The Four Steps to Revolutionizing Your Nonprofit’s Collaboration with Cloud Technologies 

As a nonprofit COO dedicated to better serving your organization’s mission and stakeholders, your focus is on managing resources well and helping your team collaborate easily. Leveraging technology to achieve that operational efficiency is a strategic move that will empower your team to work smarter, not harder, in pursuing their goals. Enter: cloud technology, an accessible method for delivering computing services. 

While cloud technology isn’t a new concept in the business world, many nonprofits have yet to adopt these tools in their workplace due to limited resources. Most organizations would rather invest directly in their day-to-day programming and beneficiaries rather than in managing the logistics of a digital transformation. As a result, in a 2020 study, only 25% of nonprofits had a defined timeline and strategy for achieving digital readiness.  

Although some nonprofits have made progress in recent years, many organizations could still benefit from making the switch. Cloud technologies can have a transformative impact on a nonprofit’s operations, particularly in improving communication, data accessibility, and resource management. Below, you will discover practical tips on implementing cloud solutions in your nonprofit to foster a more collaborative and flexible organizational culture. 

The Benefits of Using Cloud Technologies for Nonprofits 

Cloud technology is a smart business investment for organizations in any sector: McKinsey even predicts that cloud adoption could contribute $3 trillion to the global economy by 2030. For nonprofits specifically, organizations can experience various advantages from adopting these types of tools into their day-to-day operations, such as: 

• Improved Communication: With the cloud, you access collaboration tools over the internet rather than relying on local servers or personal computers. As a result, these solutions offer a centralized platform to simplify your environment and allow you to access everything in one place. The real-time collaboration potential makes it easy for employees to share files quickly and securely no matter where they are located, preventing delays and misunderstandings. This streamlined communication can increase ROI by improving team efficiency and reducing operational costs. 
• Enhanced Data Accessibility: In nonprofits, the centralized nature of cloud solutions also makes it easier to leverage data analytics for growth and drives their mission forward. With all data stored in a single, secure location, you have a setup that keeps data updated, relevant and reliable – which is vital for quickly making informed decisions. This helps nonprofits identify trends, measure impact, optimize fundraising efforts, and better allocate resources to areas that can drive the most meaningful results.  
• Efficient Resource Management: Cloud services typically offer a cost-effective, pay-as-you-go model that eliminates the need for significant upfront investments in hardware. This flexibility allows nonprofits to scale resources up or down based on their needs, paying only for what they use. Cloud platforms also centralize management tasks, which simplifies administration tasks like updates and maintenance. 

Practical Tips for Implementing Cloud Solutions in Your Nonprofit’s Operations  

To reap the benefits of cloud technologies for nonprofits, your organization will need to engage in thoughtful planning and execution to smoothly integrate these tools into your existing operations. Here, we cover some actionable strategies that you can follow to maximize these solutions to support your mission. 

Start by assessing your organization’s needs 

This stage is all about understanding your organizational readiness for cloud technologies. During this assessment, you will need to evaluate your current IT environment, including your infrastructure, hardware data, applications and business processes. You should also seek to clarify your goals for your cloud adoption, which will require engaging your various departments to understanding their specific needs and identify areas for improvement. This will give you the necessary information to decide which functions will transition to the cloud and help you plan out a realistic budget. 

Choose the right cloud solutions 

Selecting the right cloud solutions will involve choosing which service models best suit your operational requirements, such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). After this, you will want to look for specific cloud providers with a strong reputation for support and security. Many organizations opt to use Microsoft 365 and Copilot to boost their productivity as Microsoft is considered a leader in cloud technology platforms. 

You will also need to consider whether your organization wants to rely on a public, private, or hybrid cloud hosting model, based on factors such as your data security requirements, compliance regulations, and budget constraints. Selecting a private cloud and data center to host your cloud operations may be a good idea for nonprofits, as they can experience enhanced security and control over their sensitive data. 

Manage the transition to the cloud 

Developing a detailed migration plan that outlines the scope and timeline will help all stakeholders prepare adequately for the transition, as well as minimize disruption to your workflow. This migration plan should include a communication strategy for informing people about the move before it happens and providing your team with adequate support to adapt more effectively to their new environment. Importantly, once you’ve moved to the cloud, you will want to monitor performance to optimize your system for ongoing efficiency and effectiveness. 

Foster a collaborative and flexible culture with your cloud technologies 

Encourage employees to actively use and explore the features of the cloud solutions that you introduce into their daily workflow. Offer them access to hands-on workshops and webinars demonstrating practical applications of these tools and connect them to resources such as user guides, FAQs, and online forums where employees can find answers and share tips. Everyone at your nonprofit should be encouraged to stay updated on new features and best practices. 

Revolutionize your nonprofit’s technology with designDATA 

Harnessing advanced cloud-based nonprofit collaboration tools can transform how your organization’s team interacts and works together. This technology fosters productivity, agility, and responsiveness, all necessary for thriving in a modern operating environment that demands synchronized efforts towards achieving organizational objectives. 

When you partner with designDATA for our managed IT services, you will partner with reliable experts who can guide your journey to the cloud and help you manage your environment’s performance and security once you get there.  

Contact designDATA today to learn how our cloud solutions can revolutionize your nonprofit’s collaboration and resource management for a more flexible, efficient, and future-ready organization. 

10 Signs Your Association Needs Managed IT Services to Enhance Operational Efficiency 

With the right IT infrastructure, employees at associations can streamline their access to relevant data and focus on meaningful projects. By addressing common challenges like data accessibility and security concerns, organizations can create a more efficient and stress-free environment for their teams. 

Your IT underpins all your activities. Reliable and cost-effective technology solutions are essential to avoid straining resources and preventing operational disruptions that can hinder your ability to serve your members effectively. Additionally, investing in robust technology can help reduce employee turnover, as research shows that inadequate technology leads 70% of young people to leave or consider leaving their company. 

Associations need to prioritize effective IT management to maintain efficiency. If overseeing and maintaining a thriving IT ecosystem is challenging, outsourcing to a managed IT services provider can be an excellent solution. Below, we outline ten signs that indicate it’s time to bring in professional IT services to align your infrastructure with the demands of modern operations and your long-term goals. 

The 10 Signs Your Association Needs Managed IT Services 

1. Frequent IT issues and downtime

Research shows that the world’s largest companies spend roughly $9000 for every minute their systems aren’t functioning properly. It’s expensive for associations, too, no matter their size, if their employees regularly face common technological hurdles that delay their work, like lagging computers, slow network speeds, unreliable communication tools, software glitches, and even system failures.   

If this is your reality, you may need a managed IT services provider to ensure your team can consistently access essential tools and your key activities run smoothly. 

2. Inadequate IT support and slow response times

Sometimes, the complexity of an association’s technology can outpace the capacity of its limited in-house teams or the external service providers it works with. You may be in that situation if you experience delays in addressing technical issues, extending your team’s timelines for completing their vital tasks and projects. 

If you don’t currently receive timely and reliable IT support, a managed IT services provider is your answer: they typically outline their guaranteed response times in their service level agreements so you can predict how long something should take. Accessing their team of skilled specialists will also ensure you can always access the required knowledge to tackle your problem promptly. 

3. High IT maintenance and repair costs

Without an adequately skilled team that consistently and proactively maintains its technology infrastructure, associations often deal with frequent problems that divert resources from more important initiatives.  

Has your association had the experience of minor issues in their technology that end up escalating into critical situations? You may have had to spend a lot of unplanned money on expensive emergency interventions and replacements, which prevented you from investing in strategic growth or member services.  

This shows a clear need for a managed IT services provider who can provide a more stable environment. 

4. Outdated technology and lack of modernization

Operational efficiency in associations can decline if they rely on outdated hardware and software. Are your staff struggling to leverage newer technologies or encountering compatibility issues when trying to integrate advanced solutions into your infrastructure? This may be due to infrequent technology evaluations and upgrades, or uncertainty about how to safely incorporate innovations like AI. In such cases, a managed IT service provider can help guide you in modernizing your environment. 

5. Data security vulnerabilities and breaches

Relying on outdated technologies can also increase your association’s cybersecurity risks by creating vulnerabilities that bad actors can exploit. This is a serious concern, as the rate of third-party data breaches or security incidents has grown by 49% in the past year, with 61% of companies reporting such incidents. 

Has your association experienced a data breach or other cybersecurity threat? Even if not, it’s important to consider if your data protection measures are sufficient, including patch management, threat detection, security audits, strong passwords, and staff training on cybersecurity best practices. By adopting a comprehensive zero-trust cybersecurity approach through managed IT services, you can enhance your data security and protect your organization. 

6. Difficulty in scaling IT infrastructure

Your association isn’t static: the needs of your members are constantly changing, and so will how you support them.  

Are your existing technology systems struggling to keep up with your growing operations? Perhaps you’re unsure how to conduct the strategic planning needed to expand your IT infrastructure cohesively, or you might be dealing with a patchwork of siloed systems resulting from years of ad-hoc solutions. 

In that case, partnering with a managed IT services provider can help you build a well-integrated IT environment, empowering you to meet the evolving needs of your community effectively. 

7. Poor member experience and engagement due to IT problems

Often, association staff feel demotivated when they constantly handle frustrated members who can’t access online resources, register for events, or communicate with the organization. These challenges can lead to decreased member participation and engagement with your valuable initiatives, making it harder for your team to fulfill your mission and achieve long-term success. 

If this situation sounds familiar, it may be time to seek assistance in maintaining a reliable IT environment for your members. 

8. Non-compliance with industry regulations

Depending on your specific focus and location, many federal and state data privacy laws in the U.S. could influence your association’s operations. These include the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CDPA), or DC’s Security Breach Protection Amendment Act, among others.  

Non-compliance can lead to serious consequences, including legal penalties and fines. If your organization struggles to adhere to the relevant standards governing your technology use, you may benefit from support in conducting regular audits, updates, and risk assessments. 

9. Inefficient IT management and missing strategic direction

Examine your current technology practices and policies to determine if they are yielding optimal outcomes. Consider whether your association frequently makes reactive technology decisions, resulting in investments that don’t align with your operational goals. 

If this sounds familiar, you may benefit from partnering with a managed IT services provider to guide you towards achieving operational sustainability with your technology. 

10. Overwhelmed in-house IT staff

Your internal IT team likely handles a wide array of responsibilities, from managing system updates and user requests to troubleshooting technical issues and implementing security measures. This often results in them focusing on immediate problems rather than strategic IT projects, which can hinder their efficiency in maintaining a well-functioning IT infrastructure that boosts organizational productivity. 

If this resonates with you, partnering with a managed IT services provider can provide the resources and specialized expertise needed, allowing your team to concentrate on more mission-critical initiatives. 

Partner with designDATA to streamline your association’s operations 

Often, associations struggle with an inadequate IT environment that fails to meet their needs and maintain efficiency. 

By partnering with designDATA for our managed IT services and strategic IT consulting, your association can benefit from expert support to ensure your technology empowers your work instead of hindering it. 

With our deep expertise in IT management for associations, we can help you streamline your IT operations and proactively maintain your infrastructure, minimizing disruptive downtime. Our experts will also implement cost-effective solutions, allowing you to allocate resources to projects that directly impact your members. 

Contact designDATA today to learn how our managed IT services can streamline your association’s operations and enhance strategic management. 

Four Ways That Associations and Nonprofits Can Achieve Operational Sustainability with Managed IT Services

If associations and nonprofits want to support their communities long-term, they need financial and economic stability. Unfortunately, that is difficult to achieve in an unpredictable funding environment where almost 47% of nonprofits saw rising operating expenses in 2023.

However, with a resilient foundation capable of supporting their mission-driven activities and adapting to change, organizations can withstand economic uncertainty and remain effective.  

A robust IT infrastructure will play a vital role in ensuring that this foundation supports operational sustainability: when employees have appropriate and reliable technology, they can communicate and collaborate smoothly and therefore use an organization’s resources efficiently to achieve its goals and drive long-term success. 

Some organizations may struggle to create that necessary work environment in-house. In that case, hiring a provider specializing in managed IT services for nonprofits or associations will be immensely valuable.

Keep reading to learn four strategies for leveraging managed IT services to benefit your organization financially over time and improve your efficiency to make an even more meaningful difference.  

The Struggles Associations and Nonprofits Face in Ensuring Their Long-term Viability 

Nonprofits and associations face various unique obstacles to operational sustainability, such as: 

Funding variability 

They typically rely on fluctuating funding sources, whether that’s donors and grants or membership fees and event revenues, which can be unpredictable and inconsistent. In 2022, charitable giving dropped by 10.5%, although experts predict that in 2024, it will grow by 4.2%, and another 3.9% in 2025. This variability makes it challenging to operate steadily and plan long-term initiatives.  

Staff turnover 

Organizations also deal with staff turnover and executive departures that may disrupt their capacity-building attempts and hinder their ability to carry forward institutional knowledge and strategic direction.  

Ineffective technology 

As tools advance and our digital workplaces rapidly evolve, organizations who want to meet the expectations of their community and stakeholders need to adapt and invest in the most effective IT infrastructure. Yet their limited funds often prevent them from upgrading outdated systems and successfully migrating their data and processes to more effective tools. As a result, these organizations struggle to keep up or avoid disruptions to their performance, whether it’s from a software crash, system failure or cyberattack.  

That inefficiency ends up massively impacting their financial health. The organization wastes time, money, and staff energy dealing with issues, diverting resources away from impactful programs and affecting their operational viability. They also will likely drive up costs by spending more due to delays or fixing a mistake, while simultaneously reducing their potential revenue if the ineffectiveness deters people from supporting them financially.  

How Managed IT Services Can Contribute to Longterm Organizational Sustainability 

Leveraging professional IT expertise can contribute significantly to your organizational longevity. An MSP typically provides a wide range of services, from secure data storage and network management to cloud-based software deployment and continuous monitoring. Let’s discuss a few ways that partnering with a managed IT services provider can be a strategic move for your nonprofit or association’s financial future: 

1) Improving cost efficiency and savings in the short term 

When working with an MSP, you will experience an initial cost reduction by avoiding spending large sums on certain IT infrastructure components, as most MSPs will provide you with access to their own data centers and other virtualized resources. These providers also typically have strong vendor relationships, meaning that they can negotiate more favorable rates to deliver more cost-effective IT solutions. Their subscription-based pricing model also means that you can rely on predictable IT budgeting with no hidden surprises. 

All of this lets you redirect your funds to core mission activities and reduce financial uncertainty as you work on preserving the durability of your operations. 

2) Enhancing productivity and performance 

A managed IT services provider is a key partner in boosting your productivity. For example, they will help you implement modern solutions like cloud software and artificial intelligence to automate the more routine tasks and processes that take away resources from your vital programs.  Importantly, a provider’s experts have the deep knowledge to smoothly integrate these tools into your existing infrastructure and support your team in using newer technologies like AI safely.  

Additionally, when a provider focuses on following the ITIL framework for incident management, you will benefit from a standardized approach that leverages best practices to solve technical issues faster and minimize disruptions to your workflow. Your provider should also be committed to implementing permanent solutions to prevent recurring issues that waste your time repeatedly. This improved efficiency lets organizations optimize their resources and maximize output without increasing operational costs, all of which contribute to that critical organizational sustainability. 

3) Reducing risks and maintaining compliance 

A managed IT service provider will offer comprehensive cybersecurity solutions to protect you against rising cyber threats and reduce your risk of experiencing a data breach. 

They will conduct security assessments to help you identify the potential vulnerabilities compromising your organizational sustainability and then help you build a security roadmap to address these issues. On an ongoing basis, the provider monitors your systems 24/7 to manage threats as they happen, as well as develops strong incident response and disaster recovery plans to deal with any significant problems when they pop up. Finally, they will pair implementing advanced tools with security awareness training so your employees can act as a human firewall to actively mitigate threats. 

All of this can help you with regulatory compliance, as data privacy is typically central to industry regulations. Some MSPS will even help you perform an audit or prepare for an audit as well. 

4) Providing support with strategic planning  

In addition to the short-term cost savings discussed above, your organization will also optimize its funds long-term when your managed IT services provider builds you a high-performing, future-proofed, secure technological ecosystem.   

Their proactive approach and consistent oversight will minimize any downtime and the financial ramifications from the resulting lost productivity. They will also reduce the need to spend heavily on reactive problem-solving, emergency repairs, or disaster recovery, as their experts will tackle issues before they escalate.  

Your provider will typically conduct a strategic technology assessment to ensure that you invest only in technology that aligns with your organizational goals. In this process, they prioritize modern tools capable of supporting your needs as they evolve—all to prevent you from dealing with costly overhauls in the case of technical obsolescence and drive you forward with fewer resources and more sustained operational efficiency. 

Implement sustainable practices with designDATA 

Today, nonprofits and associations operate in a drastically different economic and social context than even just a few years ago. To advance their mission and sustain their operations, they need a sustainable governance model and the capacity to remain resilient as they face change. Their technology infrastructure will be instrumental in achieving that goal. 

When your organization partners with designDATA for our managed IT services, our experts will take actionable steps to set you up for success and help your organization build an IT infrastructure that can weather any storms it might encounter. 

Let’s connect to discuss how designDATA can help you use your technology to achieve long-term organizational sustainability. 

How Managed IT Services Can Scale Your Nonprofit’s Operations Without Raising Costs

Nonprofit organizations face a complex scenario. On the one hand, they must contend with limited resources. On the other hand, if they want to achieve their mission and adequately address the social issues in their community, they also need to build scalable operations, which requires spending money.   

In our contemporary digital business environment, successfully scaling nonprofit operations will require sourcing the right technology to help you use resources wisely and strengthen your ability to adapt to changing needs. However, that can be daunting!  

Rather than trying to figure out how to find the appropriate tools on their own, organizations can partner with an external provider. These experts can guide you through using your technology to drive growth without proportionally increasing costs. Below, you’ll learn more about how managed IT services can provide the necessary strategic IT management and support to handle the increasing demands of scaling your operations to make a greater impact. 

The Challenges of Scaling Operations in Nonprofits 

Building an effective IT infrastructure to support the growth and expansion of a nonprofit’s operations becomes difficult when that goal competes with its financial reality.  

Thanks to a limited budget and resources, organizations often try to make do with what they have. So, they use outdated and unprotected IT systems that lead to inefficient performance, disrupt service delivery, and security vulnerabilities. In 2023, 27% of nonprofits said they had experienced a cyberattack.  

Relying on fundraising and grants can also create financial instability, which puts pressure on CFOs to optimize resource allocation and manage financial risks – making it hard to invest in long-term scaling strategies for their technology because they first need to ensure they can maintain their current programs. As a result, they don’t end up prioritizing resources for capacity building and integrating new tools. 

The Financial Benefits of Leveraging Managed IT Services for Scalability 

Partnering with a managed IT services provider (MSP) is a smart strategy for budget-conscious nonprofits who want to get the full value of their IT investment and grow their operations successfully.  The provider’s technical support will allow them to experience: 

Financial stability over time 

An MSP will create a robust and sustainable foundation that can support your nonprofit’s diverse activities as you work on expanding. They will maintain your overall network health to remain resilient while tackling any issues that pop up, helping you eliminate significant disruptions. When that stability is paired with their subscription service model, your organization can rely on predictable and optimized budgeting, as well as: 

Increased ROI from reduced costs and improved efficiency 

A well-managed and functional IT environment that keeps your data safe and available is vital to making your team’s job easier.  

Your staff can be more productive while collaborating more easily, which helps you use your limited resources effectively and avoid wasting them on duplicating or unnecessary efforts. At the same time, you’ll demonstrate to your team that you are investing in them by providing them with user-friendly and efficient tools. In turn, they will feel valuable and supported, increasing their job satisfaction and, ideally, your retention rates.  

In the short term, you’ll also save money working with an MSP because they will streamline infrastructure expenses; in the long term, you’ll prevent more considerable costs from expensive system failures or cyberattacks. (The global average cost of a cyber attack in 2023 was 4.45 million!) 

More effective decisions about resource allocation 

When you partner with an MSP, they can help you with your IT infrastructure’s strategic vision. They will build you a technology roadmap that serves as a plan for how you can construct your infrastructure to accommodate growth. This will help you prioritize more targeted investments that efficiently use your resources. 

The Role Managed IT Services Plays in Scaling Operations 

Practically, your MSP can support various aspects of scaling your IT operations at your nonprofit, such as: 

1) Assessing your organization’s scalability needs and goals  

To move forward with your technology, you must first determine your organization’s starting point. An MSP can expertly analyze your current infrastructure and business processes, identify your usage and existing bottlenecks, and then use that information to strategically plan the necessary upgrades and investments in hardware and software. This will likely include conducting a cybersecurity assessment because scalability will only be possible if your infrastructure can avoid downtime impacting your ability to support your community.  

2) Implementing scalable IT solutions 

Procuring technology requires deep expertise and experience to build the right mix of tools for scaling your operations. An MSP can facilitate the process of implementing high-quality, optimized, and cost-effective IT solutions. They will ensure your network can continually handle increased traffic and changing connectivity requirements, and your hardware can reliably operate under varying loads and performance demands.  

Additionally, if you want to execute an affordable scalability strategy, cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) technologies will play a central role. This technology offers easy access to expandable storage and application resources, and you only pay for what you use.  

Your MSP can help you source the right vendors, manage your subscriptions, configure the environment to your distinct workflow, support any necessary data migration, and oversee the environment once deployed.  They can also implement a strong cybersecurity framework that keeps your hardware, software, and other infrastructure protected and compliant. 

3) Ensuring seamless integration with existing systems 

Building a scalable IT infrastructure requires blending new technological innovations with the existing tools in your workplace. If done incorrectly, this can lead to operational inefficiency or data inconsistencies and, even more concerning, increased weaknesses and disruptions to your operations.  

An MSP guides you through this process! For example, your organization may want to leverage a relatively new technology like Microsoft Copilot. The provider’s experts can ensure that you adequately set up your current IT ecosystem with robust access control and other strong governance policies to minimize data oversharing or other risks.   Or your nonprofit may want to implement a new cloud-based donor management system with your existing CRM and accounting software. The MSP will configure your systems to communicate information seamlessly, preventing data loss and helping staff continue working uninterrupted. 

4) Providing ongoing support and training 

An MSP can provide staff training and ongoing support to educate your staff on organizational technology so they can proficiently use it to carry out their work tasks. As a result, your nonprofit can improve adoption rates while helping your team deliver consistent performance, maximizing your IT investments and ensuring that your attempts at scaling operations will be sustainable.   

Scale your operations with designDATA 

Unfortunately, when your tech works against you instead of with you, it’s hard to engage in the more critical work necessary to serve your community – let alone stick to your budget or even grow. Among your options for nonprofit growth strategies, partnering with an MSP is a powerful option for expanding your organization by enhancing your technology capabilities.   

At designDATA, we have extensive experience in IT support for nonprofits. Our specialists are here to provide the tailored, managed IT services you need to scale your impact effectively.  

Let’s connect to discuss how we can work together to maximize your IT investments.