How to get your board to approve your association’s tech budget

Association Revenue Management, Growing Your Membership

Implementing new technology can be challenging for any company but especially for non-profits and associations who usually lack the resources to get it all done. Coupled with a low budget and a strict board of stakeholders, adding new technology to your association can seem like a huge hurdle.

Despite pushback from board members, it’s crucial you fight for technology upgrades if you want to save money, increase efficiency, keep up with competitors and, most importantly, provide a better experience for your members.

So how do you communicate to your team that upgrades are in order? How can you convince stakeholders it’s the right move? Follow our four-step guide to a winning strategy.

Step One: Support your mission

Before you present to the board, think about how the new technology will support your mission. If you’re just investing simply because others are doing it, that isn’t a good enough reason. Review your mission statement. Does this new technology compliment your efforts? Board members will give you push back so its imperative your chosen technology supports your efforts.

Step Two: Compile the evidence

Now that you know your need for technology is in line with your core mission statement, it’s time to compile the evidence behind your decision to present to stakeholders. This means reports, metrics, analytics, historical data and more. Ask the software provider for resources that summarize the technology and the benefits you’d receive. Compare that to inefficiencies in your current system and time-wasting to-dos that could easily be rectified with the new technology.

Step Three: Plan of action

You’ve convinced them why you need to invest in technology, now you need to show them how. Outline a detailed project plan, implementation process, and budget estimates. Be sure to include the details below:

  • Length of project
  • Specific milestones
  • Roles / Responsibilities
  • Budget for each task
  • Potential problems and the solutions
  • Vendor support

Step Four: Forecast Results

Budget will be the biggest hurdle in convincing stakeholders. After all, they’ve probably invested a large sum of their own money and want to know their investments are protected. Show them the ROI by creating extrapolated graphs to help them visualize growth.

Investing in new technology can be scary, especially for stakeholders. Show your board it’s the right move with thoughtful research, clear ROI analytics, and how this decision is in line with your mission statement.

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