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When a nonprofit wants to add a new system to their tech stack, what’s the first step they need to take?

In this episode Sarah speaks with Watt Hamlett of Hamlett Consulting to find out what sets nonprofits whose tech implementations succeed and those who struggle, apart. After years of experience with nonprofits and Salesforce, Watt founded his consultancy four years ago. He was curious about why some nonprofits’ new tech implementations went smoothly, while others were long, drawn out and painful. He dedicated his consultancy to helping more nonprofits improve their tech usage while integrating new pieces of tech with minimal headaches.

From initial steps before the discovery process through adoption, Watt has some excellent tips and strategies to tame the new tech overwhelm.

Watt’s Tips to Tame the New Tech Overwhelm
* Do a tech audit
* What do each of your staff members currently use, sometimes you’ll find them using different tools for the same job (one uses Mailchimp, another uses Constant Contact)
* What do you want the technology to do?
* Sit down with your board and your staff members to establish clear goals and the exact set of issues you want the tech to help with
* How does the technology actually work?
* Often the people making the tech choices don’t understand what the tool’s limitations are, and often end up paying a lot more than they thought for initial implementation help
* If you don’t already know how to work with the problem this tech ‘solves’ you’ll likely end up with something too complex for your needs.
* Hire a technology expert to advise you during the process
* Hiring a separate technology expert to help you on your hunt for the right implementation partner can save you a lot of time, money and headache.
* The technology expert can help you prepare before the implementation, choose a partner that actually understands nonprofits’ needs and knows the technology you are bringing in.
* Keep up team morale throughout the process
* Staff members are more likely to adopt the technology if they aren’t already frustrated with it before they even get started.
* Remember that the team working toward implementation is doing their normal jobs with the added responsibility of making this new tech work for everyone in your organization. Find ways to show extra appreciation for the extra work they’re doing.