Grantmaking
Technology Strategy
The strategic use of technology accelerates impact, improves efficiency, and helps mitigate organizational risk.
Nonprofits have historically been underserved by technology. The Foundation’s new Technology Capacity Building Strategy is being developed to reverse this trend. During this initial phase, a pilot group of the Jim Joseph Foundation’s current grantee partners have been invited to participate in our new Technology Capacity Building Program to enhance their use of technology to advance their missions. Each grantee’s technology capacity building efforts will be customized to address their specific needs. Our assessment method and consulting offerings are outlined below.
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Key Starting Point: Technology Maturity Assessment
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Process and Strategies: Flexible Consulting Offerings
As we look to help grantee partners effectively use tools and processes, it is critical to understand how each organization currently uses technology to support operational effectiveness and program impact. We have created a Technology Maturity Assessment to help answer that question.
Our goal is to understand how technology is leveraged by grantee partners and to gain insights into strategies that can increase their capabilities. The information gleaned from the survey—taken by the grantee’s leadership (ideally the CEO), technology lead, and three other staff members—is an important starting point in our efforts to build grantees’ technology capacities.
The Technology Maturity Assessment asks a series of questions along five dimensions.
1. Program Technology
Program-Related Technology refers to digital tools and systems that staff use to deliver services directly. This includes mobile apps for client intake, outcome tracking databases, online learning platforms, and basic tools like tablets that help meet people where they are. These technologies ensure consistent, efficient, and scalable work while maintaining privacy, security, and organizational values.
2. Business Systems
Business Systems are the tools and processes that run daily nonprofit operations. This includes financial software for budgets and donations, program management systems, and fundraising tools. These cloud-based systems often integrate to share information efficiently, supporting data-driven decisions while maintaining security and privacy standards.
3. Data Management
Data is the information organizations collect to understand their work and make better decisions. This includes donor details, fundraising totals, program outcomes, client feedback, and website traffic. Good data practices involve gathering, organizing, and analyzing information effectively while ensuring safe storage, privacy protection, and ethical use.
4. Infrastructure
Infrastructure encompasses the foundational tools, systems, and practices that keep nonprofits connected, efficient, and secure. This includes internet access and networks for communication, cloud computing services for file storage and access, security measures against cyber threats, and policies that guide responsible technology use and data protection.
5. Organizational Structure
Culture is the foundation for successful technology adoption. A supportive culture encourages staff to explore, experiment, and learn from mistakes without fear. It values knowledge sharing and views technology as a tool to deepen impact rather than a threat. Leadership sets this tone by making innovation part of the organization's mission.
Our assessment tool explores an organization’s use of technology within each dimension and categorizes the organization within these three levels:
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Building
Organizations that have multiple technology gaps or opportunities for growth, lack funding to make strategic investments on tech, and do not have a comprehensive technology plan. These organizations typically are small and do not have a dedicated technology role.
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Emerging
Organizations that have seen or are seeing some impact from technology investments but still have several areas of improvement. They typically will have at least one internal staff member to support technology or utilize outside vendors. In some cases, these organizations have previously invested in technology systems, but haven’t provided enough ongoing funding or support, and have amassed some “technical debt”.
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Thriving
Organizations that have adequate technology leadership and capacity, have seen impact from technology investments, and future strategy is focused on modernization and enabling new capabilities. These organizations are data-driven and have technology goals embedded into their multi-year strategic plans.
Process and StrategiesFollowing the Foundation’s analysis of the assessment, our work will begin in earnest. The Foundation will offer flexible consulting strategies, depending on each organization’s needs.
Quick Consultation
Perfect for quick questions and idea validation
> Ad-hoc technology advice
> Vendor recommendations
> Approach validation
> Minimal prep required
Project Support
Perfect for specific initiatives needing targeted support
> Participation in project meetings
> Strategic Input
> Vendor Engagement
> Tailored guidance
> Involvement from Foundation staff or external consultant(s), as appropriate
Complete Tech Evaluation
Perfect for organizations ready for comprehensive change
> Foundation-funded external consultant
> Full system review
> Detailed roadmap deliverable
> Requires organizational commitment
To learn more, please email [email protected]
The Jim Joseph Foundation’s Technology Capacity Building Program will only be offered to our current grantee partners during its initial phases in 2025 and 2026. We look forward to periodically updating this website to share more about this work and lessons learned from its evaluation.