3 Wishes In A Nonprofit Technology Career
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When I think about tips, tricks, and timesavers – I think about wishes - what I wish I’d known, what I wish I’d remember more often, and what I wish I remember when my career is winding down.
Wish #1: What I wish I’d known before getting into nonprofit technology
Oh, without questions, in a big way, I wish someone had sat me down and told me how ESSENTIAL it is to get buy in from the top down. When working with technology, it can be difficult to convince users of technology about a new system. This could be for a variety of reason – maybe they’re outside your department, maybe they’re really in love with the “old way of doing things,” or maybe they just have difficulty with change. The key is to get leadership involved – not just management – but also find the people in the office that other’s look to for advice – these are the individuals that you need on board when rolling out a nonprofit technology solution. Have managers build usage of the system into annual SMART goals, have office leaders send out two or three sentence emails about ways they’re using the system to save time. Create buy in from the top down.
Wish #2: What I wish I’ll remember daily while working in Development Operations
As nonprofit employees, we are agents of change, both in our communities through the work of our missions, and inside our organizations through our work with leadership and technology. Living this life can be hard and stressful, both personally and professionally. I wish I’d remember more often that I’m not alone. That there is such a large and vibrant community available to me with great resources, such as Blackbaud’s Community! When I struggle to get a Mail module word merge right, when I struggle to find a management technique that works for a gift entry staff member, when I struggle to comprehend a new aspect that is rolled out in RE NXT –I can easily log into this community and find help, assistance, and even a friendly ear. The Blackbaud Community is an amazing resource.
Wish #3: What I wish I’ll know when I leave my work in Development Operations
When the day comes, hopefully many years from now, I hope I leave a clean database with clear documentation. Here’s the thing, not just everything should be flung directly into a nonprofit technology solution. You want to make sure you put useable information in there that has documentation behind it – listing why an Attribute/Custom Field was created, how often an Export is pulled and why specific headers are used, why some reports only need pay-cash and not pledges. Documentation is essential for the future usage of any database – it tells you why you’ve made the decisions you have, why you’ve moved in a specific direction. CRM Technology isn’t about mindless data entry – it’s about building relationships and connecting people with your mission.
Wish #1: What I wish I’d known before getting into nonprofit technology
Oh, without questions, in a big way, I wish someone had sat me down and told me how ESSENTIAL it is to get buy in from the top down. When working with technology, it can be difficult to convince users of technology about a new system. This could be for a variety of reason – maybe they’re outside your department, maybe they’re really in love with the “old way of doing things,” or maybe they just have difficulty with change. The key is to get leadership involved – not just management – but also find the people in the office that other’s look to for advice – these are the individuals that you need on board when rolling out a nonprofit technology solution. Have managers build usage of the system into annual SMART goals, have office leaders send out two or three sentence emails about ways they’re using the system to save time. Create buy in from the top down.
Wish #2: What I wish I’ll remember daily while working in Development Operations
As nonprofit employees, we are agents of change, both in our communities through the work of our missions, and inside our organizations through our work with leadership and technology. Living this life can be hard and stressful, both personally and professionally. I wish I’d remember more often that I’m not alone. That there is such a large and vibrant community available to me with great resources, such as Blackbaud’s Community! When I struggle to get a Mail module word merge right, when I struggle to find a management technique that works for a gift entry staff member, when I struggle to comprehend a new aspect that is rolled out in RE NXT –I can easily log into this community and find help, assistance, and even a friendly ear. The Blackbaud Community is an amazing resource.
Wish #3: What I wish I’ll know when I leave my work in Development Operations
When the day comes, hopefully many years from now, I hope I leave a clean database with clear documentation. Here’s the thing, not just everything should be flung directly into a nonprofit technology solution. You want to make sure you put useable information in there that has documentation behind it – listing why an Attribute/Custom Field was created, how often an Export is pulled and why specific headers are used, why some reports only need pay-cash and not pledges. Documentation is essential for the future usage of any database – it tells you why you’ve made the decisions you have, why you’ve moved in a specific direction. CRM Technology isn’t about mindless data entry – it’s about building relationships and connecting people with your mission.
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Tips, Tricks, and Timesavers!
05/02/2019 10:27am EDT
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