Nonprofit Database Management is More than Just Knowing Technology

When you think about nonprofit database management, what do you think of? Your mind probably jumps to questions of what platform is involved, and what technical skills the admin has. We talk a lot about the importance of choosing the right technology systems for your nonprofit, but once the tool is selected:

The most important part of managing a database is understanding what information is needed to support the organization’s mission and goals.

Whether you’re the accidental admin jumping in head first, managing an existing system or leading an implementation, or you’re an experienced technologist who knows all the ins and outs of the system, there are key considerations for getting the most out of your nonprofit database.

Yes It Works, But Does It Work For Us?

Any database will require some attention to technical updates and maintenance, but frankly that’s often the easy part! To really serve your organization and get value from your technology investment, the system has to work well for the people who are using it every day. That requires getting to know your users and their needs. We’ve shared tips for successfully building trust as an admin in this previous post. Here are a few more mindset shifts for admins:

User-First Mentality

It’s easy to get caught up in features and functionality, focusing on all the things your technology system could do. But a user-first mentality redirects your attention to the “people and process” aspects instead. Who needs to access the database? What information are they seeking? How will they use that data once they have it? Thinking about these questions from the users’ perspective will inform decisions about setup and configuration. A database is only valuable if your staff can easily get what they need from it.

Be A Groupie

The company that makes your database can certainly be a good partner and resource for learning about the system, but it’s often helpful to find an information source beyond the technology vendor itself. Can you seek out a user group community to connect with? Are there places online where you can pose questions and get answers from other users of the system? You can learn a lot from hearing others’ lived experiences. Become a groupie of every resource available, and you’ll save time and headaches by tapping into those community resources.

Be Intentional

Here’s where the idea of building trust with your users really comes into play: Your team will have plenty of ideas, hopes, dreams, and complaints about your database. Your job is to understand the “why” behind all them. Sometimes users will have conflicting needs; there will always be more to-dos on your list than time in the day. Asking good questions and uncovering the “so what” of each request will help you validate and prioritize this work. This applies to everything from running reports to configuring forms. How will the data be used? What does the user experience feel like? Be intentional about making these decisions to set the organization up for success.

When It All Works Properly, You’ve Got A Productive Database

When the goal of nonprofit database management is to make sure the system works well for every user, it becomes an integral and productive part of serving your mission. Does your organization need help keeping up with database maintenance and user needs? We can help with managed services. Contact us to get started.