In nonprofit organizations, the teams are small and the stakes are high. But the work never stops. And the pace never slows. So here more than anywhere, workplace efficiency is key.
The problem? The nonprofit sector still runs on manual processes and overworked staff. This not only caps nonprofit productivity at a super-low rate, but also opens organizations up to all kinds of human error while taking workplace morale, donor satisfaction, and overall revenue way down.
To stay competitive and positive while getting ahead, you need to be able to do more with less. And the best way to do that is by making use of advancing nonprofit technology. Because when your work is more efficient, your staff are happier, and your donor’s dollars go farther.
And for a nonprofit organization like yours, what could be better than that?
How Leveraging Technology Can Help Your Nonprofit Advance
Technology is important in local and global non-profits.
The right technology can help your nonprofit work more efficiently and cost-effectively while increasing revenue. We know that adopting new technology can be a bit overwhelming. And, that it can be hard to get buy-in at an organizational level. But trust us when we say it’s worth the effort in the long term.
There are very few downsides to adopting new tech as a nonprofit, but there are all kinds of benefits. Benefits that extend to not just your nonprofit, but also your volunteers, donors, employees, and any other stakeholders you serve.
In the past few years, we’ve seen nonprofits using technology to make their teams more productive, create better experiences for donors and members, streamline workflows, modernize outdated processes, drive more donations, and up their revenue overall.
Here are a few examples of what this has looked like for our clients and a few other nonprofit organizations whose work (and tech setups) we admire.
3 Ways Technology Helps Small Nonprofits Scale & Grow
#1 Increasing Team Productivity
In nonprofits, there’s a fine line between having a hardworking team and one that’s overworked.
One huge benefit of adopting new tech is that it will reduce the manual labour your staff has to put in. There are tons of digital tools that reduce admin work like data entry, member certification, stakeholder communication, and donor management. Taking advantage of them speeds things up and frees up time for nonprofit leaders and staff in major ways.
Let’s think about the time it takes to manage your donor database. Direct mail solicitation is a proven yet time-consuming way to increase donations. But if a past donor moves without updating you, you miss out. The mailer gets returned with a Nixie label letting you know they’ve moved, and you’re out the staff time and cost of materials it took to send them a letter. Not to mention the donation you didn’t get!
Base64.ai helped the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia use technology to circumvent this issue. They built a custom “Nixie Label Reader” that uses artificial intelligence to capture and update addresses in real-time, saving their team hours of manual entry. As a result, they’ve accelerated their mail processing time, reduced postage costs, and increased the accuracy of their donor list!
#2 Increasing Member Experience
Nonprofits exist to serve. Great tech makes members feel heard, supported, and satisfied. Which helps you foster and strengthen the relationships your organization needs to thrive!
Let’s say your organization offers a certification process and you manage those certifications manually. As your member base grows, your team will struggle to keep on top of certification applications and expiration dates. And even though they put hundreds of hours toward it each month, members could slip through the cracks, which could make them feel like their membership isn’t that important. You can see how quickly this situation gets out of hand!
When our client, 1% of the Planet, was in this situation, we helped them get out of it by building a custom portal where their members could log on and self-mange their certifications. This improved not only their user experience but staff experience too, because it reduced the need for manual data entry, saved tons of staff time, and streamlined the certification process. All while providing added value for members!
Read More: How a Member Portal Supports Growth for 1% of the Planet
#3 Increasing Revenue & Donations
Adopting new technology and increasing nonprofit revenue are so closely linked that it’s honestly hard to separate the two. Sometimes the ROI is obvious, like when an organization adopts a new fundraising app that increases donations. Sometimes, it’s more indirect, but very much still there. Like when a custom workflow app increases team productivity and reduces the need for hiring new staff members. Either way, we feel pretty safe saying that updating your nonprofit’s tech setup is likely to improve your bottom line.
Here are just some of the ways adopting new technology can increase your nonprofit’s revenue:
Allowing you to collect donations in more ways than one
Increasing donations by improving donor experience
Increasing donations by automating donor communications
Encouraging repeat donations through member portals and automation
Reducing manual labour and the need to pay more staff
Reducing human error and resulting financial losses
Reducing the cost of fundraising and staff outreach
Read More: How website updates helped SAINTS increase donor conversions by 3.24%
Save time and money while growing your nonprofit. The right tech can make it happen!
We’re here to help your nonprofit do more with technology.
If a technology change feels messy, confusing, or overwhelming — or if your current tech just isn’t working for you anymore—book a software consultation call. It’s free and only takes 30 minutes. If you like us, we’ll move forward. If you don’t, we won’t. No obligation. No commitment. No hard feelings!
