Many nonprofits end up with IT support stitched together over time: a part-time contractor, a separate security vendor, a phone provider, and a staff member who happens to be good with computers. It works until something breaks, someone leaves, or a funder asks a question nobody can answer.
This guide explains what good nonprofit IT support covers, the main ways to get it, and the questions to ask before you choose a provider.
What nonprofit IT support should cover
- A help desk for staff and volunteers. Case workers, teachers, and program managers need their laptop, email, and systems to work without a ticket that sits for days.
- Network and Wi-Fi. Reliable connectivity across your offices, program sites, and shared spaces.
- Microsoft 365. Users and licensing, security such as multi-factor sign-in, email, SharePoint and Teams, retention and compliance settings, and the devices it all runs on.
- Cybersecurity. Protection for donor records, financial data, and client information, scaled to what funders and grant compliance actually require, not every security product on the market.
- Funder and cyber-insurance readiness. Someone who can help you answer security questionnaires and applications. See our cyber insurance application help.
- Lifecycle planning. Knowing what you own, how old it is, what is reaching end of life, and what to budget next, so a failed laptop or switch is not an emergency line item.
- Technology leadership. A voice in leadership and board conversations about budgets, vendors, and priorities. See our Virtual CTO services.
Three ways nonprofits get IT support
- A part-time contractor or volunteer. Low cost and personal, but coverage depends on one person's availability, and knowledge walks out the door if they leave.
- Break-fix support. You call when something fails. It is flexible, but nobody is watching your systems or planning ahead, and costs can be unpredictable.
- One managed IT partner. Help desk, on-site support, infrastructure, security, and planning from one accountable team, typically at a flat, predictable cost that is easier to budget. See Managed IT services.
Questions to ask any provider
- Who answers when a staff member is stuck, and how fast?
- Will we work with the same technician, so nobody re-explains their setup every time?
- Can you help us qualify for nonprofit Microsoft 365 licensing, and will security features be turned on?
- How will you help with grant, funder, and cyber-insurance requirements?
- How do you protect donor and client data, and what does that cover?
- Will you give us a lifecycle plan our executive director, finance committee, or board can act on?
- What happens when we open a new location or program site?
- How is access removed when staff or volunteers leave?
Two examples
A multi-site organization. The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth runs school and family-services programs across six locations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin. WNS has been its technology partner for 18 years. Read the TLC case study.
A new office. When Bebashi moved into a new Philadelphia office, WNS built the physical network from the ground up, including 141 CAT6 plenum runs across two floors and a fiber backbone connecting them. WNS then stayed on to migrate and govern its Microsoft 365 environment and support leadership with ongoing technology planning. Read the Bebashi case study.
Signs you have outgrown your current setup
- One person holds all the passwords and knowledge.
- Staff wait days for simple fixes.
- You cannot say how old your computers and network equipment are.
- A funder or insurer asked a security question and nobody knew the answer.
- You are opening a site and have no plan for the technology.
Frequently asked questions
What should nonprofit IT support include?
At minimum, a responsive help desk for staff and volunteers, network and Wi-Fi support across your offices and program sites, Microsoft 365 management, cybersecurity for donor and client data, and planning for when equipment needs replacing. Better providers also help with funder and cyber-insurance requirements and attend leadership or board conversations about technology.
Do nonprofits qualify for discounted Microsoft 365?
Most nonprofits qualify for discounted Microsoft 365 licensing. WNS handles registering your organization for nonprofit eligibility and configures the license to turn on its included security features, so you get the discount without leaving protections switched off.
Can one provider support several offices and program sites?
Yes. WNS has been the technology partner for The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth for 18 years across six locations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin, including network builds, day-to-day IT management, and scheduled on-site coverage.
Want to talk it through? Read about nonprofit IT support from WNS, or contact us at (215) 701-8152.