Our cohosts welcome Christine Chacko, an associate at Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC.com). Christine delivers insights into how nonprofits can harness technology and automation to work more efficiently. Their emphasis on a mindset shift towards automation and practical tips for implementation will give you actionable strategies to improve your NPO’s operations and save valuable time. As Christine aptly puts it, “The more detail they have, the less easy it is for them to engage. Make it as easy as possible for them to engage with what you need them to.”

Christine begins by emphasizing the importance of adopting a mindset that prioritizes automation and efficiency in daily tasks. She explains how even small automation steps can significantly save time, allowing organizations to focus more on people-centered work.

One key takeaway from the discussion is the idea that automation doesn’t necessarily require massive investments in new systems. Christine lists simple but effective tools like QuickBooks’ spreadsheet sync feature and Bill.com for payments, illustrating how these can streamline financial processes and save hours of manual work.

The conversation also addresses the importance of integrating technology for better communication within nonprofit teams, discussing project management software like Asana, Trello, and Microsoft Planner, which can help teams stay organized and collaborate efficiently, especially in a distributed workforce.

The co-hosts and Christine speak to the challenges of introducing technology to teams that may not be tech-savvy. Christine amplifies on the importance of starting small, providing training, and creating a low-pressure environment for adoption. Having a designated champion within the organization can also be instrumental in driving tech adoption.

Another important topic is the focus on board meetings and how automation can improve presentations for board members. Christine advocates for simplifying data visualization, emphasizing that concise and clear messages are more effective than overwhelming board members with data, and the conversation concludes with a discussion on the need for periodic reviews of automation efforts.