This Is Not a Technology Problem. It Is a Leadership Problem.
A data-grounded guide to leading technology change in nonprofits — decision-making, team adoption, data culture, and sustaining change when the excitement fades. Each chapter ends with a coaching-style reflection exercise.
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Why 70% of Digital Transformations Fail — and What Leaders Can Do Differently
Seventy-four percent of nonprofit leaders agree digital transformation is important. Only twelve percent have achieved digital maturity. That sixty-two-point gap is not a technology gap — it is a leadership gap. This guide addresses the human side of technology change, grounded in research from NTEN, TechSoup, and CNPC’s own intake analysis.
- ✓ Why 92% of nonprofits use AI tools but only 7% report major mission improvements — and the governance gap behind it
- ✓ The five-level adoption ladder — and why “compliant” is more dangerous than “resistant”
- ✓ Reflection exercises at the end of every chapter — the kind of questions a professional coach would ask
- ✓ A concrete five-action plan you can start this week — no IT background required
Six Chapters, Six Technology Leadership Capacities
Why Digital Transformation Keeps Failing
The 62-point gap between understanding and execution. Why nonprofits spend 1–3% on tech (vs. 5–8% in the private sector) and why the failure is almost never the technology itself.
Making Technology Decisions When You Are Not a Technology Person
The Mission-First Decision Matrix: four questions any nonprofit leader can answer. Plus the AI governance question — 86% exploring, only 24% with a formal strategy.
Leading a Team Through Technology Change
The five-level adoption ladder from unaware to championing. Why compliance looks like adoption from the outside but delivers none of the value — and the communication sequence most leaders get backwards.
Building a Culture That Actually Uses Data
75% of nonprofits collect data. 6% feel they use it effectively. The data maturity ladder, the AI data gap, and why the leader has to go first.
Sustaining the Change When the Excitement Fades
The messy middle: the 6–18 month period after launch when most initiatives quietly die. The sustainability triad and why 33% of leaders report burnout is impacting their mission.
Your Next Step
Five actions for this week, the coaching research (529% ROI, 96% would repeat), and how CNPC delivers six coaching sessions at 85%+ below market rate.
Not Another Technology Checklist
Grounded in Sector Data
Every claim is sourced. Data from NTEN benchmarks, TechSoup surveys, McKinsey transformation research, and CNPC’s own analysis of hundreds of coaching applications.
Written for the Leader, Not the IT Department
This is not a CRM comparison guide. It addresses the leadership challenges behind technology change: staff resistance, decision paralysis, attention drift, and the emotional weight of leading change you did not train for.
Coaching Built In
Each chapter ends with reflection exercises modeled on the questions a professional coach would ask. You get a taste of the process before deciding if coaching is your next step.
Continue Your Development
This guide covers technology leadership. Three companion guides cover the personal, strategic, and financial dimensions.
Purpose-Driven Leadership
Self-awareness, EI, decisions, teams, resilience
Get This Guide →
Nonprofit Strategy Mastery
Strategic thinking, honest assessment, decisions, execution
Get This Guide →
Mastering Nonprofit Finances
Financial confidence, cash flow, board communication, resilience
Get This Guide →Mastering Digital Transformation
Technology decisions, team adoption, data culture, sustaining change
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