[Ed. note: This is the third in a fantastic series of guest posts by the authors of Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission. This one comes to you from Dahna Goldstein, founder of PhilanTech.]

The best time to work on becoming a technology change leader is when your organization is not in the middle of a new technology initiative. Laying the groundwork for successful technology change can take a while. Start preparing now by following these four easy steps to become a change leader.

Step 1: Become an expert

You don’t need to be the boss to successfully lead a tech change initiative in your organization, but you do need to have expertise. Since expertise doesn’t happen overnight, you can gradually work to build – and demonstrate – your expertise in your organization.

Show your colleagues that you know your domain well. Help them understand what you do and how it helps the organization. Try to evaluate your expertise objectively: do other people perceive you as an expert?

If you need to shore up your expertise – or your organization’s perception of your expertise – work on learning new things and bringing in other experts to complement your knowledge. Be sure to demonstrate your expertise when you can.

Step 2: Build relationships

During a change initiative, you’ll need to convince other people in your organization to buy into the new technology. That can be hard if you spend all of your time in a server room or at your desk.

Talk to your co-workers. Ask them questions about their work and about their interests (within reason – remember, this is still an office environment). Help them solve problems. Become someone they trust. Get to know senior management. Learn who the influencers are in your organization (see below), and talk to them. Learn who the resisters are in your organization – both the natural contrarians and those who might be threatened by technology change – and get to know them. It will serve you well.

Step 3: Understand your organization’s context

Successful technology changes at a nonprofit are clearly tied to the organization’s mission.

You’re probably already well-versed in your organization’s mission. That’s good. You need to understand the environment in which the organization is operating to be able to frame the need for your technology initiative properly down the road. Is there something that other organizations in your field are doing that your organization isn’t? Can you see a way a new technology will help the organization serve more people, raise more money, or operate more efficiently?

In addition, get to know your organization’s internal context (read: politics). What are the potential roadblocks to change? How are new ideas received in your organization? Knowing the external and internal contexts will help you frame your initiative.

Step 4: Plan and communicate

As the start of your tech change nears, be sure that you have created a plan for the whole lifecycle of the change – how you are going to communicate the need for the new technology, how it will be implemented, and how it will be supported – before, during, and after the change.

Recruit internal champions – ideally some of the organization’s influencers – early in the process. They can help you communicate effectively to all corners of your organization.

You will have already set the stage by demonstrating your expertise, building relationships, and understanding your organization’s context. Communicate often throughout the process, and ensure that communication is multi-directional; people need to be able to talk with you, and with each other, too.

Remember that not everyone will be equally comfortable with whatever tech change you’re undertaking. Include in your plan and communications both an understanding of different levels of comfort and technical ability, and ways for people who need it to get more support.

Okay, so these steps may not be that easy. But if you consistently work on these elements of change leadership, you will position yourself well in your organization to lead a tech change initiative.

What ways have you found to demonstrate your expertise in your organization? How have you successfully built relationships with senior management (who may not always get technology) and resisters who may fear it? Share them in the comments or at www.meetyourmission.org.