How Nonprofit Technology Professionals Connect Data to Impact
Key Takeaways
- Nonprofit careers often grow from where you start. Volunteering and stepping into what’s needed can lead to unexpected, meaningful paths.
- Behind-the-scenes work still drives impact. Data, systems, and operations help organizations make better decisions and serve people well.
- Technology is about clarity, not complexity. Strong systems connect information to action—they don’t just store it.
- Constant change comes with real fatigue. Adapting to ongoing shifts in funding, policy, and priorities can quietly lead to burnout.
- Peer support makes the work sustainable. Conversations with others who “get it” can offer solutions, perspective, and small reminders of why the work matters.
There are many roles in the nonprofit sector that are easy to recognize.
And then there are the ones that quietly hold everything together.
For Marice Fernando, Associate Director for Data Strategy and Technology at Exponent Philanthropy, the work doesn’t always sit at the front of the room. But it plays a critical role in helping organizations do their work well—and in making sure impact is actually possible.
A Nonprofit Career That Began with Volunteering
Like many people working in the social sector, Marice didn’t initially set out to build a nonprofit career. What she did know, early on, was that she felt a strong pull toward helping others.
As a high school student in Georgia, she spent time volunteering at a homeless shelter and a nursing home. Those experiences planted the seed, but it wasn’t until she became a Bonner Scholar at Berry College that her understanding of the sector began to shift. The program required a weekly commitment to community service, and she chose to spend those hours with the American Red Cross.
Over time, her role evolved. What began as answering phones and writing donor acknowledgement letters grew into teaching health and safety programs in schools and eventually coordinating other student volunteers. With each step, she was gaining not only experience, but perspective.
Looking back, Marice realized that those years changed how she saw nonprofit work entirely. Volunteering was no longer just something people did to give back—it became something that could shape a career, a sense of purpose, and a long-term path.
After graduate school, she moved into member engagement roles within nonprofit associations. And like many nonprofit professionals, her path shifted again when her organization needed support during a database migration and staff transition. She stepped in, learned what she needed to learn, and in the process found her way into nonprofit technology.
It wasn’t planned. It was responsive. And it was exactly where she was needed.
Finding Meaning Behind the Data
Today, Marice works at Exponent Philanthropy, a membership organization that supports funders operating with few or no staff. Her role focuses on Salesforce, data strategy, and helping her organization think more intentionally about how technology supports its work.
At first glance, it might seem like a role that sits at a distance from the people nonprofits ultimately serve. After all, Exponent supports funders, who support nonprofits, who then support individuals and communities.
But Marice doesn’t experience that distance as disconnection.
She experiences it as a series of relationships that can be strengthened through better systems and clearer information. Hearing stories about the nonprofits supported through their members reminds her why the work matters. And the process of improving systems becomes a way of contributing to that impact.
“Being able to connect the dots between the data and the strategy and the impact is really exciting. It’s like putting the pieces of a puzzle together.”
That idea of “connecting the dots” comes up often in nonprofit work. Sometimes it happens in direct service. Other times, it happens behind the scenes. For Marice, the work is about creating clarity—making it easier for organizations to understand what’s happening, make informed decisions, and ultimately serve people more effectively.
Even when the impact isn’t immediately visible, it’s still there, moving through the systems she helps build and improve.
The Growing Weight Nonprofits Are Carrying
When reflecting on the current state of the sector, Marice spoke candidly about the challenges nonprofits are navigating—particularly within an increasingly complex and politicized environment.
Organizations are facing funding uncertainty, shifting regulations, and heightened public scrutiny. For many, especially those relying on government funding, there is a growing sense of instability and concern about what lies ahead.
Each of these pressures requires organizations to adapt quickly. But adaptation, while necessary, comes at a cost.
“It’s that long-term cost built up over time when it keeps happening. It is exhausting.”
That exhaustion is something many nonprofit professionals carry quietly. It’s not always tied to a single moment or challenge, but rather the accumulation of constant change—pivoting strategies, adjusting to new requirements, and trying to do more with limited resources.
Burnout, in this context, isn’t a failure of resilience. It’s often the natural outcome of sustained pressure over time.
And while the sector is known for its ability to adapt, it’s worth asking what that adaptability is costing the people doing the work.
Why Peer Communities Matter More Than Ever
One of the realities Marice highlighted is that many nonprofits operate with extremely lean teams. In her area of work, that often means being the only person responsible for data and technology.
That kind of responsibility can feel isolating.
Without peers inside the organization who fully understand the challenges, many nonprofit professionals turn outward—to communities of practice, informal networks, and peer groups where they can ask questions, share ideas, and learn from others doing similar work.
For Marice, those spaces have become essential.
“It helps to just talk to people who get it… the challenges we encounter.”
Sometimes those conversations lead to practical solutions. Other times they provide reassurance, a new perspective, or simply a moment to pause and reflect. In one instance, after posting a question about grant tracking, a peer responded quickly and offered to walk through their own system in real time—something far more helpful than any documentation.
That kind of generosity changes how work gets done.
It shortens the learning curve, reduces frustration, and reminds people that they don’t have to solve everything on their own. Over time, those relationships also shift. As Marice has gained experience, she’s found herself stepping into that same role—offering support, sharing knowledge, and helping others navigate similar challenges.
The exchange becomes mutual. And the work becomes a little less isolating.
Small Conversations That Keep Us Going
When Marice reflects on what has mattered most in her experience with peer communities, she doesn’t point to formal outcomes or structured networking.
She talks about conversations.
Some are with people in similar roles, exchanging ideas and resources. Others are with professionals working in completely different parts of the sector, offering a window into the breadth of nonprofit work and the many ways people are contributing to change.
Those conversations don’t always lead to immediate action. But they do something just as important.
They create connection.
“In those difficult moments, those conversations are like little sparks of joy… it reminds me why I’m in this sector.”
That reminder matters. Because nonprofit work can be demanding, and it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture when the day-to-day feels overwhelming.
Sometimes, all it takes is one thoughtful conversation to shift that perspective—to remember the purpose behind the work and the community that exists around it.
The Quiet Work That Makes Everything Else Possible
Not every role in the nonprofit sector is visible.
Some people are leading programs. Others are building relationships, raising funds, or advocating for change. And many, like Marice, are working behind the scenes—building systems, solving problems, and creating the infrastructure that allows everything else to function.
Their work may not always be seen.
But it is essential.
Marice’s story is a reminder that impact doesn’t only happen in the moments we can point to. It also happens in the systems that support those moments—in the decisions made easier, the processes made smoother, and the connections made clearer.
And perhaps most importantly, it happens through the people who continue to show up, share what they know, and support one another along the way.
Because in a sector built on care and commitment, no one is meant to carry the work alone.