Technology assessment may be an intimidating task when one is faced with the complexity of today's technological world, particularly when assessment is so intimately bound together with technology planning. When the job seems like it is too much, many organizations will ask for help. Where they go and how they view that help are key aspects of whether or not the relationship will be successful. In the business world, the first option is often to hire a consultant, and the nonprofit world isn't that different. The difference is usually money.
Consultants can be expensive.
However, there are some consultants that specialize in nonprofits and technology and are used to the pay scales involved. While problems with using volunteers to perform ongoing, complex technical tasks may be well-documented, projects such as an assessment should not be a problem as long as the nonprofit remains involved in its own planning. The most important thing to remember about using any of these in an assessment process is that, while they can bring technical expertise from the outside world to the nonprofit, only those who work at the organization can bring their specialized knowledge from within. Mission, work flow, personalities and tasks are all areas in which the nonprofit knows best. Therefore, any nonprofit hiring or otherwise working with an outside entity to perform a technology assessment must realize that assessment is not a function that can simply be turned over to someone else.