Nonprofit System Administrator Role In the Technology Movie

This year has solidified just how crucial tech is and will be, long-term in nonprofits, and an Administrator is a necessity. Whether you are an “accidental administrator,” or an intentional one, you are the one who leads any technology project and maintains the system once it’s implemented. The nonprofit system administrator has a very important role to play and you are going to need others to support the work.

Think of this as a movie where you are the Director. The story is about reaching organizational goals through a piece of technology which staff and, likely, your constituents are going to interact with regularly. In any good movie, there are multiple groups of people who work together for the greater good. Who do you need in place? What are their relationships to the technology? How will you, as the Director, interact with them, support them, and guide them?

First, what genre is your movie?

A rom-com, a horror flick, a dramedy, a feel-good movie, an action movie, a movie musical or….? There are many to choose from. The genre sets the tone, the atmosphere or environment for the work, and can influence pacing as well.

Create the scenes.

Directors have a vision for the movie. They look at cinematography, costumes, set designs, lighting etc… Determining how each scene will look and feel. What scenery and elements do you need to create your vision?

• You may want to storyboard the project out so you know what each step/scene will be.
• What culture do you want to create?
• What set pieces do you need in place? Are there people with tablets and/or phones?
• How will the system need to be “built” to accommodate different users? Are there multiple user groups with point people? Will there be people in and out, stopping to quickly enter some information into the computer and then moving on? What will be most helpful for them?

Get a good crew.

Now that you have your vision and what’s needed for users to interact with the technology, you can’t film a whole movie alone! You’ll need a good crew to help bring your vision to life and make sure the project goes smoothly.

• Take a look at the user groups or your Executive team to find your crew members. What roles are going to be needed most to help you communicate, train, create processes, make decisions that impact users, and be the project manager. Do you need a Technologist, a Cheerleader, Decision-Maker, and/or an Organizer?
• It doesn’t have to be a lot of extra time out of their day. It may just be that you ask them to check out something or run something by them for a few minutes here and there. You may see the need for more than that with one or two, make a note and see if you can come up with a way to make it a small commitment by combining time or using an existing time slot.
• Let your crew know what their role is, why you’ve chosen them specifically, and what the commitment will be up front. This will set all of you up for success.

Who are your antagonists?

Every good movie includes an antagonist character. It doesn’t sound like that would be helpful, but this is a critical role for technology. Why? Because the antagonist is the one who is going to help you find the problems before they happen. They can anticipate and test out the technology. They are the difference between turning on useless features and finding useful ones. You may want to cast more than one. By bringing the antagonist into the project and giving them a way to voice their concerns, you also help them understand the decisions that are made and why. This is crucial the nonprofit system administrator role, in helping staff members adopt the new technology. Turn your antagonist into a trainer and you might even find the rest of your staff jumping on board fast.

Now, you have a movie to shoot.

You have a clear vision of what you want the project to look like. You’ve got a crew to support you so you don’t have to go it alone. You’ve got your antagonist(s) to provide valuable feedback. Now, you’re ready to make a blockbuster hit across the organization with this new technology.