More on Budgeting for IT staff

I recently blogged about the need to consider real market rates when determining pay for IT staff.

I know that some people are going to say that their budget determines what they offer. However, that's a very poor way to manage your staffing, especially in this area. A better thing to do is look at what a realistic cost is and then determine your budget. Does that mean you are going to have to adjust what you ask for when preparing grant and funding requests? Sure. Could it affect how you allocate existing funds? Obviously. But that's the reality you have to deal with. Think about this: do you decide what you are going to pay in electricity based on your budget, or do you decide your budget based on your expense? If your electrical bill is really too high, you have to look at cutting the amount of electricity you use, but you are not going to make people work in the dark, and you shouldn't try to make them work in low light. At least, not if you want your organization to survive.

When you get down to it, IT staff is not an extra you pay for if you can. It's as integral to your operation as your phone service, electricity and building. Today, people cannot get their jobs done with out computers and related peripherals. E-mail, exchange of documents in email, and the use of the internet are not voluntary (and that aspect of things is only going to increase). Maintaining access to your documents and client information is only practical with decent networks. But networks and internet access means that security needs to be taken care of as well. So does compliance with the myriad regulations that non-profits operate under.

So, if you want your organization to succeed, define your budget in terms what you need rather than the reverse. And make sure to include adequate IT support.