Digital Transformation Provides Six Value-Driven Opportunities for Nonprofits: New Report From Info-Tech Research Group

The global IT research and advisory firm explains that many nonprofit organizations are now scrambling to remedy the fallout from employing a reactive approach to digital transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic without a holistic digital strategy in mind.

TORONTO, Sept. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a major catalyst for digital transformation, forcing many organizations to move away from legacy processes and toward the long-overdue adoption of crucial digital tools, systems, and software. However, despite some nonprofit organizations' initial progress in adopting digital tools, most of the industry is lagging in digital maturity, raising longevity concerns as the future of work continues to trend toward all things digital. To assist nonprofit leaders in securing their organizations' position in the unknown future and evaluating their digital capabilities to power mission-driven impacts, Info-Tech Research Group has released its new industry resource, Assess Your Nonprofit's Digital Maturity.

"The momentum digital transformation previously had at the height of the pandemic has largely tailed off and lost its urgency in the nonprofit industry, yet there remains much work to be done," says Monica Pagtalunan, research analyst at Info-Tech Research Group. "Nonprofits are risk-averse when they need to be risk takers. Digitally mature organizations recognize how deeply technology empowers people and processes. Those are the nonprofits that thrive."

The new resource from the firm is designed to demonstrate the current state of digital transformation in the nonprofit industry and explain why future-focused nonprofit organizations should complete a thorough digital maturity assessment. While some nonprofits may view taking this step as a daunting investment of time and resources, conducting a digital maturity assessment helps nonprofit leaders navigate the complexities of digital transformation and provides a roadmap of where to focus their efforts across organizational strategy, culture, and technologies.

"Many nonprofit organizations believe they are digitally mature without interrogating this assumption," explains Pagtalunan. "An assessment is a crucial step in determining whether they're on the right track."

The resource identifies six leading opportunities that drive value for digitally aware nonprofits, ranked in no particular order. These opportunities are outlined below:

1. Conversational care capitalizes on artificial intelligence (AI) to enable efficient and personalized engagement for constituents through natural language interactions.
2. Intangible fundraising assets include cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which present opportunities for nonprofits to create new fundraising streams.
3. Digital fundraising uses digital tools, alternative payment methods, and the online space for a holistic and impactful digital donor experience that keeps up with the fast-paced modern-day consumer lifestyle.
4. Fundraising intelligence leverages data and AI to optimize fundraising strategies by identifying patterns, predicting behaviors, and personalizing the donor experience.
5. A cybernated supply chain optimizes technology to streamline the sourcing, distribution, and delivery of resources and services to the beneficiaries of a nonprofit's program.
6. Virtual collaboration removes physical or location barriers, further leveraging technology to facilitate activities, events, and meetings for external and internal stakeholders.

Info-Tech's resource underscores that nonprofit organizations with a high degree of digital maturity have effectively ramped up their ability to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing environment, a crucial survival tactic as the world continues to experience previously unprecedented black swan events such as the pandemic. The resource also illustrates several underlying drivers that compel the adoption of a digitally transformed organization, including organizational growth, operational excellence, constituent experience, program innovation, and people and culture.

To learn more about the benefits of conducting a digital maturity assessment and pursuing intentional digital transformation, download the complete Assess Your Nonprofit's Digital Maturity resource.

To conduct a comprehensive data-driven digital maturity assessment supported by Info-Tech's Digital Maturity Framework, visit the Digital Maturity Assessment page and connect with an analyst.

For media inquiries on the topic or to get exclusive, timely commentary from Info-Tech analysts, please contact PR manager Sufyan Al-Hassan at [email protected]. 

For information about Info-Tech Research Group or to access the latest research, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and X.

Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world's leading information technology research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals. The company produces unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For 25 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with IT teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and over 200 IT and industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact [email protected].

SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group