Omatic Interview Series: An Integration Conversation with Jett Winders from Heller Consulting

Omatic is proud to partner with leading technology providers, system integrators, and consulting firms committed to helping nonprofits use technology to enhance their mission impact.

We’re excited to share our recent interview with Jett Winders, Director of Sales and Marketing at Heller Consulting, who will discuss some of the key data challenges and opportunities for nonprofits from their recent 2024 Digital Investments Report with NTEN.

For those who are not aware of Heller Consulting, could you provide an introduction to Heller and your role within the organization?

Heller Consulting, an RKD Group company, empowers nonprofit organizations with technology strategy, CRM planning, implementation and change management services. With three decades of experience, Heller leverages customized solutions to significantly expand the impact of their clients’ missions.

At Heller, I lead the sales and marketing efforts and partner with clients on mapping out the best technology paths for them. Before joining Heller Consulting, I spent 15 years in the fundraising world focusing on individual giving, peer-to-peer events, and enterprise system implementations.

With Heller and NTEN releasing the 2024 Digital Investments Report, what were some of the most surprising findings?

One of the findings that most surprised me was that respondents showed that their top priority is on making technology investments that help staff do the most with their time. Going into the research survey, NTEN and Heller Consulting were curious to see if nonprofits are prioritizing technology investments that would help them raise more money.

And while fundraising is a top organizational goal for the majority of the respondents, they don’t necessarily see technology as the main way to raise more funds. Instead, they are turning to technology to help improve processes and save staff time.

Integration of digital tools and data quality seem to be significant challenges for nonprofits. How can organizations overcome these obstacles to ensure seamless data flow and maintain data integrity across various platforms? Any tips from successful organizations?

We notice that organizations achieve success when they pause and align their technology priorities with their business challenges. It’s tempting to think that the most advanced and modern technological tool will fix all of your issues. But if you don’t have a strategy directing your organization, you could end up with the same issues just in a different system.

Our clients are spending time to assess their data, tidy up their data, and review data governance policies to make sure that they are not transferring duplicate or redundant data into new systems.

Budget constraints and limited staff capacity are identified as common challenges for nonprofits in their digital investments. How do these factors impact organizations, and what advice do you have for maximizing impact with limited resources?

At Heller Consulting, we know that many organizations face budget and time challenges. Our tip for a technology project is to balance how important the priorities are with how hard and expensive they are. Find easy wins to demonstrate the new system’s value and identify what investments are needed to show the new system’s return.

The report shows that while increased supporter engagement is a top benefit of digital investments, only a minority of organizations have data integration across systems. How do you see a lack of integration inhibiting an organization’s ability to effectively engage and steward supporters?

A lack of integration can have a negative impact on an organization’s ability to engage and steward supporters effectively. Without integration, data may be siloed, incomplete, inconsistent, or inaccurate across different systems. This can lead to missed opportunities, poor communication, duplication of efforts, or loss of trust among supporters.

Integration can help organizations create a unified view of their supporters, track their interactions and preferences, segment and target them with personalized messages, and measure the outcomes of their engagement strategies. Integration can also help streamline workflows, automate tasks, and reduce errors and manual work. By investing in integration, organizations can leverage their data to enhance their supporter relationships and achieve their mission.

For nonprofits seeking guidance on their digital investments or looking to improve their digital strategies, what is the easiest way for them to get in touch with Heller Consulting?

You can get in touch with me directly at jwinders@teamheller.com or learn about us over at teamheller.com.

Thank you for your time Jett!