How Your Nonprofit Can Secure Grants for Your Technology Infrastructure

Nonprofits typically rely on the funding provided to them by grants in order to operate. Fortunately, there are many grants out there for the nonprofit to take advantage of, many based on the cause the nonprofit works towards and many intended to support the use of technology by these organizations. Let’s explore what makes IT so critical and impactful for the nonprofit, and where technology grants may be found.

IT Can Make a Big Difference for Nonprofits

The term “nonprofit organization” covers a wide swath of entities, including the likes of:

• Charities
• Certain healthcare providers
• Religious organizations
• Social advocacy groups
• Foundations
• Localized employee/trade associations
• Schools
• Social welfare organizations

While some aspects of operating one of these entities may be different, on the whole, most of the processes that they follow are effectively the same as any other business. For instance, many nonprofits use digital information storage, various applications and software, email, and cybersecurity protections in the same way that their profit-based counterparts do.

Modern and better-utilized IT can make any organization more effective, including your nonprofit. The real difference is the flexibility that for-profits have compared to that of nonprofits. For-profits have funds that can be easily shifted to address serious issues as they arise, while nonprofits don’t really have that capability. Plus, if your budget is strictly allocated—as that of a nonprofit needs to be—any kind of ransomware attack or similar IT issue only becomes more challenging.

Data breaches work the same way. If a business suffers a data breach, they can lose the trust of their clients and customers. A nonprofit suffering a data breach can lose the trust of their donors, sponsors, and the community at large…not good, for an organization that depends on community support. So, in a very real way, IT issues and threats are just as much as (if not more) a problem for nonprofits.

However, the Right IT Can Give a Nonprofit the Advantage it Needs

Modern technology can help the goals that a nonprofit strives to accomplish more achievable. For instance, charities would benefit from keeping an up-to-date email list to seek out donations. Without a system that allows them to do so, some poor sap would be responsible for doing so manually—and nobody wants that. On the other hand, using a modern system that enables automation, as well as enables the use of engagement analytics, would make it far simpler to get their messages to their intended recipients as well as more likely that they are delivered successfully.

While these technologies do have their costs—primarily in their initial setup—they are generally beneficial enough in terms of the results and saved time that comes from them to make these costs well worth the investment. Let’s look at fundraising as an example. Planning and hosting an event is an expensive and time-consuming process that may or may not produce a worthwhile return on investment.

However, adding the ability to collect digital donations online makes the donation process more convenient and therefore could encourage more people to donate…and is just one more of many, many more ways that IT can elevate the nonprofit’s work.

Consider How Much Utility a Technology Grant Can Provide:

The right IT, when properly implemented, can help you…

…automate those processes that would otherwise take up valuable staff or volunteer time.
This means that you can devote more time and energy to more beneficial efforts that more directly further your cause.

…give nonprofits access to improved marketing and communication options.
Modern technology can be used to augment some of a nonprofit’s most essential tools, which can be used to publicize their cause and collaborate with donors and sponsors.

…improve the information and insights nonprofits can glean from their campaigns.
With many nonprofits actively seeking to do more with their relatively limited resources, the right technology can help compile the data needed to strategize this optimization.

…simplify and diversify the processes to collect community donations.
The more options a nonprofit gives their community to support them, the more likely it is that donations will be made. Today’s technology can make it simple for nonprofits to collect these kinds of donations through a variety of means.

…meet and maintain the compliance standards that nonprofits are beholden to.
In order to keep their nonprofit status and meet the various requirements that laws and regulations place on all businesses, various modern technologies will be helpful in terms of the security they offer.

…lower their operational costs over time.
With effective technology in place, there are numerous ways that a business’ costs can be optimized and ultimately reduced. As a result, more funds are freed up for the nonprofit that can then go toward whatever cause the organization is dedicated to supporting.

…protecting their offices and other facilities through physical security measures.
Many nonprofit organizations operate with a lot of on-hand resources and potentially even cash, not to mention the data that many will keep in the office as well. Protecting these resources is of paramount importance, and utilizing physical security that incorporates IT as a means of enhancing it ultimately benefits your protections further.

…allowing technologies to be developed by providing the necessary funds.
It is important to see any organization’s operational IT as an investment, but with the limited flexibility that many nonprofits experience, these investments can be challenging to make. Technology grants help give organizations the funds to help make these investments.

Seeking Out Technology Grants to Assist a Nonprofit Organization

With these grants offering so many benefits to nonprofits, it only makes sense to seek them out as much as possible. A good first step is to figure out what your goals for your technology are, and plan out a roadmap that details the involved technologies and how they will help you accomplish your goals. This roadmap will help to convince the foundations or government organizations offering these grants that the funds will be well invested.

State-Provided Grants

In terms of grant quality and credibility, the government is usually the first place many organizations will seek out. As of this writing, New York state nonprofit organizations can seek out available funding opportunities via grantsgateway.ny.gov, but these capabilities will be migrated over to the New York State Financial System’s website.

Federal Grants

Nonprofit organizations can also seek out funding opportunities on a national level via grants.gov. 

Other Online Resources

There are various online platforms that also offer educational resources to assist a nonprofit in its fundraising efforts, as well as tools to assist nonprofits in finding grants and other such opportunities. Be forewarned, though—some of them require a paid subscription to access some of these features.

• Grantli offers numerous resources, including breakdowns for opportunities in each state, including New York.
• GovGrantsHelp offers a variety of free resources, with a grant finder tool available with a subscription to their services.
• Instrument offers a premium service to help organizations find and keep track of grants.
• Candid offers a foundation directory to premium subscribers.

Local Support

A great resource for many nonprofits seeking out funding or other support for their technology needs are local chambers of commerce and similar peer groups in their area. Not only do some chambers and groups offer programs to assist nonprofits, many businesses will have taken 1% pledges, where they dedicate a portion of their profits and/or time to causes in their area. We’ve taken such a pledge ourselves.

When Seeking Out an IT Grant, It Helps to Have an IT Plan

As you may have gathered at this point, there are a lot of hoops to jump through when trying to secure any funding—why complicate the process further by going into it without an idea of where you want to go and what you’ll need to get there? Creating an IT roadmap to follow not only gives you a direction to go, but also makes it easier to acquire the necessary funds.

Turn to Directive for Help with Your Nonprofit’s IT

We’re all about giving it back to our community and paying it forward, and we’re more than happy to assist you in developing an IT strategy that will help you bring in the grant money that accomplishing your goals will require. Find out more about how better technology can help you accomplish better outcomes today. Give us a call at 607.433.2200 to learn more.