Flickr Photo: _heather_r_My mother-in-law is famous in our family for one phrase: "Get Over It." I've adopted it pretty broadly; it's handy when your husband or child is whining. But it also has useful business applications. Though I rarely say it out loud, I think it a lot, then try to find slightly more tactful versions, like "Maybe there's another solution to this problem?"

I do a lot of public speaking on social media, the cloud, business intelligence, and other emergent trends in nonprofit technology. No matter what the topic is, I'm asked some variation on, "I'm a nonprofit. I don't have any money. I can't afford to be innovative. How can I be expected to think about these changes?"

I've been asked this question so many times, I should probably say what I really mean about embracing innovation. Here are a few reasons I think you should get over it, and what to do about it:

1.  You haven't thought about revising your business model in a decade.

More organizations are doing program evaluation than before, and that's fantastic. We need to think about whether or not our programs are actually delivering value. If they're not, we need to do something about it. 

Often, examining failure leads to some amazing stuff. But evaluation only addresses the past while suggesting a future path. We've seen plenty of evidence that predicting the future based on the past is helpful, but not always the best place to put all one's eggs. What worked yesterday won't necessarily work tomorrow. Evaluation is part of innovation, but not all of it.

We have to start betting on our future. We need combine evaluation with prognostication to imagine what the future will look like, then design programs and services that will meet the needs of our future. We can do it in ways that allow us to mitigate the risk -- try one new thing at a time, or several small ideas -- but we have to re-imagine our programs, not just revise them. 

Another way of thinking of this: ask yourself, "What Are We NOT Doing?"

2. You owe if to your clients/activists/volunteers.

On any given day, I'm lucky to have 2 hours of unscheduled time. That's the time I use to go to the gym, read a book, watch So You Think You Can Dance, garden, or whatever. It's a luxury to have that much time, I know, but it never feels like enough. I'm a busy girl, so time is the last thing I feel I can give to any cause.

If you're going to ask me for my time, you'd better have a plan to use it wisely. 

If I were a client at a social service agency, this conundrum would be even more acute. Your clients don't always have the luxury of driving to work; they take the bus. Many of them work multiple jobs. They have kids they can't afford to put into daycare. You may be providing a valuable service, but you owe it to them to provide it in the most efficient and effective way possible.

Same old, same old may have been the only way to get your program or service to your clients, activists, and volunteers 5 years ago. But technology is changing so fast, there must be a better way now. What would your case workers be able to do better if they had cellular modems in the field? What if clients could make same day drop-in appointments at your clinic via text message instead of waiting in line all day? What if I could phone bank for you from my laptop?

Aligning technology with your mission is the key to making this work. 

3. You owe it to your donors.

Every time I turn around, there's a new nonprofit out there. In fact, the sector grew by 36% between 1996 and 2006. With so many nonprofits out there working toward a common good, it's more vital than ever that you give your donors the biggest thank-you gift there is: a job well done. The first step is to make sure that what you're currently doing has value. But you also owe it to your donors to think about the future now, to use their money as an investment in the future.

4. Crisis is an opportunity and all those platitudes.

Yes, it's a crazy time. You're probably expected to support the same level of IT at your organization with half the budget this year.

That doesn't mean you should be circling the wagons and simply protecting what you've got. This is your time to start thinking about how you can get that job done faster so that you can do other things instead.

This is a challenge. Rise to the occasion. Now that you're budget's been slashed, you know it's going to be a while before you get it back.

I don't want say that you need to innovate or die. I do want to point out that you can't afford NOT to innovate.

As my mother-in-law would say, "Get over it."