Nonprofit organizations have many operations that can be streamlined and improved significantly using software they may not even be aware of. Typically, nonprofits don’t have a dedicated IT team, and frequently, there is one individual wearing many hats that “inherits” the overseeing of anything in the IT bucket. A simple solution is to work with a managed service provider (MSP) to help navigate the landscape. MSPs allow nonprofits to leverage seasoned IT leadership’s knowledge and expertise without the costs of hiring and retaining their own internal IT team. Some of the areas an MSPs can assist with include:

Support

Support is most likely the first thing you think of when you are looking for IT help. Depending on your needs as an organization, this can be the most common touchpoint with your MSP and perhaps the most valued. Being assured that when you have an IT issue and pick up the phone, email, or text that you get prompt service and getting your team back to the jobs, they do best can be the difference between landing that next grant or even retaining your most important asset, your staff. If they aren’t able to work, that can lead to issues with feeling valued and fulfilled when they are giving their all to your organization. 

Data Security

Nonprofits are often “soft targets” and have become some of the most frequent targets for hackers globally due to the often large amounts of confidential data they maintain. Hackers tend to gravitate towards nonprofit institutions like hospitals and charities as they are some of the biggest recipients of donor capital. They hope to gain critical information that can be used to launch ransomware or spear-phishing attacks. The dangers of cyber-attacks include revealing sensitive donor information and other confidential data from your organization. This can result in headaches and risks for your donors as it leads directly to scams and theft. All it takes is one single successful cyber-attack to undermine all of your nonprofit’s efforts and possibly lead to your doors closing permanently. A partnership with a seasoned managed service providers can mitigate any risks and ensure your nonprofit stays proactive and vigilant about any threats.

IT Roadmap

As Yogi Berra said: “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” the same is true with your technology plan. Often, organizations let technology happen to them instead of being proactive with planning what their goals are as an organization and then ensuring they get the right technology in place to ensure success. A great MSP can help by providing a framework, knowledge, and insight that can help ensure your technology choices align with your goals and serve as a ladder to get you to that next stage in developing your nonprofit.

Other aspects that MSPs can help with nonprofits include:

• Preventing data breaches

• Dealing with data privacy concerns

• Building and managing disaster recovery plans

• Establishing, migrating, and managing cloud services

• Controlling spending on software

If you’d like to learn more about how we can help your nonprofit, talk to us today.