Spend Right, Raise More A Guide to Technology Spend for Charities and Nonprofits

By ITEC

The Charity Aid Foundation’s Social Landscape Report scarily reveals only one in seven charity CEOs feel confident they will be able to manage the increasing demand. The lack of financial resources is a burden.

Funding income and financial sustainability remain the biggest obstacles that charities face, and many CEOs (54%) believe they will have to enter their reserve funds to cover income shortfalls. Alarmingly, many smaller charities do’nt believe they will be able to survive the year.

1 Directory of Social Change

The State of Play

How Can Technology

Help You?

Technology on its own is a powerful but directionless tool. You need to harness it. You need to direct it. ITEC has helped hundreds of charities and nonprofits during our 30 years of experience as a Managed Service Provider.

In this guide, we break down what we’ve learned and have identified how improving your Print, IT, Mobility, Mailing and digitising your workplace will solve the common technology mistakes your charity is making.

Bad tech will no longer block your success.

And this is before Brexit causes the sector to lose a further £250 million worth of funding.1

Having your charity reach its goals, to raise more, to save more, to help more, is harder than ever. But, by making smart investments in your technology, you can create more funds and boost employee productivity—take strides towards your goals.

You face a dilemma. The demand for your services is

increasing. Your funds and resources are under immense pressure. This squeeze is

expected to continue throughout the rest of the year, and has already

crippled many charities.

A Guide to Technology Spend for Charities and Nonprofits

You may think the printer is a hangover from a bygone age, but even as offices increasingly become digital, people are printing more. 54% of UK SME’s say Print is an important business process.2

However, unwieldy printing is terrorising your charity’s IT budget. And, this is before we mention the environmental impact. 80% of Print carbon footprint is caused by paper waste and while many charities promote paper and consumable recycling, very few promote green printing practices. Only 32% enforce double-sided printing, a simple move that immediately cuts your paper usage in half.

Why is this the case? Well, many charities and SMEs have a fractured printing strategy with printers, copiers and scanners provided by different manufacturers. They’ve moved their fight for market dominance into your office, leading to escalating consumables and paper costs with uncontrolled energy consumption.

So… how should you change your situation?

2 Geerings

Step

1

Invest in a Managed Print Service

Outsource Your Print to a Trustworthy Managed Print Service AdvisorAn effective Managed Print Service will unite your tech and provide a print strategy that realises savings. With a condensed fleet of printers provided by one manufacturer and maintained by one supplier, you get complete oversight and control of your printing costs. And, by leasing your printers, you reduce the need for capital investment as you will no longer need to buy hardware, software and consumables upfront. It’s all covered under a recurring monthly or quarterly cost.

Strip Your Printer Fleet BareReplace your resource-draining printers with a small number of high performing, productivity boosting machines. This will create more space in your office and improve your sustainability as newer, more efficient models do more work than before. And, make sure you remember to set up double-sided printing!

Demand Transparency and ProtectionWith monitoring tools such as PaperCut and Equitrac, tracking your Print usage, identifying areas of waste and implementing cost-saving measures is easy. And, insist your chosen Managed Service Provider identifies security risks and fortifies your printers from possible attacks.

Remember to: Outsource Your Print

Replace Inefficient Machines

Demand Transparency and Protection

As the official charity of the Royal Navy, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC) is great at looking after the country’s soldiers and sailors, but struggled to look after its technology.

ITEC Hampshire worked closely with the RNRMC and forged a holistic, bespoke Technology Managed Service that solved every sticking point and better enabled the charity to complete its mission. A rambling and random fleet of desktop printers were replaced with state-of-the-art Multi-Functional Devices.

Because of ITEC, the RNRMC saved money, improved their security and reduced their waste.

“We estimate in the first five months of having the new system in place, we achieved about 40% cost savings. - Kristian Glover, Operations Coordinator

Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity Saved

£40,000 in Printing Costs

“Now, we can analyse how much we spend and have a better understanding of who is printing which documents.

If the print is for a particular project we can assign the cost to that job. The intranet is very popular and serves as a knowledge hub for all the staff.

We ran a tender process and looked at other suppliers – but ITEC was the obvious choice.”

Kristian Glover, Operations Coordinator

Read Customer Story

Today, every charity is a technology company. IT plays a vital role not just in your office, but in connecting you to your fundraisers, shops and offices. It plays a vital role in helping you help more people.

Unfortunately today, if your IT infrastructure isn’t prepared for the strain your increasingly digital workforce puts on it, your IT team can find themselves constantly firefighting rather than working on an IT strategy that actually moves your mission forwards. This is particularly worrying when it comes to your staff’s productivity. About 91%3 of staff stop concentrating on their work to fix a neighbour’s IT problem. Outsourcing your IT support is an extremely effective means of streamlining your IT costs, boosting employee experience and empowering your core IT team to perform to their best.

Bad IT is an expensive hassle

3 Samsung, 2017

Step

2

Upgrade Your IT Support

Get Greater Control of IT ExpenditureWe’ve already established that you have a income shortfall. Outsourcing your IT gives you greater control of your IT expenditure and can invite cost savings of up to 60%. It gives you financial stability as you only pay for what you use, letting you divert your funds back towards your core responsibility. By outsourcing, your chosen provider should fix problems quickly and protect your operations.

Hire the Best Technical MindsIf you’re based in a remote area, and even sometimes in the heart of the city, it can be incredibly difficult (and expensive) to recruit a person with the depth of skills and experience required, let alone a team of them. By outsourcing, you get the sharpest IT minds in your area at your beck and call. You benefit from the exceptional capabilities of a professional IT team, letting your staff focus on their jobs instead of chasing backed up internal IT teams.

Invest in IT SecurityOne of the major headaches about IT is its constant need to be updated. How many of us minimise the update popup on our personal computers hoping the antivirus will do it itself? Your office technology needs to be updated, and outsourcing removes this burden. An effective Managed IT Service provider will update your antivirus before your staff make their first cup of morning coffee.

Remember to: Find a local Managed IT Service Provider

Make sure you get the best team of IT professionals

Review and invest in your IT Security

Devoted staff and volunteers are at the heart of Cornwall Air Ambulance’s operations and they count on effective IT to make sure the helicopter reaches the emergencies on time. As they started flying more and more critical missions every year, they outgrew their one-man-band IT supplier. We quickly stepped in and provided Cornwall Air Ambulance with the day-to-day tech support they needed including a strong team of 120 IT experts.

Thanks to ITEC, Cornwall Air Ambulance enhanced their security, improved staff efficiency and diverted more funds towards the purchase of a newer, faster helicopter that will help them save more lives.

“We have been extremely happy with everything ITEC have done for us – we often recommend them to other organisations in our sector. - Steve Murdoch, Chief Operating Officer

Diverted more money towards their

new helicopter

“We get consistently helpful and effective support, usually in a matter of minutes, from a friendly, professional team.

We rely on tech to provide our 24/7, 365 service to the people of Cornwall and having ITEC on board has given us peace of mind that it is all taken care of.

We looked at lots of providers when we realised we needed a change. ITEC weren’t the cheapest, but they were the best – and I believe we get excellent value for money.”

Steve Murdoch, Chief Operating Officer

Read Customer Story

For years, going to the office has been the same. Your staff turn up, log in, work and leave.

A static office is trapping your charity in the starting blocks. The 83% of employers who would like their staff to always be contactable understand that being mobile pushes you forward4. This is why 62% of small-scale operations encourage mobile working5. Building a Mobility First infrastructure is essential to the success of your employees, and the right Mobility provider should ensure the integrity of your data and the cost-effectiveness of your hosting. Giving you the solution that best fits your needs.

Get your staff connected

4 Samsung, 2017, 5 Samsung, 2017

Step

3

Become MobileEmbrace the CloudIf your staff want to work from anywhere at any time, they need to be able to access and upload important data remotely. By switching to cloud hosting, your staff become more productive. They don’t have to return to the office to input donor information they picked up on the street -- they can do it right there. And, as maintaining on-site hosting places a burden on your staff, embracing an off-site hosting solution places the responsibility onto someone else’s shoulders. They should handle the licence fees, software updates and IT security, and with recurring monthly or quarterly payments, you get a better grasp of your IT spend.

Get a Bespoke Network DesignYou have different objectives to the charity or nonprofit next door, and a bespoke network design will make your Mobility options work for you. Get an Audit of your network and get an honest appraisal of what you need. This will maximise your network’s coverage and boost staff productivity with reliable Mobility as there will be no gaps in the coverage. Whether your staff is out on the street, in your local shop or in your office, your bespoke network will support them.

Understand Your Donors with AnalyticsWith donors becoming increasingly fickle, mobile analytics will you draw more connections between them and their spending attitudes. A clearer understanding of potential donors’ habits enable you think ahead and divert funds towards areas of your charity that need them most. The data will warn you if you will need to access your Reserve Funds and let you plan accordingly.

Remember to: Review your Hosting Situation

Get a Bespoke Network Design

Analyse your data

When Smile Together started, it inherited out-of-date and ineffective IT. Their ‘hotchpotch’ technology was holding them back and their Business Communications and Devices were struggling to keep up with and manage patient demand.

As one of Cornwall’s leading Dental Care companies, Smile Together needed fresh thinking and smart solutions. Enter ITEC’s Technology Managed Service. By working with and valuing Smile Together, we set up private, off-site hosting in the ITEC Data Centres that delivered better systems at no extra cost, improved patient care and increased productivity.

And as a key sponsor of their Brighter Smiles campaign, the Managed Mobility Service provided the charity with a greater reach. The nurses, who visit some of the remotest parts of the UK, benefit from easier communication with the Truro-based headquarters office and have the capacity and resources to treat more patients and educate more children.

“They are dedicated to finding a solution to problems. - Nick Wills, IT and Information Governance Lead

Improved their patient care

“We have found the ITEC team to be engaging and client focussed. They are dedicated to finding a solution to problems. It’s been a marked departure from the negative, process-heavy days of our previous set-up. ITEC isn’t just a supplier, they are a partner in our business. Having ITEC on our team means less downtime of software and hardware, easier to use applications and telephony, which bears out in better treatment for Smile Together patients.”

Nick Wills, IT and Information Governance Lead

Read Customer Story

Yes. The world is truly going digital. Roughly 80% of organisations, regardless of size, have a comprehensive or partial Digital Workplace strategy6. Half have moved away from paper to digital processes because they are a better cost model7.

But the situation isn’t as simple as swapping. Spending money on the wrong tools for your charity could end up damaging your bottom line and irritating your staff. On average, 54% of companies experience employee resistance when embracing change8. This should be expected, but the right Managed Service Provider will help them embrace your ideas.

It’s time for you as head of your charity’s operations or expenditure to become a champion of change. Follow these steps, and you’ll successfully move on from paper and create a more productive workforce.

Transform the way you work

6 Dimension Data, 7 Dimension Data, 8 Dimension Data

Step

4

Go DigitalInvest in Intelligent Document Capture SoftwareStoring paper is a problem. Bulky and ugly filing cabinets dominate the office, and finding the right document is hard enough, finding the right data is even harder. Intelligent Document Capture such as Ancora Docs, streamlines this process and automatically scans, separates and files important data. Your staff will be able to find important information easily, and the software enables you to keep track of your expenditure.

Go Truly MobileAs you already know, cloud computing will let your staff work remotely, work on the move, work from home. But the Cloud does more than host, and when paired with Virtual Desktop Applications like Citrix or Microsoft 365, your staff have your office in their pocket. They will be able to upload data, edit files and attend important meetings whether they’re in the Portsmouth Docks or up the Mountains of Tibet. When they’re out in the field, Virtual Desktops enable them to focus on and improve their core responsibilities.

Get Change ManagementYou’ve introduced Intelligent Document Capture applications and you’ve embraced the Virtual Desktop. Change is great, but staff might grow frustrated. When you’re searching for a Digital Workplace provider, make sure change management is part of their service. They should spend time on training your staff and not rest until every member of your team knows how these apps work. They should reduce resistance and in turn, your staff should become more productive as they know how their new tools work.

Remember to: Invest in Intelligent Document Capture

Go Truly Digital

Get Change Management

The Prama Foundation delivers excellent and important care to vulnerable elderly people across Dorset. They are growing fast. They needed a Managed Service Provider who would give them tools that matched their current requirements and supported their current & future growth.

With 300 staff and volunteers working across 12 locations, as well as remotely, we quickly installed a Digital Workplace and achieved the necessary and reliable cost-effective connectivity. We designed Prama a next-level bespoke technical digital infrastructure and the charity quickly felt a tangible impact with improved staff efficiency, enhanced security and improved confidence.

“We recently embarked on an IT upgrade which ITEC has made as smooth as possible, taking into account our limited in–house resources. - Paula Jones, Chief Operating Officer

Improved focus on their

community care

“The Digital Workplace has enabled us to work from any location with a dynamic and accessible desktop.

The team at ITEC is always professional, fair and honest, with the expertise to provide the support we require across our entire IT estate.

The support from ITEC has enabled us to focus on developing our care services in the community with the confidence that we can turn to you for technical support as we grow.”

Paula Jones, Chief Operating Officer

Read Customer Story

As donors become increasingly fickle because they are marketed to via multiple channels9, grabbing their attention and getting them to donate is difficult. They’re very likely to ignore that lovingly composed marketing email you sent to their inbox.

Enter Modern Mailing. A modernised traditional method of communication. Combining digital automation with physical posting, Modern Mailing raises unrestricted funds for your charity, and as post remains one of the most effective forms of marketing your services, you can attract fussy donors.

Steady the Ship

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Step

5

Post with Modern Mailing

Go VAT FreeAs you know, charities can’t reclaim VAT, and with the amount of mailing required for a successful marketing campaign, postage costs quickly spiral. When searching for a Mailing partner, double check they have VAT-Free packages. By reducing the amount your charity pays on this consumption tax, you can make your budgets go further and divert more funds towards forwarding your mission and decreasing your income shortfall.

Outsource Your Mail You want to see a return on any investment. The key to success is not spending lots of money, but spending money wisely. By outsourcing your Direct Mail marketing, you increase your fundraising total. Any credible mailing partner will create targeted campaigns that transform your marketing investment by not wasting a penny.

Use Hybrid MailPost inflicts damage on your budgets and the hassle is rarely worth it. Printing, franking and posting is just too time-consuming. Adopting Hybrid Mail saves your charity time and money as staff will never have to lick an envelope again. With print drivers installed on your computers, all you have to do is press ‘print’. The automation takes over and your letters, leaflets and postcards are sent to your mailing list. Not only does it make communication easier, it’s also pay-as-you-go so tracking your expenditure is easy.

Remember to: Go VAT Free

Outsource Your Mailing

Adopt Hybrid Mail

With their mission to help disabled people sail, the Jubilee Sailing Trust in Southampton must ndertake massive fundraising campaigns to maintain the specialist equipment and keep the ships afloat.

We provide them with postal marketing campaigns at an affordable cost and that deliver outstanding Return on Investment. They now compete with bigger and better-resourced charities in Hampshire.

The charity wished to raise £15,000. Modern Mailing raised them £38,000.

“Completely impressed by the ITEC service. - Jubilee Sailing Trust

Raised £38,000 in unrestricted

funds

“The team haven’t just processed our campaign; they’ve listened to what we were trying to achieve and they’ve come up with good advice and positive ideas for tweaks and improvements.

We have been able run a campaign at a very competitive price but not compromise at all on quality of presentation. In fact, we’ve managed to reduce our costs and up our game whilst achieving some great results.”

Jubilee Sailing Trust

Read Customer Story

0117 951 1500

www.itecgroup.co.uk

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