Non-profit organisations rarely have spare resources to devote to IT. There is also understandable pressure to ensure that money is rather spent on front-line project delivery than on smartening up IT capability. As a result, non-profits too often run off old technology that slows your work, frustrates your team and leaves your system unsecured.

“Why is it not working?!”

We have all been there. Ten minutes before a funding application is due in and your computer crashes. Your email is showing you an error message you don’t understand. You are sure you saved the file but it is nowhere to be found.

If any of the following challenges sound familiar, it is a good moment to explore how Clea can help.

1.Not enough money…

IT budgeting can be tricky as it will often come out of your hard-won unrestricted budget. As a non-profit Community-Interest Company, Clea provides an affordable service that first off helps you maximise your existing IT capacity. We help you make the most of any non-profit discounts provided by the major tech companies. We also keep our eye on IT and tech specific grants that may help you fund IT and tech development. With mobile phone web access dominating, ensuring your website and supporter platforms are mobile-ready will also potentially increase your donations. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, a well-maintained secure system keeps your data and information safe and avoids costly issues of network breaches.

Ultimately, our IT support services for a cost-effective monthly fee help with your financial planning, give you peace of mind, can increase donations and will save money on expensive IT crisis resolution.

2. Who is our IT person?

For many non-profits, IT management tends to fall upon whomever in the team is the most technologically-savvy. Your comms person becomes your IT person and suddenly communication takes a backseat. As your organisation develops, this can be a false economy as it can mean that your ‘IT’ person is often distracted from their core tasks. On the flip side, it can also mean IT issues can slip down the priority ladder until they hit urgent and are costlier to resolve! Handover can be especially difficult should the team member be sick, on leave or move on.

Working with Clea gives you access to a responsive quality and consistent IT support team so you can concentrate on your core work.

3. Where is that file?

Dealing with international development projects results in a wide-geographical spread between your project participants, donors, volunteers and core team. Whilst this diversity in mindset and experience brings a wealth of positives, sometimes day-to-day interaction can be difficult and time-consuming.

Effective cloud-based technology and solid IT foundations will enable your teams to collaborate without the headaches that can come from having a remote team. Shared folder structures and well-maintained databases allow you to work collaboratively and pull data in real-time. Clea can help you use IT to streamline work processes for your staff and volunteers whether they are in the same room or on the other side of the world.

4. How many people took part?

Many non-profits are sat on a gold mine of stats; whether projects, fundraising or communications. If these are sat in paper notebooks or on different desktops, the benefit of this data is lost to most of the team.

Mobile development can save time at all stages of monitoring and evaluation – from counting program participants to measuring whether the program is having a real impact. Improved IT will allow for more efficient sharing of this data so your teams can analyse in real-time and make better decisions so programs are impact-focused and not resting on good intentions and untested hypotheses. With data and commentary at your fingertips, your communications team will be able to share your project news with your audience, whilst your fundraising team will be more prepared to feedback to donors and engage new supporters.

Whether you are a start-up or a global organisation, Clea provides affordable and consistent leading-edge expertise. Equipped with the right technology and bolstered by our support, you be able to devote more energy to your core mission and boost your impact.