(This is Part 2 of a 2 part article. In Part 1 talked about the top 10 reasons why you need to add a Trusted Advisor to your team. In this second part I am going to a little more in depth as to why having one will help keep you up to date on the latest tools and technologies for fundraising and philanthropy.)
Do you ever get the feeling that you are the last to know about the latest technology, tools, and trends in fundraising? Sometimes just the fact of being made aware of new technologies and strategies by a volunteer or the development board can send you scrambling to implement the latest shiny new tool without the benefit of a well thought out plan or strategy.
Maintaining or stabilizing your current operations is important and can take up the majority of your time and focus. As important as that is, it is also imperative you continually strive to evolve and improve the operations. The competitive and ever changing landscape of fundraising demands that you stay current in the latest trends and technology. Without staying current your organization won’t have the right information to make key strategic decisions that will impact your overall success.
How are you supposed to accomplish all of this?
One solution is to dedicate 15% of your staff’s time to tracking and staying on top of the latest trends and technology. Have them get to know the vendors to discover and evaluate what new technology is out there and then determine what will work best for your organization. Have the team spend some time forecasting not only what trends and tools work today but how it will impact you in the future. By doing this you can stay ahead of the game and plan your next move.
Simple right?
Okay, we know that while that might work, the reality is neither you nor your staff have the time to do all that. As well-meaning as you might be to try, your day is too busy putting out fires and just trying to keep up with the backlog of projects. Your staff doesn’t have the time to stay current on everything that is changing and developing. The problem becomes the more it is neglected the further behind you are in terms of the latest technology used that makes all your efforts successful. It’s like being with a group of your friends while they are looking up restaurants in the area on their cell phones while you look at your old flip phone that doesn’t know what a browser or app is.
So what is the solution?
What about a trusted advisor that you can turn to that will provide you the information you need on a regular basis? Someone that specializes in knowing the fundraising market, knows the technology, vendors and trends. Someone that has the relationships built with vendors that would allow them to sit down and evaluate what will work for you. Your advisor needs to be someone that knows your organizational culture and business practices. Someone that can sift through all the noise and clutter and present you solid solutions to your fundraising technology needs. Someone that will listen and be able to advise you what will work now and in the future.
Your organization, the donors and your staff deserves the very best. By adding a trusted advisor that knows the industry and is interested in your success you can achieve excellence.
If you are want to be ahead of the curve in knowing the latest tools, technology, and trends in fundraising, give me call at (424)206-5379.
Dauwn Parker leverages her extensive background in CRM consulting and experience in fundraising operations to guide her clients to success. She offers her clients valuable leadership coaching, lessons for avoiding common pitfalls, best practices, tools, and techniques. Clients find Dauwn’s communication style as a differentiator in her services, whether conducting a large group facilitation or a one-on-one coaching session, she breaks complex concepts into consumable segments of information making it easy to understand for anyone regardless of their role in the organization, level of experience, or skill set.