It’s Time for Nonprofits to Think About Tech as Program Work, Not Overhead

By: Joan Garry, Founder of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab

For nonprofits, there is no going back to “normal.”

And in many ways, that’s for the better. There were more than a few flaws with that “old normal”, the biggest of which is the sector’s relationship to digital technology. For many nonprofits pre-pandemic, technology was an afterthought that was too often considered overhead rather than an asset.

During the pandemic, it was the connective medium. It served as a critical lifeline, bridging the gap between nonprofits and supporters. And seemingly overnight, organizations that once regarded digital transformation as a long-term project were implementing, onboarding, and investing in technology that could keep them connected to their supporters and keep their missions going. Most importantly, nonprofits saw the power that technology has to expand their reach — to bring more people to their organization. More awareness, more access, more power.

So now that