Technology, once thought of as the realm of nerds, is now part of everyone's job. From museum curators to Head Start bus drivers, nonprofit staff members rely on technology to help them deliver programs and coordinate their work. Staying up-to-date and regularly expanding your technology knowledge and skills has many benefits for you and your organization, such as...
1. Continuously assess and improve technology
Find out how your tools and practices compare to benchmarks or best practices. Identify areas for improvement, then prioritize and budget for upgrades. If you don't know how to do this, you're probably losing productivity, wasting money, and putting your organization at risk.
2. Discover trends
Be the first in your organization to know about the latest security threat or the hottest new social media platform. Avoid getting caught unprepared. Be a source of innovative ideas in your organization.
3. Avoid mistakes
Avoid common pitfalls with tool selection and implementation, and steer clear of cybersecurity incidents.
4. Run the numbers
Use data to aid in decisions and tell your story of impact.
5. Get more value out of the technology you have
Improving your technology skills unlocks benefits, whether it's learning how to segment your donor database for targeted appeals, picking up tips to use productivity and project management software to make you more efficient and never miss a detail, or becoming adept at designing hybrid events that make the most of streaming platforms.
6. Find experts
The people who teach technology courses are often the people you'll want to follow and seek out for advice.
7. Build your resume
Gain credentials that make you more valuable to your current employer and more attractive as a future job candidate.
8. Become a resource
Be the person who always has the answer to technology questions and who brings forward the most innovative ideas.
9. Grow a technology mindset
Show leadership by treating technology as a strategic asset and making responsible technology use part of your habits and culture.
There are lots of ways to learn: live instructor-led classes, conferences, self-paced eLearning, reading, talking with peers, and hands-on experimentation, to name a few. If you like the structure and accountability of courses and the convenience of on-demand learning, consider Tech Impact's Technology Learning Center. An All Access Pass will give you access to hours of on-demand eLearning courses and recorded webinars, plus Tech Impact’s live webinars and in-depth instructor-led courses every month.
