) That Every Nonprofit Executive Needs to Know About Information Technology” by Deborah Elizabeth Finn
1. Very little technical knowledge is required in order for nonprofit CEOs to participate actively in strategic IT planning.
2. Your board of directors should be calling for and participating in your strategic information technology planning.
3. A tremendous number of high-quality resources for strategic IT planning are available to nonprofits at no charge.
4. You can keep an eye on innovations in IT, and think about possible uses for them in the nonprofit sector, even if you don’t have a technical background.
5. Information technology, no matter how strategically you apply it, will probably never save your nonprofit organization any money.
6. You need an in-house IT committee.
7. Secretaries and administrative assistants should be the lynchpins of your IT infrastructure.
8. In the long run, IT training and support (and other operating expenses) will make up about 70% of your IT budget. The more obvious line items – such as hardware, software, and network services – will comprise about 30%.
9. Donated hardware, software, and services can cost a nonprofit more than purchased products or services in the long run.
10. In a nonprofit organization, most strategic IT problems are actually organizational development problems.
To read Deborah Elizabeth Finn’s “Ten Things (Just Ten!) That Every Nonprofit Executive Needs to Know About Information Technology” in its entirety, click here.
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