How Nonprofits Benefit From Managed Service Providers 

While technology can be vital for nonprofits, organizational leaders must have software expertise and solutions. Many nonprofit employees wear several hats and may lack the IT expertise to handle troubleshooting and other technical aspects. 

With today’s ever-changing technology solutions, nonprofits must have a knowledgeable team to help the organization thrive. Managed service providers allow you to work with a team of experienced IT professionals without the charges and resources an in-house IT team might demand. Whether your nonprofit is an assisted living community, nursing home or healthcare company, this guide explores the benefits of MSPs for nonprofits and how managed IT services work. 

What Are Managed Service Providers? 

A managed service provider is a third-party company that provides an efficient and cost-effective way to help organizations thrive. It improves the user experience, manages cyber risks and supports nonprofit IT operations. MSPs offer a combination of qualified experts, technology and crucial processes to help their clients streamline the conversion funnel and identify areas for improvement. They then apply strategies that make processes faster and more cost-efficient. 

The goal is to increase IT operations, meet priorities and influence a desirable outcome. MSPs impact nonprofits in various areas: 

• Influencing expansion and growth 
• Improving the ROI for IT initiatives 
• Enhancing security and ensuring cyber compliance 
• Aligning technology investments and business priorities 
• Giving your organization more access to expertise and scalability 
• Optimizing business expenses 

Importance of MSPs for Nonprofits 

Nonprofits have unique IT challenges, including limited funding. These organizations sometimes rely on grants and donations to fund their operations, so they must strategically handle and allocate their budget and resources. They should be as productive and efficient as possible to make a widespread impact and fulfill their mission. Like for-profit businesses, they also require protection against cyber threats because they handle sensitive information about donors’ financial records. 

MSPs address all these needs by understanding your organization’s unique processes and creating a tailored solution that helps your establishment stand out. Some services include: 

• Using analytics to attract repeat supporters and participants 
• Securing information from donors or members 
• Optimizing IT costs and support 
• Improving technology investments 

The chief reason nonprofits use managed IT services is to free up time and resources to focus on supporting their community. An MSP can benefit your organization by handling complex IT matters and staying abreast of new technology trends for you. 

Advantages of MSPs for Nonprofits 

Nonprofit organizations can significantly upgrade their operations with new software applications and processes. Why not put your organization on a path that lets you reach and exceed your goals? 

Here are five benefits Prelude Services’ industry-leading expertise can offer your nonprofit organization. 

1. Improved Donor Management 

Your nonprofit should include donor management to keep people invested in your cause. Donor management shows your supporters where their money goes and persuades them to continue giving to your organization. An MSP can offer your nonprofit practical IT solutions to meet and exceed your targets. These can include data analytics to track, monitor and report on your results. Sharing this information with donors wins their trust, helping you bring in more revenue. 

2. Easier Fundraising 

Numerous causes and organizations compete for donors’ attention and support in today’s world. Your nonprofit may find it challenging to stand out in the crowd, especially when donor fatigue becomes an issue. Successful fundraising requires additional time and talent, further straining your limited resources. Keeping donors informed about the impact of their contributions, demonstrating transparency and cultivating personal connections can overcome these challenges.

The best MSPs help you implement technologies that boost your fundraising efforts. This technology can create metrics and goals to enhance your fundraising campaigns. With this information, your managed IT service provider can create a tailored recurrent giving program that lets frequent donors make automated payments. Your organization can bring in reliable monthly funds instead of running multiple fundraising drives, giving your staff and volunteers more time to develop creative campaigns that attract new donors. 

3. Enhanced Security 

According to Statista, 72.7% of organizations experienced ransomware attacks in 2023. These security breaches are only increasing, making it essential to protect your nonprofit against them. Nonprofits may stand out to hackers because of the sensitive information they keep, including donor data, employee information and credit card data. 

If these data breaches occur, donors may lose trust in your organization and choose to support a different cause. A cybercrime against your organization may even result in fines and regulatory action issues. You can avoid these issues by working with an MSP that offers advanced security solutions that go above and beyond your in-house capabilities.

4. Scalability 

Do your fundraising campaigns get more attention during specific times of the year? If so, you might forego IT services until your efforts ramp up. However, the lack of an in-house IT team may be impractical and leave your organization vulnerable to hackers. 

Some MSPs are flexible and allow you to pay only for the services you use. When the time comes, you can upgrade your package to protect your organization from cyber attacks and reduce it during calmer seasons. 

5. Increased Efficiency 

An internal team can often get overwhelmed with IT tasks as your nonprofit grows. They’ll need to handle cyber threats, security patches, system bugs, tech support questions and more. MSPs take a proactive approach to operations and automatically update and patch software to ensure all processes run efficiently, enhancing productivity by reducing downtime.  

Get Managed IT Services for Nonprofits With Prelude Services 

Nonprofits like retirement communities and healthcare centers deserve time to focus on their core tasks to support the community and their cause. Our professionals at Prelude Services offer managed IT services for strategic planning, network engineering, software development and more. Whether you need desktop support or data center computing, contact us for more information about how we can assist you today.