What do boards need to know about IT?
One of the questions we get asked a lot at BoardAssist is how can I be an “agent of change” on my nonprofit board. For some board members, the best way to help your nonprofit may be by making sure your nonprofit is up to date with all the latest IT strategies. For guidance on this topic, we turned to one of our favorite nonprofit tech pros, Patrick Callihan of Tech Impact. Thanks Pat for this great guest post.
What do boards need to know about IT?
You sit on a board. It is tricky role. You do it because you feel good about giving back and making an impact in your community. Yet you have this responsibility called fiscal oversight. You want to find a balance between micromanaging the organization and making sure they are making the right decisions. Unless you are an IT expert, and most of us are not, you may struggle with the right questions to ask about technology. Here are a few non-techy questions you may want to consider asking next time the issue of IT comes up at a board meeting.
Do we have an IT strategy?
This helps you to understand if the organization is thoughtful in its approach. Is there a budget? What percent of the operating budget represents technology? How does this compare to other, similar organizations? How are technology purchases aligned with the mission of the organization and critical functions like fundraising? I realize that one question leads to more questions, but what is most important is that the organization is strategic and thoughtful in its technology decisions. This will help you set spending benchmarks and understand the rationale behind the decision-making.
How is our data protected?
Where do we store data? Is it onsite or in the cloud? If it is onsite, have we thought about a business continuity strategy should we lose access to our office or experience a disaster? If data is in the cloud, does the vendor store multiple copies in geographically dispersed locations? How quickly would we be able to restore operations? Again, more questions than answers, but the answers will lead you to an understanding of the organization’s ability to continually maintain critical operations.
What programs are available to our nonprofit for technology?
I padded this one a bit. But it is meant to show organizations, and boards, that there are resources available to them in the nonprofit sector. The great thing about nonprofits is that we look out for each other. There are so many great resources available for technology in the nonprofit sector. Start by looking at TechSoup (www.techsoup.org). This is where nonprofits can go for highly discounted and donate software and services. The program they have with Microsoft donates millions of dollars in software each year. They also offer many free webinars and blogs on various technology topics and they have a posting board to help your organization connect and exchange technology information with other like-minded organizations. Also check out Idealware (www.idealware.org), which writes unbiased reports on software solutions for nonprofits. This is a very valuable resource when you are considering a new donor management system or accounting package. There are more, but this is a good place to start.
How are our technology decisions advancing our mission?
If you are a museum, do you have a mobile app that helps your visitors navigate the exhibits? If you are a health and human services organization and/or a significant portion of your clients are Hispanic, is your website available in Spanish and English? If you are an environmental advocacy organization, do you have the ability to conduct online polling? You get the idea. Are you using the advances in technology to serve more people or to serve your clients better? That should always be in our sights as board members. I realize that these are sometimes the most significant expenses, but they are the perfect reasons to seek grants. Grant makers love to know that their dollars are advancing the mission of a nonprofit and not just keeping the back office running. Of course, both are necessary, but I would rather approach a foundation for impact technology.
These questions are certainly not exhaustive, but they are a good starting point. Most importantly, you want to make sure you are providing sound advice to the organization’s management team while keeping to your duty of fiscal oversight and leading the organization to greater outcomes.
Patrick Callihan is the Executive Director for Tech Impact, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure that all nonprofits can use technology to better serve our world. His background includes over 25 years of technology leadership. Over the past five years, his tenure with Tech Impact, Patrick has grown the organization by expanding services and adding programs that directly impact the community, including a program that trains and employs at-risk-youth with 21st century technology skills. He is actively involved in his community and is a board member with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Delaware.