If you’re in the habit of thinking of technology as a back-office utility or even as a necessary evil, it’s time to open your eyes to the many ways technology can directly help you advance your mission. For example: 

• Reaching people in remote areas or people who have barriers to receiving services in person 

• Using digital media, prompts, and feedback mechanisms to enhance experiences and connect communities 
• Measuring and optimizing impact through data collection, analysis, and reporting 

Whether you are looking to boost existing programs or completely re-invent them, a culture of curiosity and experimentation will be fertile ground for innovation to flourish.  

Scroll through this section to explore, or jump to these topics:  

Discover Trends in Technology for Program Delivery
Get Creative, Explore Options
Roll It Out Right
Equip Your Organization for Success
Get Help with Technology for Program Delivery

In Innovation Stories to Ignite Your Imagination, you’ll learn how other organizations are infusing their programs with technology. 

Innovation doesn’t usually happen by chance. In our research, we found that breakthroughs can occur when people take a deliberate approach. They seek to understand the problem at hand, then apply familiar technologies in creative ways.  

Text messaging is one of the ways nonprofits are using technology to augment their programs and services. Texting is useful for appointment reminders, encouraging positive behaviors, and collecting feedback, for example. Consider how your organization might use texting—and learn how to get started—in the eLearning course on Texting for Program Delivery. 

What about data and program evaluation? Explore Case Management Software Trends or read this case study about how Women Against Abuse identified the best data visualization and data analysis tool to help it measure the impact of its programs.

When you’re ready to make a plan, the Innovating Program Delivery Workbook will be your guide to generating ideas, evaluating them, and putting plans into action.  

Text Messaging for Nonprofit Program Delivery and the companion workbook provide detailed guidance on SMS messaging.  

The Online Triage and Intake Toolkit and the Call Center Technology Toolkit, while written specifically for Legal Aid organizations, contain helpful guidance for other kinds of nonprofits as well.

When you’re rolling out new tools for program delivery, the usual principles of Software Implementation and user adoption apply. Consider what sort of support your clients or participants might need, and what barriers might exist to them accessing technology. 

Get Help with Technology for Program Delivery

Do you need an extra helping hand? Our experienced consultants can assist with tech-powered program design and impact evaluation. Learn more about our Strategic Consulting Services.