Most nonprofit leaders aren’t thinking about IT on a Tuesday afternoon, and that’s completely reasonable. You’re focused on staff, funding, programs, volunteers, and the people who you thrive to serve. But a short quarterly conversation with your provider is usually enough to make sure things stay on track without it taking over your calendar.
We’ve put together six questions worth keeping on that agenda. They don’t require any technical knowledge, and most of the conversations they start won’t take long.
01
What Security Concerns Are Currently On Your Radar?
Security isn’t something you set up once and walk away from. Threats shift, systems change, and small gaps can go unnoticed longer than anyone would like. Ask what your provider is keeping an eye on, whether anything has changed recently, and if there are areas they’re planning to address. They should be able to explain this in plain language, without making it feel larger than it is.
02
Have You Tested Our Backups Recently?
Most organizations have backups in place. Fewer have confirmed whether those backups actually work when it matters. Ask when the last recovery test was run, how long a realistic restoration would take, and whether your cloud-based tools are covered alongside your local systems. That includes program files, financial records, donor information, and the documents your team relies on every day. Knowing the answers now means you won’t be working them out under pressure.
03
Where Is Technology Slowing Our Team Down?
This question tends to surface things people have quietly accepted as normal. A system that takes too long to load, an application staff have started working around, a call that drops at exactly the wrong moment. These things rarely feel urgent enough to flag, but they add up and cost your team time and energy that could go elsewhere. Ask what your provider is hearing from your staff and what they’d suggest changing. A good IT partner is paying attention to this between quarterly calls, not just when you ask.
04
Are We Still Meeting Our Compliance Obligations?
Requirements around data privacy, cybersecurity insurance, and grant conditions shift over time, and it’s easy to drift without anyone realizing it. Ask whether anything has changed that affects how your organization handles or stores information, and whether your current policies are still in good shape. It’s also worth asking whether your team would benefit from a refresher on security practices or data handling procedures. Staying current here protects your funding relationships and keeps things running without surprises.
05
What Should We Be Planning For Financially Next Quarter?
One of the most practical things an IT partner can do is help you see what’s coming before it arrives. That means keeping track of aging hardware, expiring software licenses, and anything that will need replacing or upgrading in the months ahead. For an organization working within a carefully planned budget, an unexpected technology cost can displace spending that was already committed somewhere else. A good quarterly conversation gives you enough visibility to plan ahead and make decisions without pressure.
06
What Should We Be Paying More Attention To?
Ask whether there are tools or practices that similar organizations are finding useful, and whether anything has shifted recently that’s worth knowing about. Ask what your provider would flag if they were in your position. You shouldn’t have to stay current on every development in technology. Your IT provider should, and part of their role is bringing what’s relevant to you in a way that’s actually useful.
These conversations take less time than you’d expect, and they leave you with a clearer sense of where things stand. It’s simply a chance to make sure your technology is keeping up with your work, and that nothing has quietly slipped through the cracks.
And if a quarterly review uncovers a few things that need attention, that’s not a sign something has gone wrong. It’s exactly why these conversations are worth having in the first place.