A Nonprofit System Administrator’s Key to Success is Trust-Building

If you’re reading this post, you probably play at least some part in managing your organization’s technology systems. No one can do this alone. You’ll need support and buy-in across the organization which requires a good amount of trust building. Here are 5 tips to help you get started building trust today.

Tip #1: Curiosity Didn’t Kill the Cat, Assumptions Did.

Technology touches all aspects of a nonprofit organization. Each leadership role has different responsibilities related to your technology systems, and each staff member has specific ways they use them. If you’re thinking about making a technology change or in the midst of one, get really curious about your users. How do they use various tools? What are their favorites? Which ones present challenges? How does each role intersect with each other in the use of technology? Or do they intersect at all? Put processes into place to drive feedback, so that you can build out changes that take into account their preferences. I promise it won’t kill you. In fact, one of the fastest ways to lose trust is to assume you know your users, rather than asking questions.

Tip #2: Transparency

As you go about making changes and keeping your systems running as they should, transparency will help everyone build trust.

• Share the broader context for how changes will help the organization as a whole.
• Give your staff advance notices about upgrades and/or downtime (“we’ll be pushing changes next Thursday at 7am and expect to be done by 10am” for example) . That will allow them to prepare accordingly.
• Share how the new tool(s) will help them, specifically, by solving a problem they’ve been dealing with or saving them time. Keep them updated as to what you choose, why, when you expect to get started and progress along the way.

Senior leaders can be very helpful in shepherding communication, even if they’re less directly involved in the process. Work as a team to keep everyone in the loop. Transparency allows people to see what’s happening and helps prepare for the future.

Tip #3: Slow and Steady Wins the Race

If you’ve been a System Admin for any length of time, you probably know that your excitement about something new and different might be greater than most of the rest of your staff… even if it’s a GOOD “new and different” thing. This can make it difficult to successfully implement and adopt new technologies and processes. Slow yourself down. Take a beat before you jump in with everyone else to create changes. If you go slow and introduce new technologies in small pieces where people have time to see how it helps, they will be more likely to trust the technology and you.

Tip #4: Create a Network

Another way to build trust is to refer to outside expertise. You can build your network through a professional organization like the League of Professional System Administrators (LOPSA), the TechSoup Community, a software-specific community like the Salesforce Trailblazer hub, a social media group, or a local group of nonprofit professionals. Find the people who are doing similar work so you can brainstorm, share ideas, and find better ways to work with technology in your organization.

Tip #5: Ask for Help

Finally, and most importantly, ask for help. We all get stuck sometimes, unable to figure out what the next step is. That’s when it’s time to ask for help. Ask a senior leader in the organization for help with getting staff on board with changes. Ask a colleague about a particular problem you’re having with a piece of software. Ask your software Account Executive what they suggest. Ask your support consultant what they might be able to do. Ask your team if anyone is willing to test for you. (Bonus: Asking for help also builds trust, by allowing others to feel like they contributed to the solution!)

Trust Takes Time

If you are curious, transparent, and taking it slow, with a network behind you, you’ll start building trust with everyone who touches the technology you work with. It takes time to build that trust. Make these five tenets a core part of how you go about your work every day.

Of course we are always here to help. All you have to do is send a support email. If you aren’t yet an Ongoing Support client, you can learn more here.