Tag Archive for 'IT'

Nonprofit? Use Technology? Do This Now!

Joe Brown ▪ November 15, 2010 ▪ 0 Comments

NTEN, the Nonprofit Technology Network, has announced that its 2010 Nonprofit IT Staffing Survey is now open for submissions. Now in its fifth year, the survey collects benchmarking information in areas including how IT is structured and situated within organizations, staffing and responsibilities, budgets, training, salaries, and retention.

I had the opportunity to ask Holly Ross, NTEN’s Executive Director, a few questions about this year’s survey. With information technology evolving so rapidly, I was particularly interested in any changes to the survey in response to changes in the technology landscape. Holly responded: ”The most significant change is in the area of outsourcing. Instead of simply asking if you manage a function in-house or through outsourcing, we also give you the option to choose the cloud. I hope this will allow us to understand how nonprofits are using the cloud in a more meaningful way.”

What about social media? “Obviously, the NTEN crowd loves to talk about social media, but it’s only a small piece of the overall technology puzzle”, says Holly. (This author couldn’t agree more!) ”We’re definitely interested in how folks are staffing social media, and how much time they spend on it versus other technology initiatives. That said, it won’t be a primary focus of this report. We have a Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report that we publish annually for folks that are more interested in that.”

“A great tool to take to management when making the case for IT investments.” The results of the survey are made available at no charge to the entire nonprofit committee. As a consultant to nonprofit organizations, many of whom grapple with the role and management of technology, I have found the results very useful. In particular, last year’s results — reflecting input from over 1,000 respondents — provided me with insight into the factors that organizations consider most important when hiring IT staff, as detailed in my post A Look at Nonprofit IT Staffing. Holly points out that the survey is “a great tool to take to management when making the case for IT investments. Of course, every organization has to make decisions like that in the right context, but it can be helpful to know what others can doing.”

As Holly says, “the report only works when we have good data from across the sector, so please take the survey!” Need added incentive, participants in this year’s survey can also choose to enter to win a $250 Amazon gift card.

So what are you waiting for? Help yourself, help your organization, and help the sector — take the survey now!

Photo credit: Alan_D

A Look at Nonprofit IT Staffing

Joe Brown ▪ May 28, 2010 ▪ 1 Comment

While generally working behind the scenes, information technology (IT) professionals have long been important to nonprofits as they strive to function as modern, efficient organizations. The importance of IT in most organizations continues to increase as nonprofits seek to fully utilize social media and online fundraising and as they explore the potential of technologies such as content management systems (CMS), contact relationship management (CRM) and software as a service (SaaS).

Last month, the annual conference of the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) in Atlanta brought together more than 1,400 professionals with various roles in nonprofit IT. In advance of the conference, NTEN released its fourth annual IT Staffing and Spending Report. The survey offers a broad range of nonprofit IT management benchmarks drawn from the survey responses of more than 1,000 respondents representing a range of nonprofit organization types and sizes. In reviewing the report, I was particularly interested in staffing-related issues that emerged from the survey results.

What Matters Most?

Among the most interesting findings for me were respondents’ views of the most important factors to consider when hiring IT staff. The following chart summarizes their ratings of a variety of factors on a scale of one (not at all important) to five (extremely important).

Perhaps not surprisingly, past experience with technology was viewed as the most important factor. But, ranked right behind this were the “softer” factors of fit with organizational culture and attitude/personality. Possession of a degree/formal education was a distant last.

How’s the Market?

At times during the past two decades, IT professionals in various disciplines have been among the hottest employment commodities. Organizations in all market sectors often have been compelled to pay significant premiums relative to other staff and to take other steps to attract or retain qualified IT staff. In the NTEN survey, respondents were asked if they were currently utilizing any targeted recruiting or retention practices for IT professionals that are not being used for other staff positions. The majority (57%) indicated they were not. Among those organizations utilizing targeted approaches, the most common considerations included offering higher pay scales for IT staff, telecommuting opportunities, alternative/flexible work schedules and professional development opportunities.

A recent Chronicle of Philanthropy article painted a picture of an even softer market for IT professionals, suggesting that nonprofit organizations nationwide seeking to hire IT staff are encountering a more than adequate supply of qualified candidates — and a surplus of overqualified individuals. The Chronicle article points out a very important consideration given these market dynamics: nonprofit employers should “find workers who will serve their needs, embrace their missions — and also stay at their organizations when the job market thaws.” The concern is that as the job market improves, qualified or overqualified individuals who lack commitment to nonprofit missions might leave for higher salaries.

Your Next Move?

In addressing IT staffing needs, organizations should:

Carefully consider needs. Ensure the organization is able to explore and utilize current and emerging technologies.
Proceed with caution when hiring. Seek IT professionals who fit the organization’s culture and will remain committed to the organization and its mission as the job market improves.
Focus on development and retention. Identify and implement attractive and relatively low-cost practices including professional development and flexible work schedules.

What has your organization’s recent experience been with recruiting and retaining IT personnel? Does your organization have the talent needed to take advantage of the full potential of today’s technologies?

This post originally appeared on the Mission Connected Blog on April 27, 2010.

photo credit: KaVass

Mission Connected: Nonprofit IT Staffing

Joe Brown ▪ April 27, 2010 ▪ 0 Comments

My new post on the Mission Connected Blog, “A Look at Nonprofit IT Staffing“, considers current factors and trends in hiring information technology professionals, and offers advice for nonprofit employers as they address their IT staffing needs.