What do you do if your non-profit program development lacks the advantages of cloud-based technology?

1 Assess your needs and resources

The first step is to assess your current and future needs and resources for your non-profit program development. What are your goals, objectives, indicators, and outcomes? What are the data, tools, and processes that you need to achieve them? What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your existing technology infrastructure? How much budget, time, and staff do you have to invest in technology? By answering these questions, you can identify your priorities and gaps, and plan accordingly.

2 Explore low-cost or free options

The good news is that there are many low-cost or free options for cloud-based technology that can suit your non-profit program development needs. For example, you can use Google Workspace for Nonprofits, which offers free access to cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools, such as Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Calendar, Meet, and Chat. You can also check out TechSoup, which provides discounted or donated software, hardware, and services from leading technology providers, such as Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco, and Salesforce.

3 Leverage partnerships and networks

Another way to overcome the cloud gap is to leverage your partnerships and networks with other non-profits, donors, foundations, corporations, or government agencies. You can seek their support, advice, or collaboration on cloud-based technology solutions that can benefit your non-profit program development. For instance, you can join a cloud consortium, which is a group of non-profits that share cloud resources and expertise to reduce costs and increase efficiency. You can also apply for grants or sponsorships that can help you access or upgrade your cloud technology.

4 Train and empower your staff

One of the challenges of lacking cloud-based technology is that your staff may not have the skills or confidence to use it effectively. Therefore, it is important to train and empower your staff to learn and adopt cloud-based technology solutions that can enhance your non-profit program development. You can offer online courses, webinars, workshops, or mentoring programs that can help your staff develop their digital literacy, data management, and cloud computing skills. You can also create a culture of innovation and feedback that encourages your staff to share their ideas and experiences with cloud technology.

5 Evaluate and improve your performance

Finally, you need to evaluate and improve your performance with cloud-based technology for your non-profit program development. You can use various methods and tools to measure and analyze your progress, impact, and challenges with cloud technology. For example, you can use surveys, interviews, focus groups, or case studies to collect feedback from your staff, beneficiaries, partners, and donors. You can also use dashboards, reports, or analytics to track and visualize your data, outcomes, and indicators. Based on your findings, you can make adjustments and improvements to your cloud technology strategy and implementation.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?