In this episode, I’m talking with Jason Shim, described by TechSoup as a Nonprofit Technology Rockstar. I definitely share that opinion. I’m so excited to bring his insights, energy and experience to all of you.
Listen here:
Jason’s a connector, an innovator with an insatiable curiosity. As you’ll find in this episode, he shares his experience, learning and knowledge freely, humbly, and with insight and analysis.
I wanted to talk to Jason for a number of reasons, which you can imagine from all that I just described. But, in 2012, he wrote a specific article that really caught my attention (original link is no longer available, this is a PDF of the original article). He shared his and his organization’s experience using Facebook as a tool to better communicate with the youth they serve. Not market to. Not solicit donations. Not for the Likes and Shares. But to serve them better. It’s always been a seminal article on the topic for me. There’s just not been enough written about it. So I wanted to catch up with him to see how it’s going, 4 years later, and to have him distill even more learning from his experience.
I had a lot of fun interviewing Jason. And also learned so much. On his LinkedIn profile Jason writes: “How can we harness technology to make a difference in the world? That’s the question I love to answer for organizations.” I think you’ll enjoy hearing how he’s been able to answer it for his own organization.
Be where your clients are when it comes to technology
Make technology a priority in your organization. Technology can play a significant role in advancing your mission.
Integrate technology with your organizational strategy, not as an afterthought
Quantify the efficiencies of using technology – make your case about how technology can be helpful. Be able to answer this question: “Does it solve a problem, or is it a solution looking for a problem?”
Frontline workers/champions are essential. They have the direct connection with clients. They have the data, which is essential to make your case. The more specific you can be, the better.
Don’t focus on technology for technology’s sake, focus on how it will hep your work, improve your services
There is value in small pilots. Implementing technology takes time, it can take years to get complete buy-in. See what you can learn from small steps, iterate and scale. There is less risk in this approach in a notoriously risk-averse nonprofit sector.
When it comes to policies, recognize that most of your work is already covered by existing organizational policies. Focus on guidelines, best practices, peer modelling/mentoring and sharing. Peer support is crucial for making technology implementation work.
Manage time expectations with both clients and staff. Be clear that staff are to use professional accounts/personas, not personal accounts.
Can technology make your work easier AND help you serve clients better? The potential is there for it to do both, sometimes at the same time.
Be aware of the limitations of the technology you’re using in your service provision, and move clients to in-person or other channels when it makes sense to.
Workers are all capable service providers. Don’t forget everything you already know when you move services online. It’s just a different channel. Reassure people about their skills, they just might need some help with technology mechanics. But, what matters is that they already know how to serve their clients.
Don’t be afraid to explore the possibilities of technology in your work.
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Summary
In this episode, I’m talking with Jason Shim, described by TechSoup as a Nonprofit Technology Rockstar. I definitely share that opinion. I’m so excited to bring his insights, energy and experience to all of you.
