Giving Compass' Take:

• The authors explain the landscape of nonprofit digital advocacy and the trajectory of nonprofit digital teams as they relate to an organization's effectiveness. 

• How can nonprofits that are underresourced achieve digital success? What are the barriers to building effective digital teams?

• Read about how data can supercharge your nonprofit. 

The health of teams working on digital strategy, platforms, and tools at nonprofits has long been an indicator of their adoption of or resistance to wider trends around innovation and impact. Over the years, we’ve observed that nonprofits are significantly more effective when their digital team plays a strong leadership role in organizational management and campaigns. We’ve also observed that organizations that structure their digital teams like the web itself—distributing power to create multiple centers of open innovation most organizations—tend to achieve better digital program performance.

What’s the state of nonprofit digital teams today?

First the bad news: Most nonprofits are struggling mightily with how to structure their digital programs. Our report found that three-quarters of digital teams have been re-structured within the last three years—and almost a third more than once. Yet only 11 percent said the way their organization manages digital is highly effective. Half of respondents reported that their structures work “somewhat well,” leaving an unfortunate 41 percent stuck with internal structures that create significant problems or simply don’t work. That’s a lot of painful change leading to uncertain results.

But now the good news: Digital continues to drive growth in nonprofits of all sizes, with 70 percent of teams growing over the past three years. Organizations are distributing new digital roles across multiple departments, something for which we have long advocated as a way of creating a “leaderful” culture of innovation. Digital teams are breaking out of the silo of communications departments, with 60 percent fewer teams now reporting here, reflecting a shifting understanding of the value digital adds. In fact, compared to three years ago, 44 percent more teams now report directly to the executive director.

The characteristics of high-performing digital programs

Nonprofits succeeding at digital have some common characteristics others can emulate. Our report revealed that effective digital programs have three common characteristics:

  • Digital expertise at the senior management level
  • Digital leaders involved in decision-making on new campaigns
  • A hybrid or intentionally independent digital team structure

Read more about the digital side to nonprofits by Jason Mogus & Austen Levihn-Coon at Stanford Social Innovation Review.