Every system change starts with people.
The excited ones. The skeptical ones. And the quietly brilliant ones who know your current processes better than anyone.
Whether you’re moving from paper to digital, or rolling out a full nonprofit ERP, the biggest hurdle isn’t usually technical. It’s emotional. It’s cultural. It’s human. That’s why building buy-in isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s the difference between a successful implementation and a stalled project.
And that starts by knowing who’s in the room.
No two teams are the same, but most nonprofits have a familiar mix of personalities when change is on the horizon. These aren’t just stakeholders—they’re the people who will determine whether the project gets traction.
They also form the foundation of what Harvard’s John Kotter calls a “powerful guiding coalition”—a group of individuals with the authority, influence, trust, and credibility to move the change forward. As a change agent, you’ll need that coalition. These are some of the roles it may include:
They’re all in from day one. They see possibilities where others see problems. They’re not afraid to try new things, and they’re the first to tell others how excited they are about the change.
How they support the digital transformation:
How to support them:
Give them a real seat at the table. Keep them updated, involve them in user testing, and ask them to share early wins. Their energy is a magnet for momentum, but they need structure and transparency to stay effective.
They’re not resistant. They’re responsible. They’ve seen “new and improved” tools come and go, and they’ve been the one to fix things when the rollout didn’t stick. They care about the details, and they don’t want the team to take on more than it can handle.
How they support the ERP transformation:
How to support them:
Speak their language. Don’t pitch features—walk through specific pain points, like late reporting, manual payroll corrections, or mismatched budget tracking. Ask for their feedback often. When skeptics begin to trust the process, others follow their lead.
They might not have a leadership title, but they know exactly how things really work. They’re the one people turn to when a report won’t run or a policy has exceptions. They hold the institutional memory and they’ve kept the system afloat through a lot of duct tape and dedication.
How they support the ERP transformation:
How to support them:
Pull them in early. Ask them to walk through what “month-end” really looks like. Their knowledge can prevent future headaches, and their inclusion sends a clear message: your experience matters here.
These are the people who can influence others, answer the tough questions, and lead by example. Bringing them in with purpose builds momentum and creates a strong foundation for lasting change.
As Kotter reminds us, change doesn’t happen because one person says it should. It happens when the right people believe in it together.
What They Need to Hear: Speak in Their Language
You can’t build buy-in with a one-size-fits-all message. Each team looks at change through a different lens, and what excites one person might worry another.
The key isn’t to pitch the software. It’s to connect the change to what actually matters in their day-to-day work.
They want fewer reconciliations at month-end, fewer errors caused by manual entry, and reports that don’t take hours to prepare.
Speak to:
“You’ll spend less time fixing spreadsheets and more time forecasting.”
They want onboarding that doesn’t involve chasing signatures across departments. They want to stop rekeying the same info three times and finally have one place for time-off requests, contracts, and updates.
Speak to:
“Everything lives in one place, and new hires don’t fall through the cracks.”
They want more time serving people and less time on admin. They care about usability, not accounting rules.
Speak to:
“You won’t need to print anything to get your expenses reimbursed.”
They want visibility into how the organization is performing and flexibility to adapt quickly when things change. They want to know that their decisions are backed by reliable numbers.
Speak to:
“You’ll have a clear line of sight into finance, HR, and operations without needing three systems.”
Whether you're introducing nonprofit accounting software or leading a full nonprofit digital transformation, don’t lead with features. Lead with relevance. Speak to the problems your people are trying to solve and how this change helps them do that with less friction, less stress, and more confidence.
Change sticks when your team feels like part of it, not a target of it. Bring people in from the start. Ask what’s not working. Walk through their daily tasks together. Give them space to say, “If I could wave a magic wand, here’s what I’d change.”
As the new system rolls out, don’t wait for the finish line to measure success. Celebrate the early signs of progress:
Those moments aren’t just technical wins. They’re reminders that the change is working and worth it.
In nonprofit finance, data entry often eats up entire days. We've seen it over and over—smart, capable people spending hours chasing receipts, correcting codes, and reconciling invoices by hand.
When organizations switch to a modern nonprofit ERP like Sparkrock, that work doesn’t disappear, but the manual part does. The system flags duplicates, applies codes automatically, and speeds up approvals.
That creates space.
And when teams have space, they shift from survival mode to strategy. They start reviewing vendor contracts, identifying cost savings, and joining budget conversations. They move from the back office into the boardroom.
“We’re trying to get the system to do the data entry so finance can focus on analysis.”
— Jennifer Hume, Pre-Sales Consultant at Sparkrock (and former nonprofit finance lead)
That’s the kind of change that lasts—not because of technology, but because of what people are finally free to do.
Change is never friction-free. But when people feel heard, included, and supported, it becomes possible, and even energizing.
The right tools won’t solve everything, but they will give your team a stronger foundation:
And when your coalition is in place—your cheerleaders, skeptics, and quiet experts all moving in the same direction—real progress starts to stick.
Upgrading your nonprofit ERP is only part of the story. The real goal is creating an environment where your people can thrive.