Outsourcing critical processes, such as managed IT services, to specialized professionals may seem like a daunting task for your non-profit. It requires time, money and effort into finding that agency that both specializes in the needed area and will not break your budget.
Outsourcing, however, allows your non-profit to free itself from burdensome tasks it does not have the internal skills to efficiently handle while giving you more time to address your core mission. Before you can make the optimal outsourcing decision, however, you first need to understand your organization’s needs. Here are some questions you should ask yourself before deciding to outsource your managed IT services.
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Are we lacking essential knowledge and skills?
It’s important to look at the people and skills you have within your non-profit before choosing to outsource. Are your employees skilled enough to manage IT? Do they have the knowledge to be relied upon in this area? Will managing IT services take time away from their other, more critical duties? If your employees are not capable or simply do not have the time to take over your non-profit’s IT managed services, it may be time to look for an agency that can do it for you.
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Can we save money and time by outsourcing?
One of the primary reasons non-profits hesitate to outsource is budgeting concerns. Outside IT managing services can be pricey depending on the provider and it might not be possible to spend a significant portion of your budget on outside resources. Hiring someone internally, however, can cost even more in both salary and the time it would take to train them. Fortunately, some non-profit IT service organizations, such as Tech Impact, can cost less than a full-time employee and can provide non-profits a dedicated team specializing in managed IT services, saving you both time and money.
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Do you fully know what services need to be handled and what goals you want to achieve?
So you know you need to outsource in order to maximize your non-profit’s potential. Before you outsource these services, make sure you know exactly what you want to get out of your newfound partnership. What goals do you want to achieve? What services need to be handled? What is the most important thing that needs to be handled in order to properly utilize your outsourced agency’s services and skills? List out exactly what you want to get from your outside managed IT service and make sure to share your goals and expectations with them. By working in tandem with your managed IT services partner, you can successfully place your IT services in the trusted hands of experts, enabling you to focus on what you do best—furthering your non-profit’s core mission and cause.
