NTEN has been conducting an annual survey about technology (formerly known as "IT") staffing levels and salaries, as well as budget and planning practices of nonprofits, since 2006. We are happy to announce that the 2011 survey is underway – and that it is new and improved!

One of the things we're tracking in NTEN's annual Nonprofit IT Staffing and Spending report is where IT is located within organizations -- as in, where the primary IT staff are in the organizational structure.

In our latest report, respondents told us that their IT was most likely housed as part of General Operations or Administration (about a third of all respondents).  How does this compare to previous years?

Well, it turns out the trends are not what we'd like to see.

One of the findings from our latest annual Nonprofit IT Staffing and Spending Survey stood out to us:

Those organizations that evaluated their Return on Investment (ROI) for IT expenditures were much more likely to be leaders— 44 percent, compared to just 17 percent of stragglers.

But the following also jumped out at us (and not in a good way):

According to our survey, only about 20% of respondents had ever actually evaluated the ROI for a technology project.

You can see the full results of our annual survey here (it's free!) and if you're an NTEN member, you'll also be able to see the raw survey data, as well.

The nonprofit sector works hard to maximize the effective use of technology. Organizations face difficult challenges -- from insufficient data and lean budgets to overworked staffs -- just trying to keep up with changing technologies and trends, and with the rest of the sector.

To help them cast an analytical eye on technology decisions, NTEN and The NonProfit Times came together to create the Nonprofit IT Staffing and Spending Survey. It gives us a good look at the state of nonprofit staffing, and helps us provide organizations with information to help evaluate the state of their IT spending.

Our hope is that this survey will help nonprofits answer the challenging questions by providing greater context of what similar — and possibly more successful — organizations are doing.

> Get the Report. It's Free!

The nonprofit sector works hard to use technology effectively, but it's an uphill battle. Financial resources are limited. Technology changes quickly, and there's a lot of it out there doing lots of different things — even within the same areas. What should your organization budget for IT expenditures? How do you know if the solutions you’re getting are the right fit — for both your budget and your needs?

NTEN partnered with the NonProfit Times on this survey to offer a closer look at the current state of nonprofit IT staffing in general, and to give organizations the information they need to evaluate and improve their own IT staffing. We began this effort with the 2006 survey, the first of its kind. We repeated the survey in 2007, and plan to continue doing so annually to provide a long-term view of nonprofit IT staffing.

Our hope is that this survey will help nonprofits answer the challenging questions by providing greater context of what similar — and possibly more successful — organizations are doing.

> Get the Report. It's Free!

Find an NPTech Job

An investment banker recently incensed the nonprofit community by asking the New York Times, "If you just take your base home, the question becomes, why not just work at a nonprofit from 8 to 4 instead of a bank where you’re expected to work weekends and every night till 10 or 11?" Setting aside the whole greed-as-motivation issue that got us into this mess in the first place, it's a bad assumption because it's becoming harder and harder to land a job at a nonprofit.

So, what should you do? TechSoup's guide to the Nonprofit Job Search is a good place to start. And lifehacker has an entertaining guide on switching careers. You might also want to check out some advice from EchoDitto's Joshua Wachs. Bottom line: typos in your cover letter = no job for you.

Once you've got a handle on the search process, peruse the listings on Idealist.org, OpportunityKnocks, or NTEN's aggregated job board, which focuses on NPTech. You may also want to set up Google Alerts with keywords focusing on your areas of interest.

If all else fails, be like Jimmy and lower your standards: our NTC intern has offered to stuff tote bags for a modest amount of money, unlimited soda, and control of the stereo.

Hire the Right People

On the flip side of the job search, you as an employer want to make sure Jimmy's actually going to stuff totes, and not just sip Obama Cola while listening to his recently purchased Jonas Brothers album.

This is more art than science, but you may want to consider "behavior-based interviewing". The HR Council for the Voluntary and Non-profit Sector has a guide to "Getting the Right People" nearly as comprehensive as its name, while Bridgestar manages to fit its advice into one (very long) page.

It can be instructive to consult the past, as well. In 1997, Fast Company profiled Netscape: "Barksdale's company focuses relentlessly on acquiring talent. Netscape has distributed more product (at last count, 60 million copies of its Web browser) and generated more revenue than any software startup in history. Which means it has to keep adding people at a ferocious pace." We all know how that turned out. So, don't be like Netscape.

It's also helpful to know how other organizations are handling their IT staffing needs. That's why we put out our IT Staffing Report. This year's survey closes February 28th, so please, take it today.

Keep Your Best People

First, the good news: employee turnover is lower at nonprofits than at for-profits. But, just because you're doing good in the world doesn't mean that mission attachment overrides the desire for higher pay.

Yes, filthy lucre tops most lists of staff complaints. But you can get around that with some creative thinking about benefits. Commongood Careers also has a great report on meeting the needs of nonprofit employees and jobseekers (PDF).

Apparently, meeting the needs of Generation Y staffers requires special attention. They're young, they have energy, but they're feisty. There's even a blog devoted to the topic.

Meg Busse, Idealist.org

Unemployment is at its highest level in anywhere from five to 26 years. Our current economic situation is making nonprofits even more risk averse than they usually are.

So, based on the current situation, what can you do right now to make sure you're in the right place at the right time when that next great job comes along?

Lots.

Jan Masaoka and Pamela Fyfe, Blue Avocado

In this economy, it's no longer shameful to lay people off (or to be laid off), but it's still seen as a sign of vulnerability. Because layoffs are driven by financial need, they usually do reflect financial stress in the organization's income or balance sheet. But the decision to lay people off may actually reflect strength in the organization's ability to make decisions proactively, to respond to changing conditions, and to take strong management steps when necessary.

How people are laid off makes a big difference in how the departing staff feel and how the remaining staff can move forward in a positive way. Each group has to assess what works best on their own particular boat, but here are some things to think about:

Cassie Scarano, Commongood Careers

Hiring for any role, regardless of the function or organizational level, is a challenge and an opportunity. With increased competition for talent, demand for higher salaries, and specific required skills, hiring for technology staff within nonprofit organizations is particularly challenging.

There are, however, specific strategies and tools that will position you for success in the hiring process.

Staffing Information Technology is frequently a challenge for nonprofit organizations. Financial resources are typically limited, and hiring managers often feel overwhelmed and under-educated when it comes to IT. Determining where IT should fit into the organization, how many IT staff people are needed, and what those people should be spending their time doing can be difficult decisions.

In order to shed some light on these questions, NTEN and the Nonprofit Times teamed up to create the Nonprofit IT Staffing Survey. The results of this survey will be presented in three parts. The first report, "Nonprofit IT Staffing: Staffing Levels, Recruiting, Retention, and Outsourcing" focuses on the nature of IT staff and departments in nonprofits.

> Download the report for free!