Making Technology an Integral Part of Your Nonprofit

Special thanks to Heidi Grinde who contributed significantly to this blog.

If you’re like me, you may feel like all anyone talks about is how quickly technology changes. Just when I have one thing figured out — the next new thing is coming out.

Regardless how one may feel about the ability to embrace these changes, technology is one area nonprofits do not want to fall behind. We must recognize the importance of adopting technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), and how it can help us deliver on our mission.

AI is already revolutionizing multiple aspects of nonprofit work, such as fundraising, accounting, donor engagement, volunteer management, and data analysis. By leveraging AI, we can drive efficiencies beyond what we once thought possible.

To get your nonprofit ready for AI, consider these steps:

Step 1: Assess your systems. Are you using open architecture, cloud-based systems, and does your vendor currently use AI within the system and share their AI roadmap? If not, it may be time to consider a new system.

Step 2: Move systems. Not all software is created equal. If you realize your current systems can’t adopt or be influenced by AI, consider moving to systems that can. Systems that use AI can help reduce the time spent on repetitive or tedious tasks. Examples include:

• Bill payment platforms can now pull in all invoice information, code the invoice, and only require a high-level review before payment. This can save hours of work for organizations.
• General ledgers can provide automatic outlier detection reports, easily sifting through thousands of transactions and providing management with only unusual transactions to review.
• Intelligent assistants like Microsoft’s Copilot are being built into accounting systems, enabling users to quickly find answers to questions — thereby reducing time spent on training, documentation, and interruptions.

Step 3: Stay in the know. Keeping up with the latest technology and AI developments can be challenging, but it is essential to understand the systems you use and adopt the available technology. Leverage your vendors to stay current on the software. By embracing and implementing the tools at our disposal, we can give ourselves more time to focus on our mission. Additionally, these tools can help your nonprofit address the issue of accounting staff shortages and turnover.