Growing Your Tech Stack: 4 Considerations for Nonprofits

As your nonprofit grows, your technology stack—the tools and software that you use to manage and execute your operations—needs to grow with it. For instance, you may need to transition away from tracking your donors across multiple spreadsheets to using a constituent relationship management (CRM) system like Blackbaud or Salesforce. Or, you may need a more robust payroll tool to manage compensation for dozens of team members rather than just a handful.  

The tricky thing about nonprofit growth is that, as your capacity to make a difference increases, so does your list of technology options. Researching and choosing the right tools to compose a powerful technology stack can quickly become a big challenge. 

In this guide, we’ll walk through some considerations to keep in mind as you scale up your operations and your tools so your technology can fully support all the good you’re doing for your beneficiaries. Let’s begin. 

1. Your Team’s Software Needs 

Just because you can add something to your technology stack does not necessarily mean you should. It’s essential to ensure your technology stack expansion efforts are guided first and foremost by your software needs. 

Begin by evaluating your current technology stack. To do this thoroughly, you may want to hire a nonprofit technology consulting agency to conduct an audit and create a recommendation roadmap. During this process, your consultant will review the following: 

• All of the tools you’re currently using and how your team uses those tools 
• The ways in which your tools are supporting key processes within and across departments (fundraising, donor management, etc.)
• Gaps or pain points in your team’s workflows that you could address by implementing new tools or software  
• Changes, improvements, or expansions to your programs or services that your technology stack needs to support 
• Any duplicative technology that could be made more efficient
• Any training gaps that are preventing your tools from being used to the fullest extent 

You should also take into account your organization’s goals and current priorities. For example, if you’re about to begin a big hiring push, you may want to invest in a platform that helps you verify candidates’ credentials. Or, if you want to take your major giving program to the next level, consider using a prospect research tool with built-in artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to get a fuller picture of your donors’ giving capacity and affinity for your organization. 

2. Budget Constraints 

In addition to your needs, your nonprofit’s budget will also dictate what you’re able to add to your technology stack. Here are a few tips for starting your shopping process with your budget in mind: 

• Determine potential return on investment (ROI). While a new tool may represent a large initial expense for your organization, it may generate high ROI. For instance, a new fundraising platform could lead to an increase in donations and quickly pay for itself. It could also bring intangible benefits, like boosted employee satisfaction and efficiency. When comparing providers, seek out any statistics that indicate the potential ROI you can generate using certain tools, whether from reviews or the product’s website itself.

• Account for all costs associated with a tool. Some tools will require additional fees on top of your initial purchase, like subscriptions, implementation costs, and even training and ongoing maintenance. Ensure you’re aware of what you’ll be paying out the door to determine if a tool fits within your budget for technology. 

• Look into nonprofit discounts. Some vendors offer discounts or special pricing for nonprofits. How useful these are depends on the size of your organization. For example, nonprofits can get 10 free subscriptions to Salesforce’s Nonprofit Cloud through their Power of Us Program. This is a great opportunity for smaller organizations, but larger nonprofits will need more subscriptions to make the most of Salesforce. 

• Ensure your tools will scale with you. After you’ve made an investment and added a tool to your technology stack, you don’t want to have to pay for an upgraded version or an altogether new tool down the road when you experience more growth. Look for tools that will scale with your organization as much as possible. 

Determining and sticking to a clear budget for your nonprofit’s technology stack upgrades is a wise leadership move and will set you up to build a technology infrastructure that fits your nonprofit’s current needs. 

3. Integration Capabilities 

The best technology stacks are unified and cohesive, and one of the best ways to ensure that all of your tools work together seamlessly is to take full advantage of the integration capabilities between them. 

Integrations allow your tools to “talk to” each other, meaning that data and information can easily flow between them. This helps prevent data silos, which occur when data is isolated in one tool and is unavailable in other tools or operations. This inaccessible data can lead to inefficiency and reduce collaboration between teams. 

As you research the tools you’re considering adding to your technology stack, look into the integrations available between them and your current technology solutions. Also, determine what you need to implement those integrations and whether you can connect your tools yourself or if you’ll need help from a vendor or a technology consultant. 

Additionally, consider whether your organization would benefit from using a nonprofit data warehouse. A data warehouse allows you to compile, process, and organize data from a variety of sources (like your CRM, fundraising software, financial database, and more) all in one place.  

4. Support and Training Available 

Any time you add a tool to your technology stack, your entire team will experience a bit of a learning curve as you weave the tool into your workflows. To avoid your operations grinding to a halt over confusion about a new tool, have a plan in place for training your team and getting support as needed. 

Here are a few ways to ensure that your team is ready to get the most out of any new tools you invest in: 

• Explore training options available from your vendor. Your vendor will likely help you with the initial set-up for your new tool, but be sure to ask about training options for your team. Additionally, larger software vendors may offer courses or credentials for their platforms. For instance, Blackbaud offers professional certifications for its products, which require you to complete a series of courses and then take an exam.     

• Take the time to create documentation. Employees will need reminders from time to time about how to use your new tool, so ensure that you have clear and comprehensive documentation available for them to reference. This will also be helpful when you onboard new employees or introduce an existing tool to a team that hasn’t used it before. Additionally, you can invest in ongoing training so that new staff can be brought up to speed and existing staff can perfect their skills. 

• Know your support options. If something goes wrong with your tool or you’re trying to figure out how to tap into a new feature, how can you get a hold of your vendor? Identify the level of support available to you, whether that’s a 24/7 helpline or a ticket submission system, and ensure everyone on your team knows how to leverage this option. 

The best kind of training will be personalized to your organization and your team and offered on an ongoing basis. This means you may want to go further than relying on your vendor and instead partner with a technology consultant who can design and deliver a tailored training program, offer ongoing training, conduct site monitoring, and more. More on this in the next section! 

Pro Tip: Work With a Nonprofit Technology Consultant 

Building out and refining your technology stack on your own can be daunting. At times, your confidence may waver and leave you wondering, “Are we making the best decisions for our organization?” or “Are we going to be able to use all of the features available with this particular tool?” 

Many nonprofits choose to work with a nonprofit technology consulting firm to overcome these hurdles and create a robust technology stack they can be confident in. A nonprofit technology expert is well-versed in nonprofit technology solutions and nonprofit operations, and as they get to know your organization, they can make recommendations catered to your needs and goals. 

Specifically, a nonprofit technology consultant can help you audit your current technology stack, choose your tools, implement your tools, migrate your data, and enable integrations between platforms. Some firms may also offer additional services, like website development or fundraising consulting. 

To hire your own technology consultant, ensure you conduct thorough research to determine which firm offers the services and specialties that suit your needs. When it comes time to interview your top candidates, ensure you pay attention to each consultant’s communication style. Look for someone who prioritizes collaboration and transparency to ensure your relationship can be productive and successful. 

In modern nonprofit work, your technology stack serves as the backbone of your organization’s operations. As your operations grow, ensure that your technology stack grows with you in sustainable and successful ways by keeping the considerations above top of mind. For additional assistance, consider working with a nonprofit technology consultant. 

About the Author

Carl Diesing - Managing Director

Carl Diesing, Managing Director – Carl co-founded DNL OmniMedia in 2006 and has grown the team to accommodate clients with ongoing web development projects. Together DNL OmniMedia has worked with over 100 organizations to assist them with accomplishing their online goals. As Managing Director of DNL OmniMedia, Carl works with nonprofits and their technology to foster fundraising, create awareness, cure disease, and solve social issues. Carl lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife Sarah and their two children Charlie and Evelyn.