Technology Dos And Don'ts

Technology can make our lives so much easier. But then again it can also make it that much more complicated.

While some nonprofits would rather not have to deal with the potential headaches that come with technology like computers and smartphones, it’s simply unavoidable in today’s society. An organization will quickly fall behind if it is using outdated technology. In his book “Nonprofit Management 101,” Darian Rodriguez Heyman lists some dos and don’ts for nonprofits when managing technology. Let’s start with the dos:

• DO let your mission and strategy be your guides when making technology decisions.
• DO establish strong systems. Your staff can’t get much mission-critical work done if they have to reboot the computers every hour.
• DO plan! You don’t have to get out your crystal ball to plan effectively for your technology needs.
• DO evaluate continuously. You can’t learn from your experiences if you never stop to reflect.

Here are the don’ts:

• DON’T make technology decisions based solely on cost. Cost is only one factor in determining the value and expense of technology.
• DON’T forget to include staff in your technology decisions. You’ll need allies as you implement new systems.
• DON’T select mission-critical software like a donor database without first documenting your key business processes.