Creating a Digital-First Strategy

Keeping with the Girl Scouts' goals of teaching self-reliance and service, AngelJohnson saw an added opportunity to infuse some modern business sense into the nonprofit and transform it from a pen-and-paper operation into a digital-first operation. Aparna Kothary, director of technology at Global Citizen Year, which helps young adults with "gap year" study-abroad programs between high school and college, says it is critical to convey the value of technology to leadership prior to implementation, because the tech does "come at a cost." Since most nonprofits have limited resources, she says, your first hire "is not going to be a technology person, for the most part-you are going to focus on your program and on fundraising." [...]when you get to the point of expanding your tech, you need to persuade leaders that it is a good investment.