Impactful strategy delivers clear nonprofit plan for global technology company

The opportunity

A leading global technology company has a very clear goal: harness the power of technology for social good. Its aim is to drive better outcomes for nonprofits in terms of improved productivity and enhanced services for the communities they serve.

The organisation engaged Pearl Consulting to review its Technology for Good efforts in Australia, and helped develop a strategic plan that delivered on the promise to transform nonprofits through technology.

The solution

Pearl Consulting looked at how the organisation engaged with nonprofits, delivered services, built capacity and assessed outcomes. It was then able to take a holistic approach to develop a 12-month nonprofit plan, which defined what success would look like and how it would be measured.

Steps to success

1. Conduct stakeholder interviews to gain insights

Pearl Consulting conducted a series of in-depth face-to-face interviews with key internal and external stakeholders. The consultancy’s deep understanding of the nonprofit sector ensured that it was able to compile feedback and glean useful insights. The result was a 360-degree view of stakeholder experiences of working with nonprofits as the basis for the strategic plan.

2. Retain a flexible approach towards changing organisational priorities

Pearl Consulting understands that large organisations often require a change in emphasis related to shifts in business strategy. With this in mind, it retained a flexible approach when objectives changed. This allowed it to make recommendations when the organisation adopted a new direction for its nonprofit work.

3. Consolidate a complex environment into clear strategic goals

The global technology company occupies a complex environment spanning the interests of nonprofits, the government and changing legislation, and its own corporate and business objectives. Within this environment, the organisation could pursue many different paths. Pearl Consulting helped define clear strategic objectives that were likely to deliver the most impactful results.

The outcome

Pearl Consulting worked quickly to deliver a set of clear recommendations to set the national strategy, which aimed to build on existing company-wide investment in nonprofits. The recommendations raised awareness of the challenges faced, providing a more clear understanding of the tactical plan.

Recommendations spanned the development of case studies to highlight nonprofits successfully using the organisation’s products, to selecting lighthouse organisations to showcase how technology can improve outcomes.