Batteries Included

 For Christmas, my son received a toy machine gun that automatically fires 25 foam darts in about 3-4 seconds. I was excited to help him get it set up…until I realized that batteries were not included, and it couldn’t even fire one shot manually without them. If you’ve been there, perhaps you understand my “batteries not included” let-down. Not only was I a little frustrated that I hadn’t noticed the battery requirement days in advance, but also because my son was so excited for something that wasn’t to be…

The “batteries not included” experience is one that gets played out in the nonprofit world at pricetags much larger than my son’s toy machine gun. Specifically, I’m thinking about many non-profits that are considering an investment in a software solution for their organization. The costs can be substantial, and the uncertainties associated with implementing a new system can create challenges for a lot of organizations on so many levels (e.g., financially, employee learning curves, transitioning to “new ways”). In the end, when a new software has been implemented, there’s one position I definitely would not want to be in: I would not want to be the one who has to tell the board of directors that the new software doesn’t and can’t do everything we were hoping, or in other words, “batteries not included.” That experience would replicate what I felt with my son and what my son felt, but a whole lot bigger, with a whole lot more money and time invested, and a lot more on the line.

The short and long of the story…if you’re looking for a software solution, make sure before you commit that it 1) can do what you need it to do, 2) can change and grow with your organization, and 3) provides everything you were expecting it to provide. In other words, make sure it says, “batteries included.”

ClientTrack: Batteries Included.