Executive Takeaway: Many Not for Profit organisations start system selection too early. The problem is not the software. The problem is that the organisation isn’t ready, and trying to design the new system will make that painfully obvious.
Organisations engage me to help with system selection, software procurement, or a broader technology roadmap. After I review the current state, sometimes I tell them something they weren’t expecting to hear.
Don’t buy a new system yet.
That isn’t always a popular message. Plenty of consultants make their money by keeping a procurement process moving. I’d rather tell a client the truth than help them spend a lot of money on a project that has a very high chance of going badly.
In the Not for Profit sector, this matters even more. Budgets are tight. Internal capacity is usually stretched. And when a technology project goes off the rails, the cost isn’t just financial. It shows up in staff fatigue, poor service delivery, weak adoption, and another round of leaders wondering why the new system didn’t deliver what they were promised.
So, what does it actually mean when an organisation isn’t ready for a new system?
A real example
I worked with a Not for Profit a few years ago that wanted help procuring a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. It became obvious quite quickly that the real problem wasn’t just the current CRM. The operating model was a mess, and the organisation hadn’t recognised that.
I ran a whiteboard session with managers and kept asking a simple question: “Who is responsible for answering this kind of question from this specific stakeholder?”
By the end, the board looked like spaghetti. There wasn’t clear accountability for different types of stakeholder enquiries, and no shared understanding of who owned what.
If they had pushed ahead with the new system, it would have embedded the same confusion into the design. So, instead of helping them buy software, I told them to stop the project and fix that first.
That is what lack of organisational readiness looks like in practice.
Signs your org is not ready
Technology should support a clear strategy, operating model, and way of working. If those things aren’t settled, the new system will inherit the same confusion. So, here are some signs that you aren’t ready for a new system:
- Shifting strategy: the requirements will move with it.
- Unclear operating model: the system has nothing stable to be built around.
- Changing services or programs: the future state is still a moving target.
- Unsettled business rules: the software cannot be sensibly designed or configured.
- Weak internal capacity: the project will struggle before it starts.
- An unrealistic budget: you have only funded the shiny part.
- Messy governance: decisions will be slow and quality will drop.
- Too many competing priorities: the project will be rushed or sidelined.
- Weak executive and board support: momentum will disappear when things get difficult.
If several of these issues are unresolved, don’t rush into procurement. Do the groundwork first.
Final Thoughts
Not ready doesn’t mean never. It means the next best investment may be readiness work, not a rushed procurement process.
That might mean clarifying strategy, fixing governance, documenting business rules, confirming the future service model, or setting a realistic budget. It isn’t as exciting as starting a new project, but it’s what separates a good system implementation from an expensive mistake.
Because buying a new system won’t fix organisational confusion. It’ll automate it, expose it, and make it more expensive. If your organisation isn’t ready.. STOP and do the groundwork. You can always go to market later with a much better chance of success.
I regularly help Not for Profits with major technology investment decisions. If you need some help, let me know.
P.S. If you found this article helpful, you might want to read these too:
• The hidden cost of traditional software RFTs
• When your IT systems constrain your Not for Profit’s mission
Tammy Ven Dange is a former charity CEO, Association President, Not for Profit Board Member and IT Executive. Today, she helps NFPs with strategic IT decisions, especially around major investments and risk mitigation.
