One of the biggest challenges I see in the nonprofit sector is a reliance on tools and data that are sub-par.
Old technology platforms, inefficient systems, and tools that are inflexible all keep leaders in our sector from having the insights required to make quick and fully informed decisions.
Often what I hear is that the tools in place “will do for now”, because investing in better tools either wasn’t budgeted, or didn’t rise to the level of importance necessary to get board approval, etc.
However, the reality is that you pay for this decision no matter what.
You either pay in the upfront to get the platforms, tools, and resources that can allow you and your team to work more effectively and deliver more mission impact, OR, you pay in the daily frustrations associated with forcing your people to work with ineffective tools that sap time and energy, that can’t customize reporting views that align with the way you actually work (which means your people end up creating workarounds that are almost always manipulated by hand).
The second cost you pay when you have ineffective systems is the cost of poor decision-making. When you don’t have the right tools to help you fully and accurately understand your realities, you risk making decisions based on what you “think” or “feel” about something. But those decisions aren’t fully data-informed, and often this results in staff and leaders making incorrect (or at least less effective) decisions.
Ultimately, having good data and effective systems that allow you to harness that data to drive decision-making is the cost of entry for running an effective organization today.
Here’s an example of a reporting pack that my team and clients use. This is just a small set of views that we have at our fingertips for our clients. If you don’t have something like this, you probably need to investigate new options that can serve your organization more effectively.