Tech Stack, Non Profits, and Volunteers

The first rule of being a successful Non Profit is to get whatever you can for free. This is because funds are not the most plentiful when it comes to Non Profits and their operations. Therefore, trying to get as much as possible for free through donations is something that could be viewed as the most important rule when it comes to operating a successful Non Profit.

Obviously, this is not always possible. There will be situations in which you need to spend money. Thankfully, especially when it comes to building a tech stack, it is possible to be able to purchase heavily discounted licenses for core components of your Non Profit tech stack. In this situation, you should be evaluating everything through the lens of how much you can get at a discounted price.

Once you have settled on these aspects of your tech stack, the next consideration needs to focus on how your volunteers interact with it. Obviously, paid staff should be able to easily handle it, but as this newsletter has addressed on multiple occasions, volunteers present a unique challenge when it comes to Non Profits. This is because they offer their time and expertise when they can, and the reality is that it can be incredibly uneven.

Additionally, when technology is added to the mix, the situation can get even more complicated, especially when it comes to different generations. While many seniors have demonstrated the ability to very quickly pick up technology, mastering it and being able to effectively wield it, this is not the case across the board. Some seniors will completely refuse to learn (not really seeing the need), or simply decide that because of their lifestyle, there is no real point for them to pick up something new.

It would be really nice if this would be the only consideration in play. However, younger generations have a rather dramatically different viewpoint with technology. Some Gen Z members do not use email. They will text, but when it comes to actually using email, they do not do it. Additionally, they might be on platforms such as Snapchat or Tik Tok while others such as Facebook are viewed as being not relatable.

At this point, you might be looking at everything here wondering how in the world you can have a functional volunteer corps with such a wide range of views and abilities with technology. You might be ready to tear your hair out in frustration (of course, if you are like me, nature has already beat you there). However, take a deep breath. Thankfully, there is a solution.

What is probably most helpful for you at this point is to have a sit down meeting with all of your volunteers. In this setting, try to find what is the most effective tech solution. What are the common shared experiences? Here is where things can get fascinating: remember that there is a good chance that the seniors in your volunteer corps have grandchildren. Many of the adults present have children (some grown) who might be the same age as your youngest volunteers. The point here is this: while the tech gulf might be apparently insurmountable, the reality is that while different generations handle technology differently, the reality is that when you explore the connections between generations, common links will emerge. Grandparents will usually enlist the aid of younger generations (sometimes grandchildren or children) to help them with their tech needs. Parents likely are aware of their children's issues with technology, as well as how they can circumvent parental controls. By sitting down and getting input, you will very quickly begin to see a path forward.

The process of assessing volunteers and technology will likely be one that will not have a perfect solution. It might get very frustrating, especially if a strong consensus does not immediately emerge. However, if your volunteers are interested in helping you with your mission, they will adjust if you do not ask way too much from them or expect them to move heaven and earth in order for them to accommodate you.

In conclusion, developing a tech stack that works with your volunteer corps can be a challenging ordeal. You might lose some people because the solution that you settle on just won’t work for everyone. However, if you carefully sit down at the outset with everyone and work through everything, you might find something that will require some people to adjust to using but in the end will work well for everyone.