Development Office Technology Planning

Successful fund development depends on relationship-building and connecting people with your organization in ways that promote long-term support. Today, technology makes it easier than ever for even the smallest nonprofits to gather, organize, analyze and communicate the kinds of information they need to develop relationships more effectively and more affordably.

All too often, however, organizations allow their technology systems to evolve without deliberate oversight and without clear planning. Individual staff members are left to create their own mini-systems, without considering the impact on the organization as a whole. As a result, the development staff works with a patchwork of inconsistent spreadsheet and database applications. Each of these may be capable of performing its own discrete functions, but the data needed for solid relationship-building and wise decision-making -- and the vital connections among all that data -- gets lost in the shuffle.

In order to maximize the benefits of technology, it is important to consider your overall goals for the future and build a plan directly linked to those goals. As with any other aspect of your work, good planning lays the groundwork for good results. However, before embarking on a technology plan it is critical that your organization have a strategic plan, as many of your decisions about the course of your development efforts will inevitably affect your decisions about the use of technology. Your technology plan must consider the organization as a whole, and recognize that the information being gathered and the relationships being built belong not to the individuals but rather to the organization itself.

Technology Plan Focus

Your technology plan should focus on three primary areas: decision support, communication, and workflow.

Decisions are made on a daily basis in the development office. The right technology can help you improve decision-making by providing more and better information, and by helping you sort and analyze it properly.

You communicate with constituents in many ways, and a good technology plan helps you identify methods to improve current communications and helps you discover new ways to communicate and reach your constituents.

Lastly, data flows through your office constantly. Technology planning helps you evaluate, integrate, and re-tool the various mechanisms by which data flows and work gets accomplished in your organization.

Oversight Committee

Once you have evaluated the direction of your organization, and you feel you have laid the groundwork for a solid strategic and development plan, you can begin technology planning. First, you should start by creating an oversight committee to gather and organize the necessary information into a plan and begin the implementation.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks you may encounter is resistance to change. This is especially true with long-term staff who have developed their own "mini-systems" to accomplish their work. Include these people on your committee so they can participate in planning for the change to a more effective and efficient organization-wide way of doing things. They will bring valuable insights to the workflow plan.

It is important to communicate that this plan has the support from the top. Consider including the boss (the executive director or development director) or a tech-savvy board member. This person may bring expertise, and help persuade the board to approve the plan.

Find someone to act as the point person for implementing the plan, and the obvious choice to chair the committee. The chair must be someone who understands technology and the workflow in the office and can communicate with others in a non-technical way.

Information System

The backbone of technology in the development office is the information system, where all the important data about your constituents is kept. This includes names, addresses, and giving history as well as more detailed information about personal preferences, outside relationships, and special interests in your programs.

It is also important to consider your organization's specific workflow and decision support needs -- what information is required, and in what form, to improve development office decisions. You want a system that streamlines the workflow, decreases time spent on mundane tasks, and increases time for cultivating relationship. Once you have charted your desired workflow and understand what you need for decision support, it is time to look for a good solution.

Fortunately, in the development arena there are a number of good pre-existing software products that organize and present development data in ways that are helpful in streamlining workflow. You could also build your own system or hire a software developer to create a custom system for you.

Such a system can have important benefits:

• It can provide a central place to keep all those bits and pieces of information about your donors and prospects.
• It is designed to be a shared resource since it usually runs on a server and takes care of security issues.

Communications

Communications (internal and external) has become one of the most widespread uses of technology. You probably already have a Web site for your organization, as well as an e-mail system and access to the Internet for your staff.

As you consider your Internet presence, remember that a Web site is not a static one-time effort. Your plan should include not only a possible redesign to better meet your communications goals, but also a long-term plan to ensure that the site is properly maintained and updated.

Your Web site can provide two-way communication with your constituents (i.e. it can accept donations, membership renewals, or special event responses). To be useful, this data must all be captured in your information system.

E-mail may be only used for internal communication, plus an occasional e-mail conversation with a constituent. Additionally, consider using e-mail for other purposes, such as an e-mail newsletter, volunteer reminders or event invitations.

Your communications plan must be carefully integrated with your information system plan for maximum effectiveness.

Hardware

Your choice of software for both your information system and your communications plans will provide you with some guidelines for your hardware choices. First, assemble a careful inventory of all of your current hardware. Once you know what you have, and have a good idea of your software needs, you may want to engage a technology expert to help you with your hardware planning. (See the technology planning section section on TechSoup for more details.)

You may not be able to afford to implement the entire hardware plan initially, and may continue using a portion of your old equipment. Whether or not you replace everything from the start, your plan should include a regular replacement cycle that is reflected in the on-going budget.

Training and Support

Initial and ongoing training should be included in your plan. The turnover rate at nonprofit organizations is often very high and must be factored in. Additionally, with a complex information system, there is always something new to learn. Finally, your plan may include renewals of technical support contracts. See the training section for more information about the type of training you may want to consider.

Security

To maintain a safe environment, you may need to invest in more security for your information system. Include a careful plan for how your system will be backed up on a regular basis (see TechSoup's article Backing Up Your Data ), and how the back-ups will be handled and stored.

Most organizations already have virus protection software (see TechSoup's article ). Your plan should include the process for installing regular updates and implementing firewall protection against attack from hackers over your Internet connection.

You store sensitive data about your constituents in your system; consequently, make sure to include a process for maintaining passwords and changing them on a periodic basis.

The most commonly overlooked aspect of data security is data integrity. The information you have recorded about donors and prospects will be useless if it cannot be retrieved in a coherent and consistent manner by all who use the system. The best way to ensure data integrity is to develop a carefully designed set of rules for data entry, and then to train all users about these rules.

Budget

The budget that goes along with your technology plan should cover all aspects of the plan and extend into future years. Some percentage of the budget will inevitably become part of your operating expenses. The use of technology carries with it the need for a regular budgetary line item to cover the cost of maintenance, upgrades, technical support and training. A well thought-out technology plan should enable you to build better relationships and therefore raise more money for your organization. The funding section includes more information about how you can fund technology in your organization.

Timeline

It is important to detail all of the tasks and who is responsible for each one. As you do this, a logical progression will become apparent, as some tasks must await the completion of other tasks.

Keep in mind the need for funds coupled with each task. If the required dollars are beyond your ability, you may have to spread out the implementation to better align with funding realities.

Conclusion

Sometimes we get lucky and things work without too much planning. Usually, however, a good plan is a prerequisite for positive results. The technology planning process itself provides a rare opportunity to look at the overall systems in place to support your development work. It is a time to re-think how your office operates and to improve your access to information, subsequently building better relationships with your donors and prospects.

Technology planning is not the same as strategic planning for your organization, but it is an important component in the successful realization of your strategic goals.